Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen Hackman[1][2][3] (born January 30, 1930) is an American retired actor. In a career that spanned more than six decades, he received two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globes, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and the Silver Bear. Hackman's two Academy Award wins included one for Best Actor for his role as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in William Friedkin's acclaimed thriller The French Connection (1971) and the other for Best Supporting Actor for his role as "Little" Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood's Western film Unforgiven (1992). His other Oscar-nominated roles were in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), I Never Sang for My Father (1970), and Mississippi Burning (1988).
Gene Hackman
Actor
1956–2004
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Faye Maltese(m. 1956; div. 1986)
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Betsy Arakawa(m. 1991)
3
Hackman gained further fame for his portrayal of Lex Luthor in Superman (1978) and its sequels Superman II (1980) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). He also acted in The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Conversation (1974), Reds (1981), Hoosiers (1986), No Way Out (1987), The Firm (1993) Get Shorty (1995), Crimson Tide (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Absolute Power (1997), and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001).
Personal life[edit]
Marriages and family[edit]
Hackman has been married twice. He has three children from his first marriage.
In 1956, Hackman married Faye Maltese (1929–2017),[43][44] with whom he had one son and two daughters: Christopher Allen, Elizabeth Jean, and Leslie Anne Hackman.[45] He was often out on location making films while the children were growing up.[46] The couple divorced in 1986, after three decades of marriage.[47]
In 1991, he married classical pianist Betsy Arakawa (b. 1961).[48] They share a Santa Fe, New Mexico home,[49] which Architectural Digest featured in 1990. At the time, the home blended Southwestern styles and crested a twelve-acre hilltop, with a 360-degree view that stretched to the Colorado mountains. As of 2022, Hackman continues to attend Santa Fe cultural events.[50]
Political views[edit]
Hackman is a supporter of the Democratic Party, and was "proud" to be included on Nixon's Enemies List. However, he has spoken fondly of Republican president Ronald Reagan.[51]
Interests[edit]
In the late 1970s, Hackman competed in Sports Car Club of America races, driving an open-wheeled Formula Ford.[52][53] In 1983, he drove a Dan Gurney Team Toyota in the 24 Hours of Daytona Endurance Race.[54] He also won the Long Beach Grand Prix Celebrity Race.[55]
Hackman is a fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars and regularly attended Jaguars games as a guest of former head coach Jack Del Rio.[56][57] Their friendship goes back to Del Rio's playing days at the University of Southern California.[58]
Architecture and design are another of Hackman's interests. As of 1990, he had created ten homes, two of which were featured in Architectural Digest. After a period of time, he moves onto 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."[49][59]
As of 2018, Hackman remains an active cyclist.[60]
Health[edit]
In 1990, Hackman underwent an angioplasty.[61] In 2012, 82-year-old Hackman was struck by a pickup truck while bicycling in the Florida Keys. Although it was initially reported that he had suffered serious head trauma, his publicist stated that his injury was nothing more than "bumps and bruises".[62]