Eugene Allen Hackman was born on January 30, 1930, inSan Bernardino, California,[1][2] to Anna Lyda Elizabeth (née Gray) and Eugene Ezra Hackman. He had a brother named Richard. Anna, an actress, painter, and pianist who worked as a waitress, was born inSarnia, Ontario, Canada.[3] The family moved frequently before eventually settling inDanville, Illinois, where they lived in the house of Anna's English-born mother, Beatrice.[4] Eugene Sr. operated the printing press for theCommercial-News, a local newspaper. Hackman later stated that he decided to become an actor at the age of 10.[5] When Hackman was 13 years old, Eugene Sr. divorced Anna and left the family.[6][7][8]
Hackman spent hissophomore year at Storm Lake High School inStorm Lake, Iowa.[9] He left home at the age of 16, lied about his age to enlist in theU.S. Marine Corps, and served four and a half years as a field radio operator. Hackman was stationed in China (Qingdao and later inShanghai) as part ofOperation Beleaguer. He later stated that part of his role there was destroying Japanese military equipment so thatCommunist revolutionaries did not capture it. After the Communists conquered the mainland in 1949, he was reassigned toHawaii and Japan.[10] After his discharge in 1951,[11] Hackman moved to New York City, where he worked at various jobs.[12] In 1962, Anna died in a fire she had accidentally started while smoking.[13] Hackman began a study of journalism and television production at theUniversity of Illinois[8] under theG.I. Bill but left without graduating and moved back to California.[14]
Acting was something I wanted to do since I was 10 and saw my first movie, I was so captured by the action guys.Jimmy Cagney was my favorite. Without realizing it, I could see he had tremendous timing and vitality.
In 1956, Hackman began pursuing an acting career. He joined thePasadena Playhouse in California,[12] where he befriended another aspiring actor,Dustin Hoffman.[12] Already seen as outsiders by their classmates, Hackman and Hoffman were voted "the least likely to succeed",[15]: 7 [12] and Hackman got the lowest score the Pasadena Playhouse had yet given.[16] Determined to prove them wrong, Hackman moved to New York City. A 2004 article inVanity Fair described Hackman, Hoffman, andRobert Duvall as struggling California-born actors and close friends, sharing New York apartments in various two-person combinations in the 1960s.[17][18]
To support himself between acting jobs, Hackman was working at aHoward Johnson's restaurant[19] when he encountered an instructor from the Pasadena Playhouse, who said that his job proved that Hackman "wouldn't amount to anything."[20] A Marine officer who saw him as a doorman said, "Hackman, you're a sorry son of a bitch." Rejection motivated Hackman, who said:
It was more psychological warfare, because I wasn't going to let those fuckers get me down. I insisted with myself that I would continue to do whatever it took to get a job. It was like me against them, and in some way, unfortunately, I still feel that way. But I think if you're really interested in acting there is a part of you that relishes the struggle. It's a narcotic in the way that you are trained to do this work and nobody will let you do it, so you're a little bit nuts. You lie to people, you cheat, you do whatever it takes to get an audition, get a job.[19]
A return to Broadway that same year,The Natural Look, ran for just one performance. Additionally, he performed Off-Broadway inFragments and The Basement. Hackman was in episodes ofIron Horse ("Leopards Try, But Leopards Can't") andInsight ("Confrontation"). In 1968, he appeared in an episode ofI Spy, in the role of "Hunter", in the episode "Happy Birthday... Everybody". That same year, he starred in theCBS Playhouse episode "My Father and My Mother" and the dystopian television filmShadow on the Land.[27] In 1969, he played a ski coach inDownhill Racer and an astronaut inMarooned. Also that year, he played a member of a barnstorming skydiving team that entertained mostly at county fairs, a film which also inspired many to pursueskydiving and has a cult-like status amongst skydivers as a result:The Gypsy Moths. Hackman supportedJim Brown in two films,The Split (1968) andRiot (1969). Hackman nearly accepted the role ofMike Brady for the TV seriesThe Brady Bunch,[28] but his agent advised that he decline it in exchange for a more promising role, which he did, but this story is said to have been exaggerated.[29]
Hackman was nominated for a second Oscar for anAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the drama filmI Never Sang for My Father (1970), directed byGilbert Cates. Hackman acted oppositeMelvyn Douglas, where they played father and son who are unable to communicate.Roger Ebert wrote of his performance, "Much of the film is just between the two of them and the characters seem to work so well because Douglas and Hackman respond to each other in every shot; the effect is not of acting, but as if the story were happening right now while we see it."[30] He starred in the dramaDoctors' Wives (1971) and the western filmThe Hunting Party (1971). He won his firstAcademy Award forBest Actor for his performance asNew York City Police DetectiveJimmy "Popeye" Doyle in the crime dramaThe French Connection (1971), directed byWilliam Friedkin. This film marked his graduation to stardom.[12] Robert B. Frederick ofVariety praised the performances of Hackman andRoy Scheider, writing, "They are very believable as two hard-nosed narcotics officers" who are also "overworked, tired and mean".[31]
AfterThe French Connection, Hackman starred in ten films (not including his cameo as a blind man in theMel Brooks-directed satirical horror comedy filmYoung Frankenstein in 1974) over the next three years, making him the most prolific actor inHollywood during that time frame. He followedThe French Connection with leading roles in the dramaCisco Pike (1972), the action crime thrillerPrime Cut (1972), and the disaster filmThe Poseidon Adventure (1972). He also starred in the road comedy-dramaScarecrow (1973) alongsideAl Pacino, which was Hackman's favorite role of his career and won thePalme d'Or at theCannes Film Festival.[32] The following year, he starred as a surveillance expert in theneo-noirmystery thrillerThe Conversation (1974), directed byFrancis Ford Coppola, which was nominated for several Oscars and also won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes.[12] That same year, Hackman appeared in what would become one of his most famous comedic roles, as Harold the Blind Man inYoung Frankenstein.[33] Hackman also appeared in the westernZandy's Bride (1974) and the neo-noir filmNight Moves (1975) for directorArthur Penn.[34][35]
Gene is someone who is a very intuitive and instinctive actor ... The brilliance of Gene Hackman is that he can look at a scene and he can cut through to what is necessary, and he does it with extraordinary economy – he's the quintessential movie actor. He's never showyever, but he's always right on.
