Gene Hackman's 5 most memorable Hollywood roles, from 'The French Connection' to 'Superman'

Fox News

01-03-2025

During his illustrious 40-year Hollywood career, legendary actor Gene Hackman left his mark on cinema. With his versatile range, Hackman took on famous roles, from tough guy parts to villainous characters, heroes and even a coach.
The two-time Oscar-winning actor was found dead along with his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa and their dog in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home Wednesday afternoon.
Hackman was 95 at the time of his death, and his wife was 63.
Hollywood mourned Hackman, who boasted over 100 acting credits from his storied career, as one of the greats. Bill Murray, Dustin Hoffman, Francis Ford Coppola and others publicly paid tribute to Hackman as questions surrounding the movie star's death remain.
Hackman's movie credits include "The Birdcage," "Unforgiven," "Mississippi Burning," "Crimson Tide," "The Poseidon Adventure," "Bonnie and Clyde," "I Never Sang for my Father," "Young Frankenstein," "Reds," "The Quick and the Dead" and "Enemy of the State."
Here's a look back at a few of his memorable roles.
In the 1971 film, directed by William Friedkin, Hackman portrayed narcotics detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle.
Hackman was recognized for his Oscar-winning performance in the film by actor Viola Davis, who paid tribute to the legendary actor after his death.
"Loved you in everything! 'The Conversation,' 'The French Connection,' 'The Poseidon Adventure,' 'Unforgiven' — tough yet vulnerable. You were one of the greats. God bless those who loved you. Rest well, sir," she wrote on social media.
In the 1974 film, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Hackman took on the role of Harry Caul, an audio surveillance expert in San Francisco who stumbles upon a murder plot.
Coppola mourned the loss of Hackman.
"The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity, I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution," he wrote on Instagram with a photo of Hackman on a movie set.
Hackman leaned into his sports side when he portrayed a basketball coach in the 1986 movie "Hoosiers."
Directed by David Anspaugh, Hackman played Norman Dale, a basketball coach who failed at the college level and got another shot at an Indiana high school.
In 2001, Hackman took on the role of Royal Tenenbaum, a disbarred lawyer trying to reconnect with his estranged children through an elaborate lie, taking his grandsons out for a day of mischief, riding on the back of a trash truck, go-karting through New York, crossing the street on a don't-walk sign, shoplifting milk at a bodega, throwing water balloons at passing taxis — set to Paul Simon's "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard."
Hackman's co-star, Luke Wilson, paid tribute in a statement to Fox News Digital after his death.
"Marine. Actor. Legend. Gene Hackman could do it all. He stands alone on the mountain with Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson," Wilson said.
Hackman portrayed notorious villain Lex Luthor in the 1978 film "Superman." Starring alongside Christopher Reeve, the action-comedy smashed the box offices at the time. Hackman went on to reprise his role in 1980's "Superman II" and 1987's "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace."