logo
Gene Hackman wanted to be remembered as a ‘decent actor.' He far surpassed that with these roles

Gene Hackman wanted to be remembered as a ‘decent actor.' He far surpassed that with these roles

CNN02-03-2025

Gene Hackman knew how he wanted to be remembered.
'As a decent actor,' he told GQ in 2011. 'As someone who tried to portray what was given to them in an honest fashion.'
His career is now being reflected upon as the 95-year-old actor, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were found dead in their home in New Mexico earlier this week under circumstances officials deemed 'suspicious enough' to warrant thorough investigation.
Hackman, a two-time Oscar-winner, was way more than a 'decent actor.' Here are eight of the roles in which he proved just that:
By Hollywood standards, Hackman was a bit of a late bloomer.
He didn't have his first break out role until 1967, when at the age of 37 he caught the industry's attention with his scene-stealing role as Buck Barrow, the older brother of Clyde Barrow played by Warren Betty. Hackman shined in the gangster film based on the real life story of outlaws Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, whose crimes during the Great Depression made them legends.
Hackman scored an Oscar nomination in the best supporting actor category for his role and while he lost to George Kennedy, who was nominated for 'Cool Hand Luke,' Hackman's mix of menace and manners as Buck Barrow is unforgettable.
Hackman won his first of two Oscar sin 1972 for his portrayal as hard-nosed detective, Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle in 'The French Connection.'
The film is considered one of the best crime dramas ever produced and Hackman was hailed for his performance, even though he told Cigar Aficionado in 2000 that he was 'pretty unsure of myself' going into the role because Doyle 'had to be pretty ruthless.'
'In the early parts of the filming, I just wasn't up to it. When we shot a scene with the drug pusher that I chase down the street in the first scene of the movie, I wasn't very good; it was just kind of weak. And I went to [director William Friedkin] and I said, 'I don't know if I can do this or not,'' Hackman recalled. 'This was like the first or second day of filming, and he would have been in big trouble if, after having gone to bat for me, I couldn't have done the work. And he said, 'We'll put it aside for now and continue on and maybe we can reshoot the scene later.' And that's what happened.'
Leaning into crime also helped Hackman with what many may consider an unexpected role for the actor.
As villain Lex Luthor, often referred to as 'the greatest criminal mind of all time' in the DC comics universe, Hackman got to camp it up a bit opposite Christopher Reeves as Clark Kent/Superman in the 1978 superhero film.
Even though an undercurrent of humor accompanied Hackman's over the top approach, still present was the strength that fans of his acting were used to seeing.
This 1974 classic cemented Hackman as a man who understood the assignment when it came to powerful acting.
As surveillance expert Harry Caul, Hackman managed to convey all of the character's paranoia, brilliance and utter isolation with little dialogue. Instead, Hackman leaned into physicality - from facial tics to looks - to portray a scared introvert in one of his most subtle performances that was nevertheless powerful.
Hackman and Willem Dafoe played two FBI agents investigating the disappearance of three civil rights workers in the 1960s in this 1988 crime thriller.
As agent Rupert Anderson, Hackman has a memorable scene with some less-than-friendly locals who remind him that he left the area and is no longer welcome. He puts more into his iconic line – 'Don't you go mistaking me for some whole other body' – than some actors put into full performances.
'The French Connection' director William Friedkin said in an interview posted by the Academy eight years ago that Hackman 'grew up disliking authority and he disliked racism' because he grew up without his father in a community where the Ku Klux Klan had a strong presence.
This dark comedy gave Hackman a chance to have some fun opposite stars Ben Stiller, Danny Glover, Gwyneth Paltrow and Bill Murray, to name a few.
As the patriarch Royal Tenenebaum, Hackman perfectly executes the dialogue in this project directed by Wes Anderson and co-written by actor Owen Wilson. The character is both eccentric and not exactly honest in his quest to reunite with his estranged, now adult children in the film.
In the hands of any other actor, Royal may not have been beloved as he has been over the years. But Hackman gave the character a humanity that still continues to resonate with audiences, years after it was released in 2001.
Hackman clearly came to play opposite Denzel Washington in this 1995 crime thriller.
As Capt. Franklin 'Frank' Ramsey, a submarine commanding officer, his character clashes with Washington's Lt. Cmdr. Ronald 'Ron' Hunter, who is the executive officer.
Some of their scenes crackle as the pair disagree on whether or not they should launch nuclear missiles. And while Hackman was in the final stage of his acting career, he was no less up to the challenge as he infused the role with dignity, diving into the layers of a complex role.
Hackman won his second Academy Award more than 20 years after his first for the 1992 Western that starred Clint Eastwood, who also directed the film.
As brutal sheriff 'Little' Bill Daggett, Hackman once again reminded audiences that the bad guys are often more than just villains. Ironically, it was a role he later said he almost passed up.
'It had been sent to me before when Francis Ford Coppola owned it and it didn't happen. When Clint sent it to me, I didn't give it a lot of thought. I thought it was just another Western,' he said in the Cigar Aficionado interview. 'My agent, Fred Specktor, convinced me to read it again and to think of it more in terms of a bigger scope, a bigger picture. And he told me that Richard Harris and Morgan Freeman were going to be in it, so I reread it and decided to do it.'
He credited Eastwood with its success.
'I think the interesting thing about 'Unforgiven' was that it was the opportunity to totally commit to a character without having to think I was going too far or not to have to editorialize or edit myself in terms of what I was gonna do,' Hackman said. 'And I think that was due to the atmosphere that Clint Eastwood set up.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Zoe Saldaña's Go-To Party Menu Is Surprisingly Simple
Zoe Saldaña's Go-To Party Menu Is Surprisingly Simple

