Rialto Pictures

Gene Hackman was born in San Bernardino, California on January 30, 1930. His family moved often and, at sixteen, Hackman left home and lied about his age to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps. He joined the Pasadena Playhouse in 1956, where he and fellow aspiring actor Dustin Hoffman were voted “Least Likely to Succeed.” Hackman moved to New York City, securing roles in several Off-Broadway productions and various bit parts in television series like Route 66. Hackman’s first film role came with Lilith (1964), starring Warren Beatty, an actor he would work with frequently in subsequent years. After more TV work and small roles in various films, Hackman was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and again for his role in I Never Sang for My Father (1970). The following year, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Jimmy Doyle in William Friedkin’s The French Connection (1971). This honor catapulted him to greater fame and leading roles in The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Conversation (1974). Hackman also appeared in Young Frankenstein (1974), Night Moves (1975), Bite the Bullet (1975), French Connection II (1975), A Bridge Too Far (1977), and Superman: The Movie (1977). The 1980s brought Superman II (1980), Reds (1981), Hoosiers (1986), No Way Out (1987), Mississippi Burning (1988), for which he was nominated for the Best Actor in a Leading Role Academy Award, and Narrow Margin (1990). He won his second Oscar for his supporting role in Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven (1992). Later in the ‘90s, he starred in The Firm (1993), Wyatt Earp (1994), The Quick and the Dead (1995), Crimson Tide (1995), The Birdcage (1995), and Enemy of the State (1998). Before his retirement from acting in the mid-2000s, Hackman appeared in Behind Enemy Lines (2001), Heist (2001), Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Runaway Jury (2003), and Welcome to Mooseport (2004). He also published five novels since the late ‘90s. Hackman passed away in February 2025 at the age of 95.