Gene Hackman Was One Of America's Greatest Actors And Truly One Of A Kind

Stanley Bielecki Movie Collection. Getty Images.

The world has lost a legendary titan of the silver screen.

Gene Hackman, the prolific and brilliant actor who elevated every film he appeared in whether portraying a brooding brute or providing comic relief, has died at 95. The actor, his 63-year-old wife Betsy Arakawa, and the couple's dog were found deceased by Sante Fe County police, who did not provide a cause of death but stated that foul play is not suspected.

Hackman retired from acting in 2004 after leaving a legacy and filmography that rivals any of his peers over the last 60 years, starring in an inordinate number of ground-breaking and critically-acclaimed films. To wit, THE FRENCH CONNECTION, SUPERMAN, MISSISSIPPI BURNING, BONNIE AND CLYDE, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, THE CONVERSATION, THE BIRDCAGE, NO WAY OUT, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, ENEMY OF THE STATE, THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, UNFORGIVEN, HOOSIERS, GET SHORTY, and THE FIRM. 

Nominated for five Oscars over a 25-year span, Hackman took home two statues---Best Actor for perhaps his most iconic role as the rule-ignoring NYPD detective Popeye Doyle in THE FRENCH CONNECTION and Best Supporting Actor for his work as the oily Sheriff "Little Bill" Daggett in the Western masterpiece UNFORGIVEN. He also received noms for his supporting work in BONNIE AND CLYDE and I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER as well as his leading work in MISSISSIPPI BURNING. 

Though he had terrific range, Hackman mastered the archetype of a gruff American everyman with machismo to spare and while Doyle was the embodiment of that kind of role, he successfully pulled off this 'all business' type in NIGHT MOVES, NARROW MARGIN, and NO WAY OUT as well as other movies. Hackman, who joined the Marines at 16, was also brilliant when it came to portraying subtly menacing characters. In addition to "Little Bill", he made your skin crawl as dirty lawyer Avery Tolar in THE FIRM and as scumbag President Richmond in ABSOLUTE POWER. And while his Lex Luthor was largely comedic in SUPERMAN, Hackman expertly conveyed the supervillian's unsettling danger.

I was probably 5 or 6 the first time I saw Gene Hackman in a movie. He played the heroically doomed Reverend Scott in the disaster classic THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE and I was enamored with this dashing, turtlenecked man's man who took command of both his fellow capsized survivors and the TV screen my eyes were glued to. 

[The great Leslie Nielsen played The Captain in arguably the best offering from the '70s disaster flick era. Ironically, eight years later, he helped put the final nail in the coffin of the genre and rejuvenated his career when he played Dr. Rumack in one of the funniest movies ever, AIRPLANE!, and Shirley he introduced a legendary line to the lexicon.]

A few months later, Hackman ensured that I would never forget his name when my old man took me and my brother to see the OG comic book movie SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE. In a brilliant casting decision, he played Lex Luthor, the greatest criminal mind of our time and Superman's #1 nemesis. The thrice-nominated Hackman and 25-year-old newbie Christopher Reeve (in his first starring role) had remarkable chemistry, making the beef between a genetically superior alien and a deranged super-villian feel like it was a real thing. 

But what helped Hackman nearly steal the superhero blockbuster was playing Luthor as a smarmy, murderous wise-ass who provided the film with most of its laughs. He also set the standard for comic book villians in future films.

He crushed the same role again two years later in SUPERMAN II (which isn't surprising as the movies were made back-to-back) then worked his balls off, appearing in 47 films between 1981 and 2004. While a couple of them were to pay bills, the majority of them are still very well regarded and/or beloved to this day. And that's no accident. Hackman had a knack for choosing scripts that turned into successful movies, often thanks to his participation.

REDS (1981) received 12 Oscar noms, winning three. The harrowing and still relevant as ever UNDER FIRE. Crowd-favorite HOOSIERS gave us Hackman and Hopper playing off each other. NO WAY OUT was among the best political thrillers from that time (when studios still made movies for adults). His Oscar-winning performance in the sublime UNFORGIVEN needs to be revisited soon. And there are so many I could name. But I'll just do one more and it's probably my favorite performance from him.

Hackman's Royal Tenenbaum, the aloof asshole patriarch of a dysfunctional family (fucked-up largely because of him), was outstanding and saw Hackman doing more with less. He did three more movies and stopped acting after 2004's WELCOME TO MOOSEPORT (also starring Ray Romano, who has become a damn fine actor himself). He then settled in New Mexico with his wife and was often spotted around town just being another citizen. 

Gene Hackman would never be mistaken for Redford or Newman but he possessed an onscreen charisma that could be affectionate or abrasive but he always drew you in whether he was playing a lonely surveillance expert, a Fed in hostile territory, or a peckerhead movie director. There was just something different about him that stood out on the silver screen. And the "character actor" label might be why he doesn't get mentioned as much as he should when film buffs are talking about the greatest American actor. But he should. Cuz ball don't lie.

The evidence is easy to find. A plethora of superb performances in highly successful films. Five Oscar noms with two wins. Heartfelt praise from peers and critics. Sublime work over five decades. And the adoration from movie fans all over planet Earth.

There was a singularity to Hackman. There was also a certain je ne sais quoi that put him on his own plane among peers. He's one of the greatest American actors ever and should be mentioned in the same breath as Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, and whoever else you want to add when discussing the acting GOAT.

He left an inimitable legacy that will live on forever and it was a hell of a treat to watch him build it. There will certainly never be another Gene Hackman. I extend my deepest sympathies to his family and friends. Thank you Gene, for making life a little bit better for millions of people through your stellar work.