Elle

timean hour ago

  • Elle

Zoe Saldaña's Go-To Party Menu Is Surprisingly Simple

It's difficult to upstage Zoe Saldaña these days. The in-demand actress and ELLE Women in Hollywood honoree recently won her first Academy Award, nabbing the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her triple-threat performance in the musical-drama Emilia Pérez. She's starring in Pixar's highly anticipated animated film, Elio, and the third installment of the Avatar series, which will finally hit theaters this December. But when I meet Saldaña on the banks of Lake Como in Italy to get a sneak peek of her new Grey Goose campaign, the landscape is trying its hardest to steal the show. 'Look at this set,' Saldaña exclaims from video village, the surrounding mountain range and cloud-streaked cerulean sky mirrored in the rippling waters behind her. Although Saldaña's husband is Italian and originally from Lake Garda, this is her first visit to Lake Como. ('Even Italians adore Como,' she says.) She's stationed here for a few days as the Grey Goose team takes over the Grand Hotel Victoria, transforming the property, including the dreamy lakeside beach club, into the fictional Grey Goose Hôtel for a series of new shorts she is starring in. Tapping into the brand's French ethos, the campaign is intended to encourage people to live in the moment and savor life's small pleasures. Saldaña even revealed the recipe for her favorite cocktail, playfully named the Le Zoé Spritz—a refreshing blend of vodka, rosé, sparkling water, strawberry juice, fresh lemon juice, and a few fun garnishes. 'Creatively putting a cocktail together, and enjoying that cocktail, is an experience that allows me to be more present,' Saldaña says, adding that summer is an ideal time for a spritz. As for what she'd serve alongside it? 'I am very much a fan of antipasti—cheese and salamis, like a charcuterie.' If it sounds like a party, well, Saldaña has a lot to celebrate these days. Below, shared more of her hosting tips, what audiences can expect from the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash, and how women in Hollywood are inspiring her to ask, 'What if I'm just getting started?' I'm starting to. I'm trying really, really hard. It's difficult when you are part of a business where everything is always happening. It's [a lot of] hurry up and wait. So you're constantly being compelled to be in the then and not really in the now. Then, when you become a parent, you're always planning for the future. I have to say that my children are such present beings, and they are really inspiring my husband and I, and even my folks, to be more present. That means sometimes dropping everything and just sitting down and enjoying a beautiful view, no matter where you are—enjoying company and a nice beverage. I'm taking great pleasure in allowing myself to steal moments like that. A little bit of both. I feel like it very much runs parallel with my life in terms of how I continue to evolve, and challenge myself, and grow. So, in that sense, it's been very real. I've been very present with it. And it is surreal. I am from Jackson Heights, Queens. Though I've always been exceptionally loved by an amazing family who've done everything for us, I'm just like, 'How do I get from there to here?' Sometimes it is surreal. I didn't expect it, but I've been witnessing it with so many women that I truly admire—the longevity, the empowerment, [how] women are taking back [control] over their youth, how we get to say when we're done. I'm 46, so to be able to still work and [ignore the timeline] that everybody has put on me as a woman—like, Oh, now you're 46, you have three kids, you can't do this, and you can't do that. I've taken inspiration from women like Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock, Viola Davis. Nicole Kidman, I admire her. Demi Moore is one of my giants, how she has managed to defy the gravities that were always set for her. 'You're too pretty.' 'You're [a] popcorn [actress].' 