Gene Hackman – You Know His Face
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Jun 30, 2005


The struggles of defining an actor's career can be daunting to say the
least. For Gene Hackman, born January 30, 1930 in San Bernardino,
California, his road was not the easiest to the big screen box office hits
he enjoys today.  From a broken home he took out on his own at the age
of 16 to join the marines. Lying about his age -- he got in and did a three
year tour, discharged with a G.I. Bill for school. For a time he attended the
University of Illinois studying journalism and TV production.  A really late
start to the industry of acting, Gene Hackman began at the age of 30. He
attended the Pasadena Playhouse in California where he met the now famous
Dustin Hoffman, whom he was a reluctant roommate for a while. It is said
that both actors were voted as least likely to succeed, which proves the
adage that where there is a will there is a way.  Gene struggled like most
would be actors with odd jobs. He was once a soda jerk, a furniture mover
and even a hotel doorman. Hackman moved to New York and found work in
summer stock and off Broadway.  Gene's very first appearance was un-credited
in Mad Dog Coll (1961) film and then his first credits appeared in the movie Lilith
(1964) that did star Warren Beatty and Peter Fonda. His track record was a string
of films; many violent like Bonnie and Clyde (1967), which also stared Warren
Beatty and Faye Dunaway. He was landing roles in movies that had major leading
actors at the time like Robert Wagner, John Forsythe, Burt Lancaster and even
Robert Redford. His exposure grew with each film role, but his real lead action/crime
movie came with The French Connection (1971) where he plays a New York City
cop who stumbles onto a drug smuggling French connection. This led to a sequel
film years later The French Connection II where his character Popeye Doyle fights
the drug crime again.  A true classic movie that almost everyone has seen on a
late Sunday afternoon as a re-run is The Poseidon Adventure (1972) where a
passenger ship capsizes and the passengers struggle to survive. This had a cast
line of actors: Ernest Borgnine, Stella Stevens, Roddy McDowall and Shelley Winters.
From western movies like Bite the Bullet (1975) to war movies A Bridge Too Far (1977),
Hackman has done it all. Even Marvel Comics, Superman (1978), Superman II (1980)
as the corrupt character Lex Luthor, with the great Christopher Revee. With great
difficulty with the producers of the Superman movies the producer in Superman II
fired him and Hackman refused to play Lex Luthor in the following series but finally
reappeared in Superman IV (1987).  Hackman appeared in three of the John Grisham
novel films, The Firm (1993), The Chamber (1996) and The Runaway Jury (2003).
As for a personal life, Gene Hackman has been married twice. His has had three
children by his first wife, Fay Maltese. He is currently married to Betsy Arakawa.
His brother Richard Hackman is an actor and stunt man. His brother did some stunts
in the movie Superman (1978).  Hackman lives in New Mexico and loves to paint and
write.  With some 82 movies under his belt he is the true character in the movie you
love to hate or the underdog that makes the movie's box office appeal. Movies like
Absolute Power (1997) with Clint Eastwood and Enemy of the State (1998) with Will
Smith, high intrigue and thrilling action are core elements of his films.
Be sure to see his latest film Welcome to Mooseport (2004 / comedy) where he plays
the part of a former President of the United States and is running as mayor of a small
town against the local plumber.  If you don't know his name you know his face.
  http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/movie_stars/116732
 


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