Disastrous Demise: The Acting Gene

In February of this year, two-time Oscar-winner Mr. Gene Hackman was found dead in his New Mexico estate. The 95 year-old had, understandably, been out of the public eye for some time as he and his second wife lived out the years of their retirement. (Hackman performed his final movie role in 2004.) He, his wife (former classical pianist Betsy Arakawa) and a crated dog were discovered on February 26th, though he'd been dead since about the 18th and she days before that. It was a bizarre and agonizing end for one of filmdom's most capable and versatile performers. I have to confess that this intro has been rewritten twice as new information kept coming to light about the incident! In any case, we now belatedly pay tribute to someone who headlined the very movie from which this blog gets its name. 

 

One of those sorts of actors who seemed to be "never young," Hackman was born on January 30th, 1930 in San Bernadino, California, though the family wasn't there long. He was chiefly raised in Danville, Illinois with his parents and brother, though the couple divorced when Hackman was 13 and his father left with only a distant wave goodbye. Eager to move on in another direction, he lied about his age and at 16 joined the US Marine Corp. He served as a radio operator in China, Japan and Hawaii until he was discharged in 1951.

 

Following his term of service, he pursued a journalism degree at the University of Illinois, but ultimately went to California in order to pursue acting. There he met Dustin Hoffman, both of them disdained by many of their instructors at The Pasadena Playhouse. The two moved to New York and began looking for work there. Hackman began to win roles Off-Broadway and eventually along the Great White Way as seen in the Playbill above. (This show closed after four performances...)

Finally, in 1964, he scored a hit with Any Wednesday, opposite Sandy Dennis. When the movie came out in 1966, these roles were played by Jane Fonda and Dean Jones. He left this play to work in Poor Richard with Alan Bates and Joanna Pettet.

Having worked in TV bit roles, followed by parts on series filmed in New York, Hackman secured a supporting role (his first credited movie part) in Robert Rossen's Lilith (1964) opposite a young (and exasperating) Warren Beatty. In show business, one fateful project with a person can later lead to another of greater import, as we'll soon see.

Relocating to Hollywood, he began appearing on west coast TV series and winning supporting parts in movies. Seen above, he played a doctor fighting measles in Hawaii (1966) and had roles in First to Fight (starring Chad Everett), A Covenant with Death (starring George Maharis) and Banning (which starred Robert Wagner. All were released in 1967.)

Of far greater importance that year was his reunion with the star of Lilith, Beatty, who was producing and starring in a violent little number called Bonnie and Clyde. Initially dismissed (or even disliked) by some critics, the movie became a huge, trend-setting hit.

What's more, the movie was nominated for ten Oscars and Hackman was among them (though he lost to George Kennedy of Cool Hand Luke.) Estelle Parsons, who played his wife in the film, won as did the cinematography.

The nomination didn't change the fact that he was still doing a fair amount of episodic television along with occasional mid-level movies like The Split (1968) and Riot (1969.) In 1969, he played one of three stranded astronauts in Marooned, which starred Gregory Peck, and also worked in The Gypsy Moths with Burt Lancaster and Downhill Racer with Robert Redford.

Finally in 1970 he was elevated to costarring position when he did the movie version of I Never Sang for My Father (1970), which had been on Broadway with Hal Holbrook two years before. Hackman was really the leading performer in the movie, but Douglas had an Oscar under his belt for Hud (1963) and would be nominated here again (losing to George C. Scott in Patton.)

Hackman was nominated as well, though in the supporting category, losing to John Mills in Ryan's Daughter. Parsons, who'd played his wife in Bonnie and Clyde was cast in this one as his sister. 

It might just be something as simple as the fashion trend of the era, but in Father, he sported the same sort of turtleneck and suit-jacket combo that would later become iconic to disaster movie fans...

Ever versatile and always in demand, Hackman found himself as one of the husbands of Doctor's Wives (1971), a very soapy murder story which had him married to a frigid (at least where he's concerned!) Rachel Roberts.

His success as an actor having been on an upward trajectory for a few years now, he achieved a breakthrough in 1971 with The French Connection, a gritty police drama in which there was no question whatsoever who was the star. As roughly-hewn drug-busting Popeye Doyle, Hackman was almost the whole show.

He was granted a Best Actor Oscar for his skillful performance. The film, a big hit with audiences, contained a frenetic car chase that sought to live up to the bar set by 1968's Bullitt. 

By the time of his Oscar win, he was already waist-deep in the filming of a movie that has lived on in the hearts of countless fans since its 1972 premiere, The Poseidon Adventure.

As a fiery, driven, highly-confident priest who makes it his personal duty to rescue a disparate group of survivors trapped in a capsized cruise liner, he made an indelible impression on moviegoers of all ages. (He also briefly revived a 1930s fashion trend, usually on women, of a top with exposed bits of shoulder. It didn't catch on in 1972, but can be seen again now all over the place! Ha ha!) 