'You're too sexy.' Every trope, she just broke, broke, broke, broke, broke. My giants continue to inspire me—that, at this age, with everything that I've done in my life, I can still say, 'Well, what if I'm just getting started?' That's beautiful, and I would love to be a part [of that] legacy of women. More like that. I'm getting things together as people are walking in, but the day before, I will go to the store and buy a lot of items. That way people can assemble their favorite cocktails. I love that. I have to say, my husband and I have mastered the pizza party. You make the best dough. You buy the best cheese, and you make the sauce from scratch, and you put everything out there, and you make it like a rotating station where people make their pizza. We really take pleasure in putting that all together. Oh my God, that's the only thing we know how to do. I grew up in a household of immigrant parents and elders, and I married an immigrant. So when we plan to have family and friends over, there's always a question: Are we going to do Italian, or is it going to be Dominican? Because it can't be both. My husband believes that it can be both. I'm like, 'We can't.' Everything has to be cohesive. Don't be putting some rice and beans with the cioppino. You can't do that. Also because [the food you serve] dictates the kind of cocktails you're going to arrange. I can't have a mojito with a carbonara. I just can't do it. But if we're doing carne asada with some guacamole, and some beans and rice, then okay, bring in your mojito. Lately in my life—outside of [some of] my commitments with these big, big amazing movies that I've been a part of—my journey as a human being and making art, it is about the reconciliation of grief. I did [the TV series] From Scratch because of it. I'm always trying to interpret, through different lens, what grief can mean and how it can impact the lives of people, and also celebrate how they manage loss. Avatar put me and Sam Worthington in a position to imagine the unimaginable by being Jake and Neytiri [who lose their son in Avatar: The Way of Water]. I think even Jim [director James Cameron] wasn't ready to see that, and he knew that was part of their journey because of the saga around this world he's creating, and the threats around this world. That deep, unimaginable sense of loss was probably something that these characters needed to experience. And I'm proud of him for doing it. I would've done it differently [laughs], because I'm a parent. But it just makes this world of Avatar a lot more meaningful. So Fire and Ash is definitely a continuation, but a process for the Sullys, and it's just so beautiful. Out of the five-episode saga, it is the exact middle for them. I do believe that Fire and Ash is going to be the biggest turning point in this journey for these two individuals and this world. Yes. Because also, in the making of the third one, we lost [Avatar producer] Jon Landau. Experiencing loss, it's just hard. Now more than ever, Avatar [has become] a much more meaningful [series], a story for all of us. So, we're very proud of it. I feel like every time I talk to Jim about it—because Jim was such a wonderful person throughout the whole campaign of Emilia Pérez, whether they were good moments or challenging moments, he was always calling me. Sigourney [Weaver, who plays Kiri in Avatar] did the same, and Sam [Worthington] did the same. For me to be a part of an amazing family of people since my 20s, I think, Oh my God, I love them, and I'll do anything for them. I can't wait for Fire and Ash [and] to share it with the world, because it almost killed me. Shooting that scene at the end of The Way of Water was so difficult, but shooting Neytiri and Jake forcing themselves to get up and move on, and be there for their surviving children, was the hardest thing. It teaches you a lot about what it must be like as a parent, as a guardian. How do you also stay together, and how do you let love win once again after experiencing that kind of loss? It's the most complex thing. We're born, and I feel like the biggest growth in life is just learning how to die. Every living organism meets their demise, and I feel like a lot of our lives has to be spent accepting it. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

How a Gay Neocon Writer Survived New York in the '80s and '90s
How a Gay Neocon Writer Survived New York in the '80s and '90s