In July 2004, Hackman gave a rare interview toLarry King, where he announced that he had no future film projects lined up and believed his acting career was over.[61] In 2008, while promoting his third novel, he confirmed that he had retired from acting.[62] That year, Hackman made his last televised appearance inDiners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, asGuy Fieri went to a Santa Fe diner where Hackman was eating.[63] Speaking on his retirement in 2009, Hackman said, "The straw that broke the camel's back was actually a stress test that I took in New York. The doctor advised me that my heart wasn't in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress."[64] When asked during aGQ magazine interview in 2011 if he would ever come out of retirement to do one more film, he said he might consider it "if I could do it in my own house, maybe, without them disturbing anything and just one or two people."[65]
Together withundersea archaeologist Daniel Lenihan, Hackman wrote three historical fiction novels:Wake of the Perdido Star (1999),[66] a sea adventure of the 19th century;Justice for None (2004),[67] aDepression-era tale of murder based on a real-life crime in his boyhood town of Danville;[68] andEscape from Andersonville (2008), about a prison escape during theAmerican Civil War.[69] His first solo effort, a story of love and revenge set in the Old West titledPayback at Morning Peak, was released in 2011.[70] His final novel,Pursuit, a police thriller, followed in 2013.[71]
Hackman married classical pianistBetsy Arakawa in 1991.
In 1956, Hackman married Faye Maltese (1928–2017),[75][76] with whom he had one son and two daughters: Christopher Allen, Elizabeth Jean, and Leslie Anne Hackman.[77] He was often out on location making films while the children were growing up.[78] The couple divorced in 1986, after three decades of marriage.[79]
Hackman was also interested in architecture and design. As of 1990, he had created ten homes, two of which were featured inArchitectural Digest.[83] After a period of time, he moved on to another house restoration. "I don't know what's wrong with me," he remarked. "I guess I like the process, and when it's over, it's over."[92] Hackman was an active cyclist well into his 90s.[93][94]
In 1990, Hackman underwent anangioplasty.[95] In 2012, Hackman was struck by a pickup truck while he was cycling in theFlorida Keys. It was initially reported that he had suffered serious head trauma; however, his publicist stated that his injury was nothing more than "bumps and bruises".[96] Hackman attended an event in Santa Fe in late 2022.[97] He was last seen in public in March 2024.[98] After his death, autopsy reports revealed Hackman hadAlzheimer's disease, which contributed to his death.[99]
In the final months of his life, Hackman's neighbors inSanta Fe, New Mexico, noticed that his health appeared to be declining, and he and Arakawa ceased communicating with family and friends.[100] Arakawa – who was Hackman's sole caregiver – was last seen alive at aCVS Pharmacy on February 11, 2025, and returned to theirgated community at 5:15 p.m.[101] On February 12, Arakawa called a local private physician and made an appointment for that afternoon, complaining of respiratory issues, but did not show up.[102] Arakawa died in their home a short time later fromhantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Hackman did not seek help; authorities believe he was unable to comprehend her death due toAlzheimer's disease.[99] Hackman died in the home around February 18, at which point hispacemaker recorded anabnormal rhythm. He died from severeheart disease, complicated by advanced Alzheimer's disease andkidney disease, at the age of 95.[103]
On February 26, the bodies of Hackman, Arakawa, and one of their dogs were found.[104] Their other two dogs were found alive in the home.[105][106] Although foul play was not suspected, the deaths were deemed suspicious enough to warrant an investigation.[107][108][109]
Hackman'sestate requested that the courts block images and videos related to the investigation, such aspolice body camera footage.[110] Arakawa's will stated that if they were to die within 90 days of each other, the proceeds would go to charity; Hackman's will, created in 1995, listed Arakawa as his sole inheritor.[111][112] In October 2025, it was announced thatBonhams would auction off Hackman's personal belongings, including his art collection, personal artworks, scripts, film memorabilia, and three of hisGolden Globe Awards trophies.[113]
Numerous members of the film industry paid tribute to Hackman following his death.Clint Eastwood, who directed Hackman in the filmsUnforgiven (1992) andAbsolute Power (1997), wrote in a statement: "There was no finer actor than Gene. Intense and instinctive. Never a false note. He was also a dear friend whom I will miss very much."Francis Ford Coppola, who directed him inThe Conversation (1974), wrote: "Gene Hackman [was] a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity. I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution."[114]
Hackman, Gene, and Daniel Lenihan (2008).Escape from Andersonville: A Novel of the Civil War. New York: St. Martin's Press.ISBN978-0-312-36373-4.OCLC191865890.
Hackman, Gene (2011).Payback at Morning Peak: A Novel of the American West. New York: Simon & Schuster.ISBN978-1-451-62356-7.OCLC798634411.
^abRoots, Kimberley (February 27, 2025)."Gene Hackman, Oscar-Winning Star of The French Connection, Dead at 95".TV Line.Archived from the original on February 27, 2025. RetrievedFebruary 27, 2025.Hackman started his long and prestigious acting career on the stage and in television, appearing in series like The Defenders, The United States Steel Hour, Brenner, The Invaders and Iron Horse.
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