Age, Biography, and Wiki
Gene Hackman was born on January 30, 1930, and passed away on February 18, 2025, at the age of 95. He is best known for his distinguished acting career spanning over four decades, which included pivotal roles in films like The French Connection and Unforgiven . Hackman's journey in Hollywood earned him two Academy Awards and numerous other accolades. For more detailed information, his Wikipedia page provides an extensive biography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Hackman.
| Occupation | Voice Actors |
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| Date of Birth | 30 January 1930 |
| Age | 95 Years |
| Birth Place | San Bernardino, California, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Country | Mexico |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Details about Gene Hackman's height and weight are not prominently documented, but like many actors of his era, his presence on screen was often highlighted by his commanding performances rather than physical stature.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Gene Hackman was married twice. His first marriage was to Faye Maltese, and his second was to Betsy Arakawa, whom he married in 1991 and remained with until his death. Both Hackman and his wife Betsy were found deceased in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in February 2025 .
Eugene Allen Hackman (January 30, 1930 – c. February 18, 2025) was an American actor. Hackman made his credited film debut in the drama Lilith (1964). He later won two Academy Awards, his first for Best Actor for his role as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in William Friedkin's action thriller The French Connection (1971) and his second for Best Supporting Actor for playing a sheriff in Clint Eastwood's Western Unforgiven (1992). He was Oscar-nominated for playing Buck Barrow in the crime drama Bonnie and Clyde (1967), a college professor in the drama I Never Sang for My Father (1970), and an FBI agent in the historical drama Mississippi Burning (1988).
He had a brother named Richard. The family moved frequently before eventually settling in Danville, Illinois, where they lived in the house of Anna's English-born mother, Beatrice. Hackman's father operated the printing press for the Commercial-News, a local newspaper. Hackman later stated that he decided to become an actor at the age of 10. His parents divorced when he was 13 years old, and his father later left the family.
Hackman spent his sophomore year at Storm Lake High School. He left home at the age of 16, lied about his age to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps, and served four and a half years as a field radio operator. Hackman was stationed in China (Qingdao and later in Shanghai) as part of Operation Beleaguer. He later stated that part of his role there was destroying Japanese military equipment so that Communist revolutionaries did not capture it. After the Communists conquered the mainland in 1949, he was reassigned to Hawaii and Japan. After his discharge in 1951, Hackman moved to New York City, where he worked at various jobs. In 1962, his mother died in a fire she had accidentally started while smoking. Hackman began a study of journalism and television production at the University of Illinois under the G.I. Bill but left without graduating and moved back to California.
A return to Broadway that same year, The Natural Look, ran for just one performance. Additionally, he performed Off-Broadway in Fragments and The Basement. Hackman was in episodes of Iron Horse ("Leopards Try, But Leopards Can't") and Insight ("Confrontation"). In 1968, he appeared in an episode of I Spy, in the role of "Hunter", in the episode "Happy Birthday... Everybody". That same year, he starred in the CBS Playhouse episode "My Father and My Mother" and the dystopian television film Shadow on the Land. In 1969, he played a ski coach in Downhill Racer and an astronaut in Marooned. 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 pursue skydiving and has a cult-like status amongst skydivers as a result: The Gypsy Moths. Hackman supported Jim Brown in two films, The Split (1968) and Riot (1969). Hackman nearly accepted the role of Mike Brady for the TV series The Brady Bunch, 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.
Hackman was nominated for a second Oscar for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the drama film I Never Sang for My Father (1970), directed by Gilbert Cates. Hackman acted opposite Melvyn 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." He starred in the drama Doctors' Wives (1971) and the western film The Hunting Party (1971). He won his first Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as New York City Police Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in the crime drama The French Connection (1971), directed by William Friedkin. This film marked his graduation to stardom. Robert B. Frederick of Variety praised the performances of Hackman and Roy Scheider, writing, "They are very believable as two hard-nosed narcotics officers" who are also "overworked, tired and mean".
Hackman returned to Broadway, starring in the 1992 Ariel Dorfman play Death and the Maiden, acting opposite Glenn Close and Richard Dreyfus at the Brooks Atkinson Theater. In 1993, he appeared in Geronimo: An American Legend as Brigadier General George Crook and co-starred with Tom Cruise as a corrupt lawyer in The Firm, a legal thriller based on the John Grisham novel of the same name. Hackman would appear in two other films based on John Grisham novels, playing Sam Cayhall, a Klansman on death row, in The Chamber (1996), and jury consultant Rankin Fitch in Runaway Jury (2003). Other films Hackman appeared in during the 1990s include Wyatt Earp (1994) (as Nicholas Porter Earp, Wyatt Earp's father), The Quick and the Dead (1995) opposite Sharon Stone, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Russell Crowe, and as submarine Captain Frank Ramsey alongside Denzel Washington in Crimson Tide (1995).