I only speak the truth (or at least my truth) so I won't pretend that some of the relentless hollering that goes on between Hackman and costar Ernest Borgnine is a bit oppressive after a while. There's a sort of macho (alpha male?) give and take between them throughout.

He's nonetheless wonderful in the part and gives 100%. He later became dismissive of the movie, too cool, I guess, to allow himself to be the star of a popcorn box office blockbuster. However, as seen by this string of spittle oozing from his tear-filled head, he was all in at the time. I always found it notable, too, that when he won the BAFTA for 1972, it was for both The French Connection and The Poseidon Adventure.

At any rate, producer and "Master of Disaster" Irwin Allen couldn't have played it any better if he'd tried. By the time the movie opened, there were FIVE Oscar-winners in the leading cast instead of four as it had been beforehand. Here, he's given a celebration cake inscribed "Welcome to the Club" with his gilded costars. (Note director Ronald Neame taking Shelley Winters to task for gobbling the first bite of Gene's cake!)

In between his two big hits came a brief dry spell in which Hackman accepted one of his most "out there" roles to date. Opposite Lee Marvin, he played a corrupt, very sleazy slaughterhouse owner in Prime Cut (1972.) Not only was his character involved in white slavery (auctioning off nude girls - including newbie Sissy Spacek! - in a barn), but it was also implied that he and his on-screen brother (bald Gregory Walcott in the lower-right inset) were sexually involved with one another.

At this stage he could practically play any role he wished, even without the "movie star" looks that had heretofore been so key to cinematic success. His pal Dustin Hoffman was soaring, too. (Trivia Tidbit: Hackman was cast as Dusty's father in The Graduate, 1967, until being fired for being too young. No wonder. He was only seven years Hoffman's senior!) He opted for more meaningful work versus cinematic cash cows. Seen here, he costarred with Al Pacino in Scarecrow (1973.) He also costarred with Liv Ullmann in Zandy's Bride (1973.)

Still in very much a low-key role, yet a very successful one, he next did Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation (1974.) He was a bespectacled wire-tapper in this paranoia thriller. The movie was a Best Picture nominee. (It lost to The Godfather, Part II, which was also Coppola's!)

Eager for a break from on-screen drama and angst, he took on a cameo role in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein (1974) as a blind, lonely hermit. It was Hackman himself who came up with his hilarious scene-closing line once the monster has departed.

A variety of movies followed, of varying quality and success. He costarred in Bite the Bullet and The Domino Principle (both with Candice Bergen), took on the belated - and not tremendously memorable - sequel French Connection II and then climbed on board The Lucky Lady (all 1975.)

George Segal had been cast opposite Burt Reynolds in the movie, but dropped out prior to filming. Hackman (who'd once been a guest star on Reynolds' 1966 series Hawk!) stepped in with only one week's notice (and a then-huge $1.5 million paycheck.) The project was a much-troubled fiasco. Robbie Benson had to wear a (bad) wig after having shaved his head for a TV-movie, but Burt's pants look fun...

With his features, Hackman well looked the part of Polish parachuter in the all-star WWII epic A Bridge Too Far (1977.) The long, name-filled movie was reasonably successful at the box office, though he was one of only a few big names on board such as Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Ryan O'Neal and James Caan.

1978 brought another iconic part his way. He was selected to play megalomaniacal arch nemesis Lex Luthor (along with above-the-title billing) in Superman: The Movie. Hackman, always sensitive about his lifelong battle with hair loss (in a time when only a handful of celebrities went bald) refused to appear without a wig except for a few brief moments even though the character had always been depicted without hair!

The movie was a smash and he appeared in two of its three sequels. (The third movie having been hijacked by the antics of Richard Pryor.)

People discuss the myriad of people Kevin Bacon has worked with, but I am startled at the wide array of notables that Hackman wound up acting alongside. Among one of the least expected would be Barbra Streisand in the "comedy" All Night Long (1981.) Still another troubled production from this period, she was brought in to replace the fired Lisa Eichhorn, suddenly taking it from a Gene Hackman movie to a Barbra Streisand movie (though he retained top billing.) A more fruitful venture that year was working with Clyde co-star Beatty again in Reds.

The Superman movies paid the bills, allowing him to explore more "artistic" ventures, sometimes with more experimental directors such as Nicholas Roeg in Eureka (1983.)  Under Fire (183), shown above, took place in Nicaragua around the time of a revolution and is fondly recalled by many fans.

Hackman made the rah-rah action flick Uncommon Valor (1983) with Patrick Swayze and sensitive fare like Misunderstood (1984) with Henry Thomas, followed by Twice in a Lifetime (1985) with Ann-Margret and Ellen Burstyn. Also in 1985, he re-teamed with his Clyde director Arthur Penn for Target, alongside Matt Dillon.

