Posted on 07/16/2018 6:46:28 PM PDT by eastforker
Gene was born Eugene Alden Hackman in San Bernadino, California on the 30th of January, 1930 to Eugene Ezra (newspaper pressman) and Lyda Hackman. He is 6'2" and has been married twice. Once to Faye Maltese (1 January 1956 to 1986), whom he had three children (Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie) with before they divorced, and currently to Betsy Arakawa. Gene and Betsy were married in December of 1991. Faye was a bank Clerk and Betsy, a classical pianist.
When he was 16, Gene joined the Marines for three years and then found himself in New York, working various jobs. Eventually, he studied journalism and Television Production at the University of Illinois. Gene enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse, in California, when he was 30 years old. His acting profession was finally coming into focus.
(Excerpt) Read more at marines.togetherweserved.com ...
“You Ever Pick Your Feet In Poughkeepsie?”
WOW It is funny that you have posted this since my youngest and I were on Netflix and saw a program about marines done by Hackman. In it he states he’s a Marine, BTW it was a good program as we are a Marine family here.
One of my favorite actors. The French Connection and Hoosiers are two of my favorite all-time movies.
This is the second retrospective article about Gene Hackman I’ve seen this week. At first I thought it must mean that he just passed, but it may he’s in a new movie or this is simply a coincidence.
No, simply, he is just a famous veteran.
Greatest LUTHOR ever. The new Luthor is a pu**y wimp compared to Hackman’s version.
I heard from someone many years ago that he took the role in UNCOMMON VALOR because he had a soft spot for MIA/POW’s in Vietnam, and he knew a lot of friends who lost sons in the war.
Not sure that Gene ever made a movie I didn’t like.
Enjoyed his role in “Behind Enemy Lines”
Crimson Tide
Dittos to those 2 and I’ll add, ‘Downhill Racer’ (circa 1969 iirc), where he played the coach of the USA’s downhill ski racing team. Great contrast and interplay between he and the egotistical/loner and star of ski team, played by Robert Redford. Just a darn good actor his entire career.
Along with “Enemy of the State”. Will Smithh was good in that one also and Jon Voigt.
“Oh - he’s good in everything!” I think it was Crow the Robot on MST3K that would say that every time anybody remotely looking like Gene Hackman would show up on screen.
One of the greatest American movie actors ever. Popeye Doyle remains seared on my memory. And he had a great role in the film I Never Sang For my Father, where he was a novelist who goes to visit his Father after his mother dies. When the Father and Son went out to meet people, the father (Melvyn Douglas) would always boast that his son was a Marine. Ironically, Hackman, lying in bed with a woman later in the film complains “He always says “Gene was a Marine! He never tells anybody I’m a novelist!!”
Eastforker, thanks for posting these threads...love the subject matter! Good job...:)
One of the last classic westerns. Hackman's Little Bill is one of the all time greatest villains.
That movie is one of the few that justifiably earned Best Picture.
One of my favorite roles of his is the corrupt sheriff in “Unforgiven”...”Little Bill”.
Heh, beat me to it while I was typing! Agree 100%
Heheh...love that one too! I laughed aloud just seeing that graphic!
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