Opinion: Remembering Gene Hackman
The actor Gene Hackman has died, at the age of 95. He was found this week in his home in Santa Fe, along with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and a family dog. Authorities are still trying to figure out what happened.
Gene Hackman was long retired from Hollywood, but the characters he played in his four decade career will stick with us. It felt like he could turn himself into almost anyone.
He was a barbarous and riotous cop in The French Connection; a blunt-headed, bank robbing brother alongside Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde; a savage small-town sheriff in Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven; and a minister who leaps through flames to lead passengers to safety in The Poseidon Adventure, even as the man of God himself is left to dangle from a valve-wheel.
Gene Hackman played Superman’s arch-villain, Lex Luthor, with a comic glint. “There’s a strong streak of good in you, Superman,” he tells Christopher Reeve. “But then nobody’s perfect…”
You might see why Gene Hackman would try to find a life playing other people. His father used to beat him, and left the family when Gene was 13. At 16, he lied about his age and ran off to join the Marines.
“I just had to get out,” he once told the Los Angeles Times.
He played a son who looks back on a difficult relationship with his father in Robert Anderson’s I Never Sang For My Father, which Gene Hackman opens by saying, “Death ends a life, but it does not end a relationship, which struggles on in the survivor’s mind…”
He was friends with Dustin Hoffman when they were young actors at the Pasadena Playhouse in the 1950’s, and voted “the least likely to succeed.” Gene Hackman, of course, went on to win two Oscars, nine Golden Globes, and many other awards; his friend has done pretty well, too.
Gene Hackman leaves a lot of memories for us movie-goers. I think one that sinks most into me is in Hoosiers. He plays a strict basketball coach who spurs a small-town high school team to glory. But he sets aside all his macho bluster to tell them as they take the court for the last time, “I love you guys.”
You can feel how hard, and how necessary it is for that flinty coach to force himself to say that. Gene Hackman could utter just four simple words, and make a great film moment.
Transcript:
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
The actor Gene Hackman has died at the age of 95. He was found this week in his home in Santa Fe along with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and a family dog. Authorities are still trying to figure out what happened.
Gene Hackman was long retired from films, but the characters he played in his four-decade career will stay with us. It felt like he could turn himself into almost anyone. He was a barbarous and riotous cop in “The French Connection,” a blunt-headed bank-robbing brother alongside Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway in “Bonnie And Clyde,” a savage small-town sheriff in Clint Eastwood’s “Unforgiven” and a minister who leaps through flames to lead passengers to safety in “The Poseidon Adventure,” even as the man of God himself is left to dangle from a valve wheel. Gene Hackman played Superman’s archvillain, Lex Luthor, with a comic glint. There’s a strong streak of good news, Superman, he tells Christopher Reeve, but then nobody’s perfect.
You might see why Gene Hackman would try to find a life playing other people. His father used to beat him and left the family when Gene was 13. At 16, he lied about his age and ran off to join the Marines. I just had to get out, he once told the Los Angeles Times. He played a son who looks back on a difficult relationship with his father in Robert Anderson’s “I Never Sang For My Father,” which Gene Hackman opens by saying death ends a life, but it does not end a relationship, which struggles on in the survivor’s mind.
He was friends with Dustin Hoffman when they were young actors at the Pasadena Playhouse in the 1950s and voted the least likely to succeed. Gene Hackman, of course, went on to win two Oscars, nine Golden Globes and many other awards. His friend has done pretty well, too.
Gene Hackman leaves a lot of memories for his movie-goers. I think one that sinks most into me is in “Hoosiers.” He plays a strict basketball coach who spurs a small-town high school team to glory, but he sets aside all his macho bluster to tell them as they take the court for the last time, I love you guys. You can feel how hard and how necessary it is for that flinty coach to force himself to say that. Gene Hackman could utter just four simple words and make a great film moment.
(SOUNDBITE OF ALLAH-LAS’ “HOUSTON”)
Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones announces run for Alabama governor
Jones announced his campaign Monday afternoon, hours after filing campaign paperwork with the Secretary of State's Office. His gubernatorial bid could set up a rematch with U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the Republican who defeated Jones in 2020 and is now running for governor.
Scorching Saturdays: The rising heat threat inside football stadiums
Excessive heat and more frequent medical incidents in Southern college football stadiums could be a warning sign for universities across the country.
The Gulf States Newsroom is hiring an Audio Editor
The Gulf States Newsroom is hiring an Audio Editor to join our award-winning team covering important regional stories across Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.
Judge orders new Alabama Senate map after ruling found racial gerrymandering
U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco, appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term, issued the ruling Monday putting a new court-selected map in place for the 2026 and 2030 elections.
Construction on Meta’s largest data center brings 600% crash spike, chaos to rural Louisiana
An investigation from the Gulf States Newsroom found that trucks contracted to work at the Meta facility are causing delays and dangerous roads in Holly Ridge.
Bessemer City Council approves rezoning for a massive data center, dividing a community
After the Bessemer City Council voted 5-2 to rezone nearly 700 acres of agricultural land for the “hyperscale” server farm, a dissenting council member said city officials who signed non-disclosure agreements weren’t being transparent with citizens.