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| Husband | Faye Maltese (m. 1956-1986) Betsy Arakawa (m. December 1, 1991-2025) |
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Net Worth and Salary
At the time of his passing, Gene Hackman's net worth was estimated to be around $80 million. This substantial fortune was largely accumulated through his successful acting career, which included earnings from films like Superman and Enemy of the State. Additionally, he earned income from writing novels and real estate investments .
Career, Business, and Investments
Hackman's career began in the 1960s and flourished through the early 2000s. Some of his most notable films include:
- The French Connection (1971) - He earned an Oscar for Best Actor.
- Superman (1978) - This role provided him with a significant salary.
- Unforgiven (1992) - He won another Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
- Enemy of the State (1998)
- The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Hackman gained further fame for his portrayal of Lex Luthor in three of the Superman films from 1978 to 1987. He also acted in The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Scarecrow (1973), The Conversation (1974), Night Moves (1975), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Under Fire (1983), Hoosiers (1986), The Firm (1993), Wyatt Earp (1994), Crimson Tide (1995), The Quick and the Dead (1995), Get Shorty (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Absolute Power (1997), Enemy of the State (1998), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), and Runaway Jury (2003).
Considered one of the greatest actors of his generation and a paragon of the New Hollywood movement, Hackman's mainstream acting career spanned over four decades. He received several accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. Hackman retired from acting after starring in Welcome to Mooseport (2004), venturing into writing novels and occasionally providing narration for television documentaries until 2017.
In 1956, Hackman began pursuing an acting career. He joined the Pasadena Playhouse in California, where he befriended another aspiring actor, Dustin Hoffman. Already seen as outsiders by their classmates, Hackman and Hoffman were voted "the least likely to succeed", and Hackman got the lowest score the Pasadena Playhouse had yet given. Determined to prove them wrong, Hackman moved to New York City. A 2004 article in Vanity Fair described Hackman, Hoffman, and Robert Duvall as struggling California-born actors and close friends, sharing New York apartments in various two-person combinations in the 1960s.
After The French Connection, Hackman starred in ten films (not including his cameo as a blind man in the Mel Brooks-directed satirical horror comedy film Young Frankenstein in 1974) over the next three years, making him the most prolific actor in Hollywood during that time frame. He followed The French Connection with leading roles in the drama Cisco Pike (1972), the action crime thriller Prime Cut (1972), and the disaster film The Poseidon Adventure (1972). He also starred in the road comedy-drama Scarecrow (1973) alongside Al Pacino, which was Hackman's favorite role of his career and won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The following year, he starred as a surveillance expert in the neo-noir mystery thriller The Conversation (1974), directed by Francis Ford Coppola, which was nominated for several Oscars and also won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes. That same year, Hackman appeared in what would become one of his most famous comedic roles, as Harold the Blind Man in Young Frankenstein. Hackman also appeared in the western Zandy's Bride (1974) and the neo-noir film Night Moves (1975) for director Arthur Penn.
Hackman acted opposite Gena Rowlands in the Woody Allen drama Another Woman (1988). Hackman starred in the Alan Parker-directed crime drama Mississippi Burning (1988), costarring Willem Dafoe, where they portrayed FBI agents investigating the murder of a civil rights leader. He earned acclaim for the role, with Roger Ebert praising his performance for his subtlety. He was nominated for a second Academy Award for Best Actor, losing to Dustin Hoffman for Rain Man. After this he appeared in The Package (1989). Hackman starred in Loose Cannons (1990) with Dan Aykroyd, and he had a supporting role in Postcards from the Edge (1990). He appeared with Anne Archer in Narrow Margin (1990), a remake of the 1952 film The Narrow Margin. After Class Action (1991) and Company Business (1991), Hackman played the sadistic sheriff "Little Bill" Daggett in the Western Unforgiven, directed by Clint Eastwood and written by David Webb Peoples. Hackman had pledged to avoid violent roles, but Eastwood convinced him to take the part, which earned him a second Oscar, this time for Best Supporting Actor. The film also won Best Picture.
Hackman co-starred with Morgan Freeman in Under Suspicion (2000), Keanu Reeves in The Replacements (2000), Owen Wilson in Behind Enemy Lines (2001), and Sigourney Weaver in Heartbreakers (2001) and appeared in the David Mamet crime thriller Heist (2001) as an aging professional thief of considerable skill who is forced into one final job. He made a cameo in The Mexican (2001). Hackman gained much critical acclaim playing against type as the head of an eccentric family in Wes Anderson's comedy film The Royal Tenenbaums (2001). Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Hackman is utter perfection as the misbegotten paterfamilias, conveying beautifully Royal's underlying decency and love for his family as well as his con-man slickness." For his performance, he received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
In July 2004, Hackman gave a rare interview to Larry King, where he announced that he had no future film projects lined up and believed his acting career was over. In 2008, while promoting his third novel, he confirmed that he had retired from acting. That year, Hackman made his last televised appearance in Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, as Guy Fieri went to a Santa Fe diner where Hackman was eating. 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." When asked during a GQ 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."
