Gene Hackman was an American actor with a career spanning more than 40 years. Gene won two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. Hackman won the Oscar for Best Actor for playing Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection in 1971 and Best Supporting Actor for his role as a corrupt sheriff in Unforgiven in 1992. He was also nominated for Bonnie and Clyde (1967), I Never Sang for My Father (1970), and Mississippi Burning (1988).
Hackman was widely recognized for playing Lex Luthor in Superman and its sequels. His other well-known films include The Poseidon Adventure, The Conversation, A Bridge Too Far, The Firm, Enemy of the State, and The Royal Tenenbaums.
“One could say, you know, that I’ve achieved some manner of success, but it’s like the difference between being a doctor and a lawyer and being, maybe, a laborer. I feel that, in some ways, my efforts of being an actor are so all-instinctive, and that I haven’t paid my dues in terms of my contribution to the firmament.” 1cbsnews
Gene Hackman Bio
Eugene Allen Hackman was born on 30 January 1930 in San Bernardino, California, and died on 26 February 2025 (aged 95). On February 26, 2025, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 2imdb
Gene Hackman Education
Gene Hackman, after high school, left home and joined the U.S. Marine Corps by lying about his age. He served for over four years as a radio operator, stationed in China, Hawaii, and Japan. After his discharge in 1951, he moved to New York and worked different jobs. Gene later studied journalism and television production at the University of Illinois but left before graduating, eventually moving back to California.
Gene Hackman Parents
Gene’s mother was Ann Lydia Elizabeth Gray, and his father was Eugene Ezra Hackman. He had a brother named Richard. His family moved often before settling in Danville, Illinois, where they lived with his grandmother. His father worked at a local newspaper 3imdbÂ
Gene Hackman Wife & Children
In 1956, Gene Hackman married his first wife, Faye Maltese, and they had three children: Christopher Allen, Elizabeth Jean, and Leslie Ann Hackman. After 30 years of marriage, they divorced in 1986. In 1991, Gene married classical pianist Betsy Arakawa. 4imdbÂ
Gene Hackman Career & Writings
In 2000, Gene Hackman starred in Under Suspicion with Morgan Freeman and The Replacements with Keanu Reeves. He also appeared in Behind Enemy Lines in 2001 with Owen Wilson, Heartbreakers in 2001 with Sigourney Weaver, and Heist in 2001 as a skilled thief forced into one last job. He had a small role in the movie The Mexican.
Hackman received critical praise for playing the eccentric family patriarch in The Royal Tenenbaums in 2001 and won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy. In 2003, he appeared in Runaway Jury with his longtime friend Dustin Hoffman. His final film was the comedy Welcome to Mooseport with Ray Romano.
In 2003, Gene was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for his contributions to entertainment. In a 2004 interview, he said he had no upcoming projects and believed his acting career was over. He later confirmed his retirement in 2008 while promoting his third novel. In 2009, he revealed that he retired due to heart health concerns. He briefly returned to narrate two Marine Corps documentaries in 2016 and 2017.
Hackman also wrote books. With Daniel Lenihan, he co-authored three historical fiction novels: Wake of the Perdido Star in 1999, Justice for None in 2004, and Escape from Andersonville in 2008. He later wrote two solo novels: Payback at Morning Peak in 2011 and Pursuit in 2013, a police thriller. 5wikipediaÂ
Gene Hackman Net Worth
Gene has an estimated net worth of more than 80 million USD.
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