New York Times

time6 hours ago

  • New York Times

How a Gay Neocon Writer Survived New York in the '80s and '90s

THE VERY HEART OF IT: New York Diaries, 1983-1994, by Thomas Mallon Is it possible to be kind, sensible, polite, well-adjusted and cheerful, and keep a diary that's worth anyone's time? That's the question that confronts the reader of 'The Very Heart of It: New York Diaries, 1983-1994,' by the gifted but ultra-earnest novelist and critic Thomas Mallon. He's so nice that he drives me out the window. (In a movie, he'd be played by Matthew Broderick in Izod shirts and tweeds.) Mallon, a longtime New Yorker who now lives in Washington, is the author of 11 well-regarded novels that are historical or political in theme, including 'Henry and Clara' and 'Fellow Travelers.' His many nonfiction books include 'A Book of One's Own,' about literary diaries, and 'Stolen Words,' about plagiarism in theory and practice. For several years in the 1990s he was the literary editor of GQ. This was back when men's magazines a) had platinum-level expense accounts and b) routinely, and in retrospect incredibly, fought to publish the best short stories in all the land. He's also been a stalwart contributor of reviews and essays to The New Yorker and The New York Times Book Review. I enjoyed it when, in these diaries, he refers to this publication's old offices on West 43rd Street in Manhattan as being as 'grubby as a police precinct,' because that's indeed what they resembled — albeit if the detectives had detonated the contents of a used bookstore inside. I hung in there with Mallon's diaries, and they (sort of) softened me up. This isn't because Mallon cries frequently — upon finishing John Updike's 'Rabbit' series, upon the death of Richard Nixon, when a man he loves hasn't called, when he's had a bad review — but because his diaries capture the youthful mood of a certain period in New York City, because he's a careful observer and because his naïveté is sometimes winning, in the manner of a pensive number in a Sondheim musical about a new kid in town. Every writer probably needs a bit of this quality to see the world plain. These diaries begin in 1983, when Mallon was in his early 30s and on the verge of obtaining tenure in the English department at Vassar. His second book, the one on diaries, was about to drop. He's new in Manhattan, a gay man bending toward neoconservatism, relatively virginal and unsure in this pre-dating-app era how to meet anyone except in sketchy bars. This is early in the AIDS crisis, and confusion and terror are omnipresent. Mallon is young, pretty and 'so horny I felt like going out & jumping a sidewalk Santa.' He does enter those bars and writes, wonderfully: 'I am the boy who cried wolf, and then went looking, again and again, for one more wolf.' After an AIDS scare, and a screening of the film 'The Bounty,' he reports: All day I'd been making bargains with God: Just let me live and I'll be content with work and writing and friendship — I'll retire from sex forever. Then I saw Mel Gibson on the screen and thought: This isn't going to be easy. The plague is a through-line in these dairies. Friends and lovers die around him. Fearful of Kaposi's sarcoma, he checks his arms for freckles that aren't freckles and worries about colds that may be more than colds. He settles down. He's vastly more interested in gentle lovemaking, this book makes plain, than in injudicious rutting. He wants to be 'protected, cuddled, adored.' Lovers like to take Mallon back to their hometowns, because he so resembles 'a model middle-aged, middle-class homosexual to worried parents.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

‘Ran' turns 40: How a clerical error and bad blood cost Akira Kurosawa an Oscar
‘Ran' turns 40: How a clerical error and bad blood cost Akira Kurosawa an Oscar