Numerous members of the film industry paid tribute to Hackman following his death. Clint Eastwood, who directed Hackman in the films Unforgiven (1992) and Absolute 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 in The 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." Prince William released a statement, saying "Hackman was a true genius of film who brought each and every character to life with power, authenticity and star quality."
Social Network
Gene Hackman was not particularly active on social media platforms, preferring a more private life. His personal life and achievements were often highlighted in interviews and public appearances rather than online profiles.
To support himself between acting jobs, Hackman was working at a Howard Johnson's restaurant when he encountered an instructor from the Pasadena Playhouse, who said that his job proved that Hackman "wouldn't amount to anything." 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."
Hackman returned to Broadway in Poor Richard (1964–65) by Jean Kerr, which ran for over a hundred performances. He continued to do television – The Trials of O'Brien, Hawk, and The F.B.I. – and had a small part as Dr. John Whipple in the epic film Hawaii. He had small roles in features like First to Fight (1967), A Covenant with Death (1967), and Banning (1967). Hackman was originally cast as Mr. Robinson in the 1967 Mike Nichols independent romantic comedy film The Graduate, but Nichols fired him three weeks into rehearsal for being "too young" for the role; he was replaced by Murray Hamilton. Also in 1967, he appeared in an episode of the television series The Invaders entitled "The Spores" and as Buck Barrow in 1967's biographical crime drama Bonnie and Clyde, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Together with undersea archaeologist Daniel Lenihan, Hackman wrote three historical fiction novels: Wake of the Perdido Star (1999), a sea adventure of the 19th century; Justice for None (2004), a Depression-era tale of murder based on a real-life crime in his boyhood town of Danville; and Escape from Andersonville (2008), about a prison escape during the American Civil War. His first solo effort, a story of love and revenge set in the Old West titled Payback at Morning Peak, was released in 2011. His final novel, Pursuit, a police thriller, followed in 2013.
Hackman was also interested in architecture and design. As of 1990, he had created ten homes, two of which were featured in Architectural Digest. 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." Hackman was an active cyclist well into his 90s.
Morgan Freeman paid tribute to Hackman at the 97th Academy Awards, saying, "Like everyone who ever shared a scene with him, I learned he was a generous performer whose gifts elevated everyone's work" and that he would be "remembered [as someone who did good work] and so much more." Others who paid tribute include Dustin Hoffman, Glenn Close, Tom Hanks, Viola Davis, Bill Murray, Mel Brooks, Alec Baldwin, Gwyneth Paltrow, Barbra Streisand, Nathan Lane, Josh Brolin, John Cusack, Ben Stiller, Antonio Banderas, Hank Azaria, George Takei, and Jennifer Love Hewitt. Multiple sources:
Education
Gene Hackman attended the University of Illinois, where he studied drama. He also attended the Pasadena Playhouse in California to further pursue his acting career.
In summary, Gene Hackman's legacy encompasses not only his remarkable acting career but also his literary endeavors and savvy investments, contributing to his notable net worth and enduring impact on the entertainment industry.
Hackman alternated between leading and supporting roles during the 1980s. He appeared opposite Barbra Streisand in All Night Long (1981) and supported Warren Beatty in Reds (1981). He played the lead in Eureka (1983) and a supporting role in Under Fire (1983). Hackman provided the voice of God in Two of a Kind (1983) and starred in Uncommon Valor (1983), Misunderstood (1984), Twice in a Lifetime (1985), Target (1985) for Arthur Penn, and Power (1986). Between 1985 and 1988, he starred in nine films, making him the busiest actor, alongside Steve Guttenberg. Hackman played a high school basketball coach in Hoosiers (1986), which a 2008 American Film Institute poll named the fourth-greatest sports film of all time. After Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), he also voiced Nuclear Man (who was portrayed by Mark Pillow) and was in No Way Out (1987), Split Decisions (1988), Bat*21 (1988), and Full Moon in Blue Water (1988).
On December 1, 1991, Hackman married classical pianist Betsy Arakawa (1959–2025) after they had dated for seven years. They shared a Santa Fe, New Mexico, home, which Architectural Digest featured in 1990. At the time, the home blended Southwestern styles and was at the crest of a 12-acre hilltop, with a 360-degree view that stretched to the Jemez, Sangre de Cristo, and Sandia mountains.
Hackman was a fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars, an NFL football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, and regularly attended Jaguars games as a guest of former head coach Jack Del Rio. Their friendship went back to Del Rio's playing days at the University of Southern California.
