There are many people who believe that Gene Hackman is one of the greatest actors to come out of this era. He has appeared in countless films throughout his career, and his work is greatly admired by moviegoers and critics alike. Although he has made a significant impact on the entertainment industry, Hackman made the decision to to retire during the early 2000’s. What has this accomplished movie star done since then? Has Gene Hackman started acting again? In this article, I’m going to be discussing all of Gene Hackman’s career, while making sure to provide his fans with an update as to what he has been doing more recently.
Gene Hackman’s Early Life and Career
Although something like this might deter many people, Gene wasn’t like many people. He was inspired by this adversity, and he was even more determined to become an outstanding actor. Like many aspiring actors, he began with very small roles. He saw small roles in television shows like Route 66 before he acquired a more significant role in the 1964 film Lilith. Hackman probably saw his breakout role in 1967, when he played Buck Barrow in the movie Bonnie and Clyde. Bonnie and Clyde featured the likes of Faye Dunaway and Estelle Parsons, but Gene Hackman, surprisingly, was seen as one of the film’s standout stars. Hackman was highly praised for his convincing, emotive performance. He earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal, which served to legitimize and validate a lot of the hard work that he had been putting into his career in acting. He carried this momentum with him through to the 1970’s.
Gene Hackman as a Hollywood Star
Another one of Gene Hackman’s more iconic roles was in 1978’s Superman, where he played the role of Lex Luthor. The film, which also featured the likes of Marlon Brando and Christopher Reeve, was a smash hit financially, and it is arguably one of the main movies that popularized superhero films in Hollywood. During the early 1980’s, Gene Hackman appeared in many other movies, including All Night Long, Uncommon Valor, Target, No Way Out, Bat*21, Eureka, and Full Moon in Blue Water. In 1988, Hackman got his hands on another major role, in the movie Mississippi Burning. Although this movie received mixed critical reception, no one could deny that Gene’s performance in the flick was stellar. As a result, he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, as well as a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor. Just a few years later, he acquired another big role in the 1992 Clint Eastwood-directed film Unforgiven. This movie, which would go on to win Best Picture, was a massive hit. Some think of this as Gene’s best work, and it ended up earning him an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Away, a New York Film Critics Circle Award, a Boston Society of Film Critics Award, and more.
What’s Gene Hackman Doing Now in 2018 – Recent Updates
Impressively enough, Gene Hackman has remained completely true to his word, and he has not acted since that role in 2004. However, he hasn’t dropped off of the planet entirely. Since his retirement, he has released four novels, in 2004, 2008, 2011, and 2013. Aside from his 2013 novel, Pursuit, Hackman specializes almost exclusively in historical fiction. For instance, his 2004 novel Justice for None follows a World War I veteran. His 2011 novel Payback at Morning Peak is a work of Western fiction. Although Gene isn’t acting anymore, he has still had a couple of little roles in different productions. For instance, in 2016, he served as narrator for the 2016 TV movie documentary The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jima. As someone with a strong interest in history, it isn’t much of a surprise that Hackman would narrate for this Smithsonian Channel documentary. Although Gene Hackman isn’t winning major awards or making big bucks at the box office like he used to, he’s still offering a lot to the world as a whole.
It’s great to read about Gene Hackman. My only criticisms of your article:
(1) He’s only in one scene in “Young Frankenstein.”
(2) “…an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Away,…” Away?
you idiot. Grammar fkin