“We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”
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The cliche about Hackman was that he was the “everyman movie star.”
Everyone called him that: directors, journalists, peers.
Betsy Arakawa and Gene Hackman at the 66th annual Academy Awards.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Watch him in anything, really.
The filmography seethes with uncommonness.
We never knew what he would do next.
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He lived for the character and the scene, and he rarely watched his finished films.
He eventually landed at the Pasadena Playhouse in California along with a fellow misfit namedDustin Hoffman.
The pair played bongos in emulation ofMarlon Brandoand were dubbed the “two least likely to succeed.”
Gene Hackman in ‘The French Connection’.Screen Archives/Getty
Hackman wasn’t invited back.
He married a pretty secretary named Faye Maltese (he’s survived by their three children).
A supporting actor nomination followed, and Hackman was on his way.
Gene Hackman in ‘The Conversation’.Silver Screen Collection/Getty
The role’s brutality didn’t sit well with the star.
“I found out very quickly that I’m not a violent person,“Hackman later said.
If so, he faked it all the way to a Best Actor Oscar.
In 1977, he unofficially retired and committed himself to painting.
Silver Screen Collection/Getty
Hackman appeared in five movies in 1988; clearly, something had to give.
“I look for something that isn’t written down,” Gene Hackmanonce said.
In movie after movie, he found it.
