Acting Legend Gene Hackman Passes Away

The world has lost a legend of the silver screen as Gene Hackman has passed away. ABC News reports that the two-time Oscar winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home on Wednesday alongside their dog. There is no word as to the cause of death at this time, though the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said that there were no immediate indications of foul play. Hackman was 95; Arakawa, a classical pianist, was 63.

Hackman was nominated for five Oscars in his nearly 50-year career, earning nods for Bonnie & Clyde, I Never Sang for My Father, The French Connection, Mississippi Burning, and Unforgiven. Two of those were wins, namely Best Actor for The French Connection in 1972 and Best Supporting Actor for Unforgiven in 1993.

Born in San Bernadino, California, Hackman decided he wanted to become an actor at the young age of 10. He did not pursue the work until years later in 1956 and befriended Dustin Hoffman in the Pasadena Playhouse. Despite earning low scores there, he moved to New York and he and Hoffman became close with fellow then-struggling actor Robert Duvall.

Hackman got his first screen role on The United States Steel Hour in 1959, and picked up small roles in films like 1961’s Mad Dog Coll and on Route 66, Naked City, The Defenders and other television programs. He began acting on Broadway in 1963 and earned his first credited screen role in 1964’s Lilith as Norman.

The actor would continue to find small supporting roles in films and television until he earned his first Oscar nominations for playing Buck Barrow in Bonnie & Clyde and Gene Garrison in Never Sang for My Father. It was his role in The French Connection that catapulted him to stardom, with his first Oscar win. Roles came quickly after that as his natural charm and versatility scored him roles in films like The Poseidon Adventure, The Conversation, a cameo in Young Frankenstein, a return to Popeye Doyle in French Connection II, and Night Moves.

Hackman landed one of his signature roles as Lex Luthor in the 1978 superhero classic Superman opposite Christopher Reeves, a role he would return to for Superman II and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. He played Pete Van Wherry in Warren Beatty’s critically acclaimed drama Reds in 1981 and Coach Norman Dale in 1986’s Hoosiers. He became a mainstay of thrillers with films like No Way Out, Absolute Power, The Firm, and Runaway Jury but was always up for showing his comedic side, exemplified in films like The Birdcage, The Replacements, and The Royal Tenenbaums.

Hackman quietly retired from acting in 2004, leaving behind a resume that included 67 films, two BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globes and a SAG Award. He spent his post-acting career writing novels. He wrote three historical fiction books with Daniel Lenihan, a western titled Payback at Morning Peak, and a police thriller titled Pursuit.

On behalf of 411, our condolences to the family, friends, and legion of fans of Mr. Hackman’s. He will most certainly be missed.