Gene Hackman
Biography
Eugene Allen Hackman was an American actor born in San Bernardino, California, on January 30, 1930. He died on February 17, 2025, at the age of 95, and had 154 known acting credits. Hackman made his credited film debut in the 1964 drama Lilith. He won two Academy Awards during his career. His first was for Best Actor for his role as Jimmy Popeye Doyle in William Friedkin's 1971 action thriller The French Connection. His second Academy Award was for Best Supporting Actor for playing a sheriff in Clint Eastwood's 1992 Western Unforgiven. Hackman also received Oscar nominations for playing Buck Barrow in the 1967 crime drama Bonnie and Clyde, a college professor in the 1970 drama I Never Sang for My Father, and an FBI agent in the 1988 historical drama Mississippi Burning.
Career overview
Eugene Allen Hackman was an American actor born on January 30, 1930, in San Bernardino, California. He made his credited film debut in the 1964 drama Lilith. Throughout his career, he earned widespread recognition and Academy Award nominations for his performances in various prominent films. He received an Oscar nomination for playing Buck Barrow in the 1967 crime drama Bonnie and Clyde, for portraying a college professor in the 1970 drama I Never Sang for My Father, and for playing an FBI agent in the 1988 historical drama Mississippi Burning.
Hackman won two Academy Awards during his career. He received his first Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Jimmy Popeye Doyle in William Friedkin's 1971 action thriller The French Connection. His second Academy Award was for Best Supporting Actor, which he won for playing a sheriff in Clint Eastwood's 1992 Western Unforgiven. Across his extensive acting career, he accumulated 154 known credits in movies and television shows. He passed away at the age of 95, with his day of death recorded as February 17, 2025.
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Full filmography
- Breakdown: 1975 (2025) as (archive footage)
- The Last Days of Gene Hackman: ABC News Special (2025) as Self (archive footage)
- Remembering Gene Wilder (2024) as Self (archive footage)
- The Playboy Murders (2023) as Self (archive footage)
- Quentin Tarantino: From a Movie Buff to a Hollywood Legend (2021) as Self (archive footage)
- Sacheen: Breaking the Silence (2019) as Self (archive footage)
- Pattern Recognition (2017) as Self (archive footage)
- We, the Marines (2017) as Self - Narrator (voice)
- The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jima (2016) as Self - Narrator
- Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014) as Lex Luthor (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Eastwood Directs: The Untold Story (2013) as Self
- I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (2009) as Self
- Revolution! The Making of 'Bonnie and Clyde' (2008) as Self
- Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (2007) as Self
- America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions (2006) as Self - Narrator (voice)
- Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006) as Lex Luthor
- Shipibo Konibo: A Rite of Passage (2005) as Narrator (voice)
- Welcome to Mooseport (2004) as Monroe Cole
- Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust (2004) as Narrator
- Runaway Jury (2003) as Rankin Fitch
- Eastwood & Co.: Making 'Unforgiven' (2002) as Self
- All on Accounta Pullin' a Trigger (2002) as Self
- Page to Screen: 'The Silence of the Lambs' (2002) as Self
- Behind Enemy Lines (2001) as Admiral Leslie Reigart, Commander Adriatic Battle Group
- The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) as Royal Tenenbaum
- Heist (2001) as Joe Moore
- Heartbreakers (2001) as William B. Tensy
- The Mexican (2001) as Arnold Margolese
- Once Upon a Time: The Super Heroes (2001) as Lex Luthor (archive footage)
- Heroes of Iwo Jima (2001) as Self - Host/Narrator
- Will Shuster's Zozobra™ de Santa Fe (2001) as Himself/Narrator
- Taking Flight: The Development of 'Superman' (2001) as Self
- Making 'Superman': Filming the Legend (2001) as Self
- With the Filmmaker: Wes Anderson (2001) as Self
- Making the Connection: Untold Stories of The French Connection (2001) as Self
- The Replacements (2000) as Jimmy McGinty
- Under Suspicion (2000) as Henry Hearst
- Under Suspicion (2000) Executive Producer
- Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows (2000) as Self
- The Poughkeepsie Shuffle: Tracing 'The French Connection' (2000) as Self
- The Directors (1999) as Self
- Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood (1999) as Narrator (voice)
- Enemy of the State (1998) as Brill
- Antz (1998) as General Mandible (voice)
- Twilight (1998) as Jack Ames
- Absolute Power (1997) as President Richmond
