| Gene Hackman |
Gene Hackman at a book signing in Albuquerque 2008 |
| Born |
Eugene Allen Hackman
January 30, 1930 (1930-01-30) (age 78)
San Bernardino, California, United States |
| Years active |
1961-2004 |
| Spouse(s) |
Fay Maltese (1956–1986)
Betsy Arakawa (1991-) |
|
|
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman1 (born January 30, 1930) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actor and author. He came to fame during the 1970s, after his role in The French Connection, and continued to appear in major roles in Hollywood films, including Harry Caul in The Conversation, Norman Dale in Hoosiers, Little Bill Daggett in Unforgiven, Lex Luthor in Superman (and two of its sequels), Joe Moore in Heist and more recently, Admiral Leslie McMahon Reigart in Behind Enemy Lines.
Biography
Early life
Hackman was born in San Bernardino, California, the son of Lyda (née Gray) and Eugene Ezra Hackman.2 He has a brother, Richard. Hackman's family moved from one place to another until finally settling in Danville, Illinois, where they lived in the house of his maternal English-born grandmother, Beatrice, and where Hackman's father operated the printing press for the Commercial-News, a local paper.3 Hackman's parents divorced in 1943.3 His mother died in 1962, as a result of a fire she accidentally set while smoking.4 At sixteen, Hackman left home to join the U.S. Marine Corps, 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.
In an in-studio interview on Wednesday, May 14, 2008, with McGraw Milhaven on KTRS 550-AM in St. Louis, Missouri, Gene clarified the following - although some biographies claim he studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he never did and has yet to even visit the campus.
Career
1960s
At 26 years old, Hackman decided to become an actor, and joined the Pasadena Playhouse in California. It was there that he 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. 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 Pasadena 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 an offer to co-star in the play Any Wednesday with actress Sandy Dennis. This opened the door to film work. His first role was in Lilith, with Warren Beatty in the leading role. Another supporting role, Buck Barrow in 1967's Bonnie and Clyde, earned him an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor. In 1969 he played a ski coach in Downhill Racer, and an astronaut in Marooned.
1970s
In 1970, 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, marking his graduation to leading man status. He followed this with leading roles in the disaster film The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation (1974) which was nominated for several Oscars. That same year, Hackman appeared in one of his most famous comedic roles as the blind hermit in Young Frankenstein. He later 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).
1980s
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 Reds, Under Fire, Hoosiers, Power and Bat*21.
1990s
In 1990, he underwent heart surgery, which kept him away from work for a while, although he still found time for a remake of The Narrow Margin. In 1992, he played the violent sheriff 'Little' Bill Daggett in the western Unforgiven, directed by Clint Eastwood and written by David Webb Peoples which earned him a second Oscar, this time for Best Supporting Actor, the film itself won Best Picture. In 1995, he played John Herod in The Quick and the Dead, as well as Captain Frank Ramsey in the film Crimson Tide. In 1996, he took a comedic turn as ultra-conservative Senator Kevin Keeley in The Birdcage with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. He also starred in the 1998 film Enemy of the State, where his character was reminiscent of the one he played in The Conversation.
2000s
He starred in Heist as an aging professional thief of considerable skill who is forced into taking one final heist, all the while he has been "burned", his face having been seen on tape during a previous job. He also played in the ensemble cast films The Royal Tenenbaums and Runaway Jury. In 2003, at the Golden Globe Awards, Hackman was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for his "outstanding contribution to the entertainment field."5
Present
Together with undersea archaeologist Daniel Lenihan, Hackman has written three novels: Wake of the Perdido Star (1999), Justice for None (2004), and Escape from Andersonville (2008).
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. In 2008, while promoting his third novel, Hackman confirmed that he has retired from acting.6 His final film to date was the box office bomb Welcome to Mooseport.
Hackman does voice-overs on advertisements for United Airlines, GTE, CNN, and more recently for Oppenheimer Funds and Lowe's Home Improvement.
