DANVILLE - HOME OF GENE HACKMAN
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Road sign on Interstate 74 East, near Danville
| Gene Hackman spent most of his childhood in Danville, Illinois, a small city in the east-central part of the state. Born in San Bernadino, California in 1930, he moved to Danville as a young boy. At 16 he enlisted in the Marines for a four year hitch. He returned to Danville briefly after military service, working as a TV cameraman at WDAN, but soon left to pursue acting in California, and later, New York. He still has family and friends in the Danville area and occasionally visits. |
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| Above left, Gene's childhood home at 2101 Cannon Street, on Danville's east side. The home was torn down in 1998. Above right, a "Walk of Fame" marker on N. Vermilion St., at the Village Mall entrance. Below, 8 year-old Gene with his parents and family in Danville, 4/20/38. |
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Above left, during a family visit in 1971, Gene's father, a pressman for the Danville Commercial News, gave a tour of the facilities to Gene and other family. Standing next to Gene Sr. is Orin Hackman, a veteran journalist whose appreciation of art had a lasting impact on the actor. Above right, after winning his second Oscar for 1993's Unforgiven, Hackman dedicated the award to the memory of his uncle Orin, who had died the day before.
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Below, In 2005, the McDonald's restaurant on Gilbert Street in Danville was remodeled to showcase an impressive salute to famous Danville natives with permanent displays of photographs and memorabilia.
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2001 LIBRARY VISIT
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Above and right, from July 23-25, 2001, while visiting family and friends in Danville, Gene visited the public library with friend Daniel Lenihan, co-author of their novels Wake of the Perdido Star and Justice for None and a noted underwater archaeologist. |
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2003 GOLDEN GLOBE PARTY |
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| Below, on January 19, 2003, Gene received the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles. That same night in Danville, a party was held at the Fischer Theatre to recognize his achievements, with proceeds going to the theater's restoration. | |
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| Above left, the Fischer marquee.
Above right, watching the live Golden Globes broadcast via video projection. Right, lining up for Hors d'oeuvres. Bottom right, the Chuck Briggs Jazz Trio provides music. Bottom left, the audience toasts Gene after his acceptance speech. In the speech, he recalled spending countless hours as a kid in Danville's Palace movie theater, which was located next door to the Fischer.
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2004 BOOK SIGNING
| On June 3, 2004, Gene Hackman and Dan Lenihan appeared at Danville Public Library for a book signing to promote their new novel Justice for None. Below, the crowd, estimated at 600-700, extended past the front of the building and well beyond the back. It was the largest turnout ever seen for a library event. | |
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