Gene Hackman is one of the most influential and realistic actors in the history of American cinema. Known for his raw screen presence and uncompromising performances, he achieved legendary status despite beginning his acting career relatively late and after many years of hardship.

Gene Hackman had no particular interest in cinema during his youth.
At the age of 16, by claiming to be 18, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served for three years.
After completing his military service, he moved to New York and, until the age of 30, worked in many different jobs, frequently changing occupations.
He even worked as a uniformed doorman at a Howard Johnson restaurant in Times Square.

After reaching the age of 30, Hackman enrolled at the University of Illinois, where he studied journalism and television.
He later received formal acting training, although his teachers were initially pessimistic about his future.
He was considered one of two students believed to never become stars.
The other student was Dustin Hoffman.

One of his early films, Lilith, drew the attention of leading actor Warren Beatty.
As a result, Hackman was cast in Bonnie & Clyde in 1967, a role that earned him his first Academy Award nomination.

In 1971, Hackman became widely known for his portrayal of New York police detective Jimmy Doyle in The French Connection.
This role firmly established him in Hollywood and led to a long series of major film roles.

Hackman appeared in many highly significant films, including Scarecrow (1973), The Conversation (1974), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Reds (1981), Mississippi Burning (1988), Postcards from the Edge (1990), and The Quick and the Dead (1995).
In 1998, he returned to a paranoid intelligence-agent character in Enemy of the State, echoing his earlier role in The Conversation.

Although he did not smoke, Hackman portrayed a chain smoker in Heartbreakers (2001).
For the film, he used specially designed cigarettes that produced smoke without nicotine.

Throughout his career, Hackman portrayed a wide range of characters, from the iconic villain Lex Luthor in the Superman films to the cunning patriarch in The Royal Tenenbaums.

Gene Hackman was married twice.
His first marriage was to Faye Maltese in 1956; the couple divorced in 1986 and had three children: Elizabeth Hackman, Leslie Hackman, and Christopher Hackman.
His second marriage was to Betsy Arakawa in December 1991, which continued until his death.

Gene Hackman died on February 26, 2025, at the age of 95, in his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Awards
1963 – Clarence Derwent Award, Children at Their Games
1971 – Academy Award – Best Actor, The French Connection
1971 – NATO Star of the Year, The French Connection
1971 – New York Film Critics Circle Award – Best Actor, The French Connection
1971 – Golden Globe – Best Actor (Drama), The French Connection
1972 – British Academy Film Award – Best Actor, The French Connection and The Poseidon Adventure
1974 – National Board of Review Award – Best Supporting Actor, The Conversation
1988 – National Board of Review Award – Best Actor, Mississippi Burning
1989 – Berlin International Film Festival – Best Actor, Mississippi Burning
1992 – Los Angeles Film Critics Circle Award – Best Supporting Actor, Unforgiven
1992 – New York Film Critics Circle Award – Best Supporting Actor, Unforgiven
1992 – National Society of Film Critics Award – Best Supporting Actor, Unforgiven
1992 – Boston Society of Film Critics Award – Best Supporting Actor, Unforgiven
1992 – Golden Globe – Best Supporting Actor, Unforgiven
1992 – Academy Award – Best Supporting Actor, Unforgiven

Filmography
1961 – Mad Dog Coll
1964 – Lilith
1966 – Hawaii
1967 – Banning
1967 – Community Shelter Planning
1967 – A Covenant with Death
1967 – First to Fight
1967 – Bonnie & Clyde
1968 – The Split
1969 – Riot
1969 – The Gypsy Moths
1969 – Downhill Racer
1969 – Marooned
1970 – I Never Sang for My Father
1971 – Doctors' Wives
1971 – The Hunting Party
1971 – The French Connection
1972 – Prime Cut
1972 – The Poseidon Adventure
1972 – Cisco Pike
1973 – Scarecrow
1974 – The Conversation
1974 – Young Frankenstein
1974 – Zandy's Bride
1975 – French Connection II
1975 – Lucky Lady
1975 – Night Moves
1975 – Bite the Bullet
1977 – The Domino Principle
1977 – A Bridge Too Far
1977 – March or Die
1978 – Superman
1980 – Superman II
1981 – All Night Long
1981 – Reds
1983 – Under Fire
1983 – Two of a Kind
1983 – Uncommon Valor
1984 – Eureka
1984 – Misunderstood
1985 – Twice in a Lifetime
1985 – Target
1986 – Power
1986 – Hoosiers
1987 – No Way Out
1987 – Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
1988 – Bat 21
1988 – Mississippi Burning
1988 – Another Woman
1988 – Full Moon in Blue Water
1988 – Split Decisions
1989 – The Package
1990 – Loose Cannons
1990 – Postcards from the Edge
1990 – Narrow Margin
1991 – Class Action
1991 – Company Business
1992 – Unforgiven
1993 – The Firm
1993 – Geronimo: An American Legend
1994 – Wyatt Earp
1995 – The Quick and the Dead
1995 – Crimson Tide
1995 – Get Shorty
1996 – The Birdcage
1996 – Extreme Measures
1996 – The Chamber
1997 – Absolute Power
1998 – Twilight
1998 – Enemy of the State
1998 – Antz
2000 – Under Suspicion
2000 – The Replacements
2001 – Heartbreakers
2001 – Heist
2001 – The Royal Tenenbaums
2001 – Behind Enemy Lines
2003 – Runaway Jury
2004 – Welcome to Mooseport
2006 – Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

Source: Biyografiler.com