Hackman also has a non-alcoholic beverage named after him that is gaining popularity in the Midwest. A "Gene Hackman" consists of Diet Coke mixed with Grenadine.
Personal life
Hackman's first wife was Faye Maltese. They had three children, Christopher Allen, Elizabeth Jean, and Leslie Anne, but the couple divorced in 1986 after 30 years of marriage. In 1991, Hackman married Betsy Arakawa. They live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Betsy is co-owner of an upscale retail home-furnishing store in Santa Fe, called Pandora's, Inc.
Filmography
References
- ^ 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
- ^ Gene Hackman Biography (1930-)
- ^ a b Leman, Kevin (2007). What Your Childhood Memories Say about You: And What You Can Do about It, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. pp.154. ISBN 1414311869.
- ^ Gene Hackman profile. E! Online.com.
- ^ Business Wire, November 14, 2002. Hollywood. Gene Hackman to Receive HFPA'S Cecil B. DeMille Award At 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards to be Telecast Live on NBC on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003
- ^ Blair, Iain (2008-06-05). "Just a Minute With: Gene Hackman on his retirement". Reuters. Retrieved on 2008-07-19.
External links
| Awards and achievements |
Preceded by
Jack Palance
for City Slickers |
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
1992
for Unforgiven |
Succeeded by
Tommy Lee Jones
for The Fugitive |
Preceded by
George C. Scott
for Patton |
Academy Award for Best Actor
1971
for The French Connection |
Succeeded by
Marlon Brando
for The Godfather |
Preceded by
George C. Scott
for Patton |
NYFCC Award for Best Actor
1971
for The French Connection |
Succeeded by
Laurence Olivier
for Sleuth |
Preceded by
Samuel L. Jackson
for Jungle Fever |
NYFCC Award for Best Supporting Actor
1992
for Unforgiven |
Succeeded by
Ralph Fiennes
for Schindler's List |
Preceded by
Alan Rickman
for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves |
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
1993
for Unforgiven |
Succeeded by
Ralph Fiennes
for Schindler's List |
Preceded by
Peter Finch
for Sunday Bloody Sunday |
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
1972
for The French Connection
and The Poseidon Adventure |
Succeeded by
Walter Matthau
for Charley Varrick
and Pete 'n' Tillie |
Preceded by
George C. Scott
for Patton |
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
1971
for The French Connection |
Succeeded by
Marlon Brando
for The Godfather |
Preceded by
Jack Palance
for City Slickers |
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
1993
for Unforgiven |
Succeeded by
Tommy Lee Jones
for The Fugitive |
Preceded by
George Clooney
for O Brother, Where Art Thou? |
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
2001
for The Royal Tenenbaums |
Succeeded by
Richard Gere
for Chicago |
Preceded by
Harrison Ford |
Cecil B. DeMille Award
2003 |
Succeeded by
Michael Douglas |
Preceded by
Kevin Bacon, Tom Hanks, Ed Harris, Bill Paxton, Kathleen Quinlan, Gary Sinise
for Apollo 13 |
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1996
for The Birdcage |
Succeeded by
Mark Addy, Paul Barber, Robert Carlyle, Deirdre Costello, Steve Huison, Bruce Jones, Lesley Sharp, William Snape, Hugo Speer, Tom Wilkinson, Emily Woof
for The Full Monty |
Preceded by
Tom Hanks
for Cast Away |
CFCA Award for Best Actor
2001
for The Royal Tenenbaums |
Succeeded by
Daniel Day-Lewis
for Gangs of New York |
Preceded by
George C. Scott
for Patton |
NBR Award for Best Actor
1971
for The French Connection |
Succeeded by
Peter O'Toole
