Gene Hackman, who was found dead at 95 alongside his wife at their Santa Fe, N.M. home on Feb. 26, was considered one of the greatest actors of his generation.
He won two Oscars over a career spanning over four decades, for playing Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in William Friedkin’s 1971 action thriller “The French Connection” and for his role as antagonistic sheriff in Clint Eastwood’s 1992 Western “Unforgiven.” He was also Oscar-nominated for his performances in “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967), “I Never Sang for My Father” (1970) and “Mississippi Burning” (1988).
Hackman was also known for playing Lex Luthor in 1978’s “Superman” and the 1980 sequel “Superman II,” and other notable credits include “Scarecrow” (1973), “The Conversation” (1974), “Loose Cannons “(1990), “The Firm” (1993) and “Enemy of the State” (1998).
Take a look at Hackman’s career in photos below.
‘Bonnie and Clyde’ (1967)
Hackman played Buck Barrow, the brother of Warren Beatty’s Clyde, in Arthur Penn’s “Bonnie and Clyde.” Faye Dunaway, pictured, played Bonnie. It earned Hackman his first Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.
‘I Never Sang for My Father’ (1970)
Hackman earned his second best supporting actor Oscar nomination for “I Never Sang for My Father,” which he starred in alongside Melvyn Douglas.
‘The French Connection’ (1971)
His leading role in William Friedkin’s action thriller “The French Connection” marked Hackman’s true breakthrough to stardom. He won the best actor Oscar for his role as Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle.
‘The Poseidon Adventure’ (1972)
Hackman played a minister who gets trapped in a tsunami in disaster film “The Poseidon Adventure,” pictured here alongside Shelley Winters.
‘Scarecrow’ (1973)
In “Scarecrow,” Hackman starred alongside Al Pacino in the story of two men traveling from California to Pittsburgh to start a new business.
‘The Conversation’ (1974)
In Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation,” Hackman played Harry Caul, a surveillance expert who faces a moral dilemma when his recordings reveal a potential murder. The movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d’Or, and received three Oscar nominations for best picture, original screenplay and sound.
‘A Bridge Too Far’ (1977)
In Richard Attenborough’s World War II film “A Bridge Too Far,” Hackman played Polish Major General Stanisław Sosabowski as part of a stacked cast including Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Edward Fox, Elliott Gould, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Hardy Krüger, Laurence Olivier, Ryan O’Neal, Robert Redford, Maximilian Schell and Liv Ullmann.
‘Superman’ (1978)
Hackman played baddie Lex Luthor in Christopher Reeve’s “Superman,” a role he reprised in the film’s sequel and the 1987 installment “Quest for Peace.”
‘Superman II’ (1980)
Hackman in “Superman II.”
‘Under Fire’ (1983)
In the political thriller, Hackman played a photojournalist covering a military conflict in Chad who strikes up an affair with a fellow reporter (Joanna Cassidy) — who is also his friend’s girlfriend.
‘Power’ (1986)
In Sidney Lumet’s “Power,” Hackman starred alongside Richard Gere and Denzel Washington as political consultant Wilfred Buckley.
‘Mississippi Burning’ (1988)
Hackman earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in crime thriller “Mississippi Burning,” where he and Willem Dafoe played FBI agents investigating the disappearance of three civil rights workers.
‘Loose Cannons’ (1990)
Hackman flexed his comedy chops in “Loose Cannons,” in which he played a tight-laced cop who must team up with a zany detective (DAn Aykroyd) to uncover a sex tape featuring Adolf Hitler.
‘Unforgiven’ (1992)
Hackman won his second Oscar for his performance in Clint Eastwood’s Western “Unforgiven.” He played Sheriff Bill Daggett, the antagonistic Sheriff out to get Eastwood’s outlaw William Munny.
‘The Firm’ (1993)
Hackman played Tom Cruise’s mentor in Sydney Pollack’s legal thriller “The Firm.”
‘The Quick and the Dead’ (1995)
Sam Raimi’s revisionist Western film saw Hackman share the screen with a young Russell Crowe as the ruthless mayor of a town called Redemption.
‘The Birdcage’ (1996)
Hackman played a conservative senator in the comedy “The Birdcage” alongside Nathan Lane, Robin Williams and Dianne Wiest.
‘Enemy of the State’ (1998)
Hackman played a surveillance operator alongside Will Smith in political thriller “Enemy of the State.”
‘Behind Enemy Lines’ (2001)
In “Behind Enemy Lines,” Hackman played a Navy Admiral who clashes with Owen Wilson’s lieutenant amid the discovery of genocide during the Bosnian War.
‘Runaway Jury’ (2003)
Hackman teamed up with John Cusack for legal thriller “Runaway Jury,” in which he played a shady jury consultant
‘Welcome to Mooseport’ (2004)
Hackman’s final film credit was the political satire “Welcome to Mooseport” alongside Ray Romano. He played a former president who retires to his vacation home in Maine and eventually is recruited as the town’s mayor.