On location in New Richmond, Indiana, Hackman was cast as an inspirational high school basketball coach for a team consisting of only seven players. He was miserable throughout the filming and not only predicted complete failure for the movie, but was disruptive on the set on many occasions.

To his complete surprise, the movie Hoosiers (1985) was a sleeper hit and went on to be regarded as a well-crafted, highly-beloved sports movie. It's often cited by various notable men, athletes or otherwise, as a favorite.

I've actually never seen it, but having looked the team over real good in this publicity pic, I think maybe I need to... Soon!

As the 1980s pressed on, he found himself in a wide variety of films. Seen here with newly-minted movie performers Sean Young and Kevin Costner, he played a potentially dangerous politician in Now Way Out (1987.) Other films included Bat*21, Split Decisions, and Woody Allen's Another Woman (all 1988.)

Also in 1988 was the searing period drama Mississipi Burning, with a young Willem Dafoe. He received another Oscar nomination for his work, though the award went to his old roomie Dustin Hoffman for Rain Man. Hackman was just plain busy, not unlike Michael Caine, where one movie might be fluff and the next a film with biting social commentary or other importance.

He could still obtain leading roles, as in 1989's The Package or, as seen above, Narrow Margin (1990) with Anne Archer. The train-set thrilled was a remake of The Narrow Margin (1952), though it under-performed at the box office. Other films of this period include Loose Cannons, an ill-fated comedy with Dan Ackroyd, and Postcards from the Edge (both 1990.) In 1991, he costarred in Class Action opposite Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Company Business, another huge flop with Mikhail Baryschnikov.

As the 1990s dawned, even his good films weren't setting the world on fire and his bad ones were rather dire. But in 1992, he was selected by Clint Eastwood, actor-turned-exemplary-director, for his latest western. This served as a reminder that Mr. Hackman remained a force to be reckoned with on screen.

For Unforgiven, Hackman won the Golden Globe, the BAFTA, the Oscar and a whole wagonload of other accolades from critics and others. And the movie won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Editing. He continued to perform, more often now in prominent studio fare such as The Firm (1993), Wyatt Earp (1994), Crimson Tide and Get Shorty (both 1995.)

Still willing to tackle the unusual, he costarred in 1996's The Birdcage, a flamboyant remake of La Cage aux Folles (1978), in which he appeared near the finale in full-on drag! (He sort of uncomfortably reminded us of some of the performers who are unearthed on things like a 50th anniversary tribute to Lawrence Welk or the like!) It was a rare comedy of his to obtain considerable box office success.

In 1996, he essayed one of his most loathsome roles, that of a bigoted murderer on death row in The Chamber. Young Chris O'Donnell was the star while Hackman's old Bonnie, Faye Dunaway, was on hand. Only this time, the eleven years older actor played her father! (It's okay, her face was only about ten at this time... Ha ha!)

Hackman had married in 1956 and had three children, though the married ended thirty years later. At that time, he began dating the pianist Betsy Arakawa. They wed in 1991 and were together till the end. He remained in demand in the late-1990s and into the millennium, working in movies like Absolute Power (1997), Twilight (1998), Under Suspicion (2000), The Mexican (2001), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and his final movie, Welcome to Mooseport in 2004. Stepping away from his career at that time, he eventually developed Alzheimer's disease and it was complications from that, and the circumstances he found himself in when his wife and caregiver died, that claimed him at age 95.

Having begun life with the disruptions of divorce, desertion and an aching need to be validated, Gene Hackman was lucky to be able to channel a lot of his internal pain into many vital vibrant performances. And though he was always in demand, he could be difficult if he felt it was warranted. Men tend to get away with this behavior more often than women (who merely get labeled as "crazy bitches!")

He was in no way a "beefcake" actor, so scenes featuring a lot of skin were not the norm. In Night Moves (1975), he could be seen in bed with Susan Clark or in Bite the Bullet that same year, he was spotted in a bathtub next to James Coburn. (And in Banning, he was seen with a high-waisted towel in a steam room.)

Both actors were wearing flesh-toned briefs in the aforementioned Bullet bathtub scene. So, in other words, there won't be one of my patented "The End!" send offs! But, considering everything, perhaps that's for the best. 

The place of importance he holds in The Underworld goes far beyond any of the shallow, surface aspects that have drawn us to countless Tabs, Clints, Vans and Guys over the years.

We salute the compelling and inherently thoughtful Mr. Hackman for the amazing body of work that he achieved (doubly notable in light of the fact that his first credited movie role came when he was already 34!) The accomplishments he made, and the vast array of considerable people who acted with him, are quite staggering overall. Telling, too, is the way many of his costars near their dawn of their own careers wanted to bring him in for projects once they'd made it themselves. And now he knows the answer to the question that Mrs. Rosen posed to Reverend Scott in Poseidon: "There's something different up there than there is from down here?"