Hollywood legend Gene Hackman was found dead along with his wife in their New Mexico home on Wednesday, February 26th, 2025. The actor was 95 years old.

Hackman is best remembered for some of the most iconic performances of the 1970s and '80s.

As Lex Luthor, Hackman dared to defy the Man of Steel in Superman and its sequels. His presence elevated the movie from its comic book, adding gravitas and pathos to the source material. His archvillain would define the archetype for decades.

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Gene Hackman: How well do you remember his movies?

Gene Hackman is a two-time Oscar winner, first for The French Connection, in which he played New York cop Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle. He won again in 1992 for Unforgiven, the Clint Eastwood-directed Western in which Hackman played Little Bill Daggett.

He was an acting revolutionary, taking character actor roles and giving them leading man performances. While Hackman may not have had the movie star appeal of many of his Hollywood peers, his approach to acting set him apart from many matinee idols.

At his time of death, Hackman was retired from acting for over twenty years.

"You go through stages in your career that you feel very good about yourself. Then you feel awful, like, 'Why didn't I choose something else?'" Hackman told GQ magazine in 2011. "But overall I'm pretty satisfied that I made the right choice when I decided to be an actor. I was lucky to find a few things that I could do well as an actor and that I could look at and say, 'Yeah, that's all right.'" 

Before his final appearance in 2004's Welcome to Mooseport, Hackman acted in over 80 films over four decades.

Hackman might be best remembered as a dramatic actor, but his comedy chops were incredible as well.

In Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, Hackman is nearly unrecognizable in an uncredited appearance as Blindman, the old hermit. He ad-libbed his hilarious final line.

"I was going to make espresso!"