Yahoo

time10 hours ago

  • Yahoo

‘Ran' turns 40: How a clerical error and bad blood cost Akira Kurosawa an Oscar

Forty years ago, a clerical error and bad blood cost Akira Kurosawa an Oscar. The legendary Japanese filmmaker's Ran proved the final samurai masterpiece of his distinguished career. His third Shakespeare adaptation, the film is epic in every sense of the word — massive in scale, shot in glorious color, with vicious betrayal and intense action and emotion. At the time of its release in 1985, Kurosawa was certainly well-regarded by the Motion Picture Academy, receiving an Honorary Award for Outstanding Foreign-Language Film for Rashomon, followed by Best Foreign-Language Film in 1976 for Dersu Uzala. The 58th Academy Awards found Ran competing for four awards, including Kurosawa's only Best Director nod — despite not being submitted for Best Foreign-Language Film, a snub that was the product of a messy history. More from GoldDerby 2025 Tony Awards: Complete list of winners (updating live) 'What's next?': Allison Janney on playing a 'badass' on 'The Diplomat,' 'West Wing' 25 years later 'Sinners' bonus feature, 'Good Night' live, Sabrina's song of the summer, 'Fantastic Four' theme, and what to stream this weekend Kurosawa was remarkably influential in the West. Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars was essentially a remake of Yojimbo, and films as diverse as George Lucas' Star Wars (Hidden Fortress), Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring (Rashomon), and John Sturges' The Magnificent Seven and A Bug's Life (Seven Samurai) borrowed liberally from his works. If Kurosawa was accessible to Western audiences, it was perhaps in part because he was inspired by Western literature and film. William Shakespeare provided continued inspiration for Kurosawa, adapting Macbeth (Throne of Blood), Hamlet (The Bad Sleep Well), and King Lear (Ran), who as did great early Western filmmakers, including John Ford. International fame aside, Kurosawa's relationship with the Japanese film industry was significantly strained in the late-'60s through early '70s. He was hired to direct the Japanese section of the 1970's Toei-Fox. coproduction Tora! Tora! Tora!, but had difficulty dealing with Fox's communication, editors, and oversight, and spent considerable time in the thick of a mental crisis. He was prescribed two months of rest, so producer Darryl F. Zanuck's son, Richard, flew to Japan to personally fire Kurosawa. Japanese funding for his projects became scarce, and he relied on external financing support from friends for financing Dodes'ka-den. Between health problems and career turmoil, at a particularly low point, Kurosawa attempted to take his own life late in 1971, though he survived and recovered. The career that followed cemented his trajectory of international acclaim with minimal support from the Japanese film industry. In 1972, the Soviet studio Mosfilm approached the director for what became 1975's Academy Award-winning Dersu Uzala, but despite bringing numerous awards home to Japan, he again had difficulties funding his next epic, Kagemusha. Kurosawa met George Lucas and Frances Ford Coppola in 1978 while preparing for the project, and the pair were wowed by Kurosawa's vision. Coming off the success of Star Wars, Lucas convinced 20th Century Fox head Alan Ladd Jr. to provide a reported $6 million in 1979 to complete the film's funding. The film was a success, and Kurosawa ultimately referred to Kagemusha as a 'dress rehearsal' for his biggest project yet: Ran. Used to funding sources outside Japan, for Ran, Kurosawa secured the involvement of French producer Serge Silberman (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie), alongside Japan's Nippon Herald Ace, to make the film, which opened in U.S. theaters on June 1, 1985. The Academy's rules for Best Foreign Film allowed one submission film per country to be considered for nomination, with each country having a unique nomination process. Speaking with The New York Times, Silberman admitted he had attempted to submit Ran as an 'independent' collaboration between France and Japan, an unintentional violation of Academy rules. Silberman next considered entering Ran as a French entry, but French rules stipulated submissions to be in the French language. That would require extensive dubbing, because the film starred Japanese actors and was shot and filmed in Japan. Silberman thought a French dub simply wouldn't have worked, so French submission was off the table. The final option would be submission to Japan's Motion Picture Producers Association (now MPPAJ), and this is where it gets even messier. According to the Times, a representative of the Japanese producers association said Ran wasn't submitted for consideration, and that the nominating committee was told the film would be submitted through France. Silberman claimed that the group refused to give more time to the decision after plans for an independent entry were nixed by the Academy. Then again, it's entirely plausible that major players in Japan's film industry weren't displeased with an opportunity to disrupt the film's Oscar chances. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Kurosawa refused to attend Ran's opening-night presentation at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Kurosawa had a rocky history of disagreements with Japan's film industry and had long relied on external funding for production, a recipe for strategic blunder. That snubbed festival was headed by Shigeru Okada, also the head of Toei and a member of Japan's Oscar-selection committee. It may not be a coincidence that Japan submitted Hana Ichi Monme (conveniently a Toei production) in Ran's stead. With its path to the foreign-language film category stymied, Silberman submitted Ran to the Academy for consideration in other feature-length categories, and the rest is Academy Award history. It all makes for a long, twisty story about how Kurosawa's final samurai masterpiece landed him a Best Director nomination in a year where, for a number of odd reasons, it wasn't even up for Best Foreign Film. He received one final honor from the Academy at the 62nd Academy Awards, an Honorary Award celebrating his life in film, appropriately presented by Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Best of GoldDerby Stephen King movies: 14 greatest films ranked worst to best 'The Life of Chuck' cast reveal their favorite Stephen King works, including Mark Hamill's love of the 'terrifying' 'Pet Sematary' From 'Hot Rod' to 'Eastbound' to 'Gemstones,' Danny McBride breaks down his most righteous roles: 'It's been an absolute blast' Click here to read the full article.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store