- Sports on the Silver Screen (1997) as Self (archive footage)
- The Birdcage (1996) as Senator Kevin Keeley
- Extreme Measures (1996) as Dr. Lawrence Myrick
- The Chamber (1996) as Sam Cayhall
- Making Frankensense of Young Frankenstein (1996) as Blind Man (archive footage)
- The Quick and the Dead (1995) as Herod
- Crimson Tide (1995) as Captain Franklin "Frank" Ramsey
- Get Shorty (1995) as Harry Zimm
- The Making of 'Crimson Tide' (1995) as Self
- Wyatt Earp (1994) as Nicholas Earp
- Inside the Actors Studio (1994) as Self
- Shurtleff on Acting (1994) as Self
- Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso (1994) as Self
- The Firm (1993) as Avery Tolar
- Geronimo: An American Legend (1993) as Brig. Gen. George Crook
- Unforgiven (1992) as 'Little' Bill Daggett
- Earth and the American Dream (1992) as Reader (voice)
- Eastwood & Co.: Making 'Unforgiven' (1992) as Self
- Class Action (1991) as Jedediah Tucker Ward
- Company Business (1991) as Sam Boyd
- Postcards from the Edge (1990) as Lowell Kolchek
- Narrow Margin (1990) as Robert Caulfield
- Miami Blues (1990) Thanks
- Loose Cannons (1990) as MacArthur Stern
- The Package (1989) as Sgt. Johnny Gallagher
- Mississippi Burning (1988) as Agent Rupert Anderson
- Another Woman (1988) as Larry
- Bat★21 (1988) as Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton
- Full Moon in Blue Water (1988) as Floyd
- Split Decisions (1988) as Dan McGuinn
- Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) as Lex Luthor
- No Way Out (1987) as Defense Secretary David Brice
- American Masters (1986) as Self
- Hoosiers (1986) as Norman Dale
- Power (1986) as Wilfred Buckley
- Larry King Live (1985) as Self
- Twice in a Lifetime (1985) as Harry MacKenzie
- Target (1985) as Walter Lloyd
- Eureka (1983) as Jack McCann
- Under Fire (1983) as Alex Grazier
- Uncommon Valor (1983) as Col. Cal Rhodes
- Two of a Kind (1983) as God (voice) (uncredited)
- The Making of 'Superman II' (1983) as Self
- Misunderstood (1983) as Ned Rawley
- The Making of 'Superman: The Movie' (1982) as Self
- Entertainment Tonight (1981) as Self
- Reds (1981) as Pete van Wherry
- All Night Long (1981) as George Dupler
- Superman II (1980) as Lex Luthor
- Ciné regards (1978) as Self
- The South Bank Show (1978) as Self
- Superman (1978) as Lex Luthor
- Formula 1 - Speed fever (1978) as Self
- A Bridge Too Far (1977) as Maj. Gen. Stanislaw F. Sosabowski
- The Domino Principle (1977) as Tucker
- The Hollywood Greats (1977)
- March or Die (1977) as Major William Sherman Foster
- French Connection II (1975) as "Popeye" Doyle
- Night Moves (1975) as Harry Moseby
- Lucky Lady (1975) as Kibby
- Bite the Bullet (1975) as Sam Clayton
- Dinah! (1974) as Self
- Young Frankenstein (1974) as Blindman
- The Conversation (1974) as Harry Caul
- Zandy's Bride (1974) as Zandy Allen
- The American Film Institute Salute to ... (1973) as Self
- Scarecrow (1973) as Max Millan
- On the Road with: Scarecrow (1973) as Self
- The Poseidon Adventure (1972) as Reverend Scott
- Prime Cut (1972) as Mary Ann
- Cisco Pike (1972) as Officer Leo Holland
- Film '72 (1971) as Self
- The French Connection (1971) as Jimmy Doyle
- V.I.P. Schaukel (1971) as Self
- The Hunting Party (1971) as Brandt Ruger
- Doctors' Wives (1971) as Dave Randolph
- I Never Sang for My Father (1970) as Gene Garrison
- Marooned (1969) as Buzz Lloyd
- The Gypsy Moths (1969) as Joe Browdy
- Downhill Racer (1969) as Eugene Claire
- The Sky Divers (1969) as Self
- Riot (1969) as Red Fraker
- Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968) as Self
- The Split (1968) as Lt. Walter Brill
- Shadow on the Land (1968) as Rev. Thomas Davis
- The Invaders (1967) as Tom Jessup
- Bonnie and Clyde (1967) as Buck Barrow
- Banning (1967) as Tommy Del Gaddo
- A Covenant with Death (1967) as Harmsworth
- First to Fight (1967) as Sergeant Tweed
- CBS Playhouse (1966) as Ned
- Hawk (1966)
- Hawaii (1966) as John Whipple
- The F.B.I. (1965) as Herb Kenyon
- The Trials of O'Brien (1965) as Roger Nathan
- Lilith (1964) as Norman
- East Side/West Side (1963)
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) as Self
- The Merv Griffin Show (1962) as Self
- The Mike Douglas Show (1961) as Self
- The Defenders (1961) as Stanley McGuirk
- Mad Dog Coll (1961) as Cop (uncredited)
- Tallahassee 7000 (1961) as Joe Lawson
- The DuPont Show of the Week (1961) as Douglas McCann
- Route 66 (1960) as Motorist
- Naked City (1958) as Mr. Jasper
- The Oscars (1953) as Self
- The United States Steel Hour (1953)
- Golden Globe Awards (1944) as Self - Nominee
- Golden Globe Awards (1944) as Self - Presenter
- Golden Globe Awards (1944) as Self - Cecil B. DeMille Award Recipient
- Golden Globe Awards (1944) as Self - Nominee / Presenter