for Man of La Mancha
and The Ruling Class |
Preceded by
Robert Ryan
for The Iceman Cometh |
NBR Award for Best Actor
1974
for The Conversation |
Succeeded by
Jack Nicholson
for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest |
Preceded by
Michael Douglas
for Wall Street |
NBR Award for Best Actor
1988
for Mississippi Burning |
Succeeded by
Morgan Freeman
for Driving Miss Daisy |
Preceded by
Jörg Pose and Manfred Möck
for Einer trage des anderen Last |
Silver Bear-Best Actor - Berlin International Film Festival
1989
for Mississippi Burning |
Succeeded by
Iain Glen
for Silent Scream |
Preceded by
Samuel L. Jackson
for Jungle Fever |
KCFCC Award for Best Supporting Actor
1992
for Unforgiven |
Succeeded by
Tommy Lee Jones
for The Fugitive |
Preceded by
George C. Scott
for Patton |
KCFCC Award for Best Actor
1971
for The French Connection |
Succeeded by
Marlon Brando
and Stacy Keach
for The Godfather
and Fat City |
Preceded by
Michael Lerner
for Barton Fink |
LAFCA Award for Best Supporting Actor
1992
for Unforgiven |
Succeeded by
Tommy Lee Jones
for The Fugitive |
Preceded by
Javier Bardem
for Before Night Falls |
NSFC Award for Best Actor
2002
for The Royal Tenenbaums |
Succeeded by
Adrien Brody
for The Pianist |
Preceded by
No Award Ceremony
for N/A |
NSFC Award for Best Supporting Actor
1967
for Bonnie and Clyde |
Succeeded by
Seymour Cassel
for Faces |
Preceded by
Harvey Keitel
for Bugsy
and Thelma & Louise |
NSFC Award for Best Supporting Actor
1992
for Unforgiven |
Succeeded by
Ralph Fiennes
for Schindler's List |
Preceded by
Clint Eastwood, David Valdes, David Webb Peoples, Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman, Richard Harris
for Unforgiven |
Bronze Wrangler for Theatrical Motion Picture
1994
for Geronimo: An American Legend |
Succeeded by
Edward Zwick, William D. Wittliff, Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt
for Legends of the Fall |
Preceded by
Lindsay Law, Kenji Yamamoto, Nancy Kelly, Anne Makepeace, Rosalind Chao, Chris Cooper
for Thousand Pieces of Gold |
Bronze Wrangler for Theatrical Motion Picture
1993
for Unforgiven |
Succeeded by
Walter Hill, Neil Canton, John Milius, Larry Gross, Gene Hackman, Michael S. Glick, Lloyd Ahern II, Jason Patric, Robert Duvall, Wes Studi
for Geronimo: An American Legend |
Preceded by
Bengt Forslund, Jan Troell, Eddie Axberg, Liv Ullmann, Max von Sydow
for Nybyggarna |
Bronze Wrangler for Theatrical Motion Picture
1976
for Bite the Bullet |
Succeeded by
Beth Ferris, Annick Smith, Michael Hausman, Richard Pearce, Conchata Ferrell, Megan Folsom, Lilia Skala, Rip Torn
for Heartland |
|
Preceded by
Lyle Talbot
for Atom Man vs. Superman |
Actors portraying Lex Luthor
1978
for Superman |
Succeeded by
Scott James Wells
for Superboy (TV series) |
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 in the movie, Crimson Tide.&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/rjRxdrg9BtU&fs=1&hl=en&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://1.gvt0.com/vi/rjRxdrg9BtU/0.jpg&celebrity=Gene Hackman)
: Pre-Game Motivational Speech at Indiana Regional Finals Game in the movie Hoosiers. SEE ALSO: The 1954 Milan ...&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/O4Lhw4M-GTg&fs=1&hl=en&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://0.gvt0.com/vi/O4Lhw4M-GTg/0.jpg&celebrity=Gene Hackman)
gives speech to his basketball team before game in the movie Hoosiers. SEE ALSO: The 1954 Milan Indians - The Real ...&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/n3E3bEH1Ov8&fs=1&hl=en&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://3.gvt0.com/vi/n3E3bEH1Ov8/0.jpg&celebrity=Gene Hackman)
