Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen Hackman[His middle name is "Allen", according to the State of California. California Birth Index, 1905-1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com] (born
January 30,
1930) is an
Academy Award-winning
American actor.
Early life
Hackman was born in
San Bernardino, California to Eugene Ezra Hackman (a newspaper pressman) and Lynda Gray. His parents divorced while he was a child, and he moved from one place to another until finally settling in
Danville, Illinois, where he lived with his
English-born grandmother, Beatrice Gray.
At 16 he left home to join the
Marines, where he served 3 years as a field radio operator. Having finished his service, he moved to
New York, working in several minor jobs before moving to study television production and journalism at the
University of Illinois under the
G.I. Bill.
Career
Already over 30 years old, Hackman decided to become an actor, and joined the Pasadena Playhouse in California. It was in that school that Hackman forged a friendship with another aspiring actor,
Dustin Hoffman. Already seen as outsiders by their classmates, Hackman and Hoffman were later voted "The Least Likely To Succeed". Determined to prove them wrong, Hackman hopped on a bus bound for New York City with his wife. Hoffman later followed them. A 2004 article in
Vanity Fair described how Hackman, Hoffman and
Robert Duvall were all struggling actors and close friends while living in New York City in the 1960s. Hackman was working as a doorman when he ran into an instructor whom he had despised at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Reinforcing "The Least Likely To Succeed" vote, the man had said "See Hackman, I told you you wouldn't amount to anything." (Some reports allege that it was one of his former drill instructors from the Marines who saw him there and told him this.)
Hackman began performing in several
off-Broadway plays. Finally, in 1964, he had the offer to play on
Broadway, which opened the doors to the movies. His first role was in
Lilith, with
Warren Beatty in the leading role. Another secondary role, Buck Barrow, in 1967's
Bonnie and Clyde, earned him an
Academy Award nomination as
Best Supporting Actor. In 1971, he was again nominated for the same award, this time for
I Never Sang for My Father, working alongside
Melvyn Douglas and
Estelle Parsons. The next year he won the
Best Actor award for his memorable performance as Popeye Doyle in
The French Connection. He also appeared in the star studded war film
A Bridge Too Far (1977), and showed a talent for both comedy and the "slow burn" as
Lex Luthor in
Superman: The Movie (1978), and
Superman II (1980).
By the end of the 1980s Hackman was a well respected actor, and alternated between leading and supporting roles, earning another
Best Actor nomination for
Mississippi Burning, and appearing in such films as
Hoosiers,
Loose Cannons and
Bat*21. In 1990, he underwent heart surgery, which kept him away from work for a while. In 1992 he played violent sheriff Bill Daggett in
Unforgiven, which earned him a second Oscar, this time for
Best Supporting Actor.
Together with undersea archeologist Daniel Lenihan, Hackman also wrote two novels:
Wake of the Perdido Star (1999) and
Justice for None (2004).
His distinctive voice can be heard in television commercials from time-to-time, notably for
United Airlines,
GTE,
CNN, and more recently for
Oppenheimer Funds and
Lowe's Home Improvement.
Personal life
Hackman's first wife was Fay Maltese. They had three children, but they divorced in 1986 after 30 years of marriage. In 1991, Hackman married Betsy Arakawa. They live in
Beverly Hills and
Santa Fe, New Mexico. Betsy is co-owner of an upscale retail home-furnishing store in Santa Fe, called Pandora's, Inc.
On
July 7,
2004, Hackman gave a rare interview to
Larry King, in which he announced that he had no future film projects lined up, and believes his acting career is over.
* 1967 - Nominated -
Best Actor in a Supporting Role -
Bonnie and Clyde* 1970 - Nominated - Best Actor in a Supporting Role -
I Never Sang for My Father* 1971 - Won -
Best Actor in a Leading Role -
The French Connection* 1988 - Nominated - Best Actor in a Leading Role -
Mississippi Burning* 1992 - Won - Best Actor in a Supporting Role -
Unforgiven Welcome to Mooseport (2004)
Runaway Jury (2003)
Behind Enemy Lines (2001)
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Heist (2001)
Heartbreakers (2001)
The Mexican (2001)
The Replacements (2000)
Under Suspicion (2000)
Enemy of the State (1998)
Twilight (1998)
Absolute Power (1997)
The Chamber (1996)
Extreme Measures (1996)
The Birdcage (1996)
Get Shorty (1995)
Crimson Tide (1995)
The Quick and the Dead (1995)
Wyatt Earp (1994)
Geronimo: An American Legend (1993)
The Firm (1993)
Unforgiven (1992)
Company Business (1991)
Class Action (1991)
Loose Cannons (1990)
Postcards from the Edge (1990)
Narrow Margin (1990)
The Package (1988)
Bat*21 (1988)
Mississippi Burning (1988)
No Way Out (1987)
Another Woman (1987)
Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987)
Hoosiers (1986)
Power (1986)
Target (1985)
Twice in a Lifetime (1985)
Eureka (1984)
Misunderstood (1984)
Uncommon Valor (1983)
Under Fire (1983)
Reds (1981)
Superman II (1981)
All Night Long (1981)
Superman (1978)
The Domino Principle (1978)
A Bridge Too Far (1977)
March Or Die (1977)
French Connection II (1975)
Lucky Lady (1975)
Night Moves (1975)
The Conversation (1974)
Zandy's Bride (1974)
Bite the Bullet (1974)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Scarecrow (1973)
The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
Prime Cut (1972)
The Hunting Party (1971)
The French Connection (1971)
I Never Sang for My Father (1970)
Downhill Racer (1969)
Marooned (1969)
The Gypsy Moths (1969)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Hawaii (1966)
Lilith (1964)
Mad Dog Coll (uncredited) (1961)
Footnotes
Web sites
*
Gene Hackman Yahoo Group*
Classic Movies (1939 - 1969): Gene Hackman*
Daily Gene Hackman News*
Gene Hackman's forgotten Civil Defense film from 1966
