The world has lost a legendary titan of the silver screen.
And while his Lex Luthor was largely comedic in SUPERMAN, Hackman expertly conveyed the supervillian’s unsettling danger.
I was probably 5 or 6 the first time I saw Gene Hackman in a movie.
[The great Leslie Nielsen played The Captain in arguably the best offering from the ’70s disaster flick era.
He also set the standard for comic book villians in future films.
And that’s no accident.
Hackman had a knack for choosing scripts that turned into successful movies, often thanks to his participation.
REDS (1981) received 12 Oscar noms, winning three.
The harrowing and still relevant as ever UNDER FIRE.
Crowd-favorite HOOSIERS gave us Hackman and Hopper playing off each other.
His Oscar-winning performance in the sublime UNFORGIVEN needs to be revisited soon.
And there are so many I could name.
But I’ll just do one more and it’s probably my favorite performance from him.
He then settled in New Mexico with his wife and was often spotted around town just being another citizen.
There was just something different about him that stood out on the silver screen.
Cuz ball don’t lie.
The evidence is easy to find.
A plethora of superb performances in highly successful films.
Five Oscar noms with two wins.
Heartfelt praise from peers and critics.
Sublime work over five decades.
And the adoration from movie fans all over planet Earth.
There was a singularity to Hackman.
There was also a certain je ne sais quoi that put him on his own plane among peers.
There will certainly never be another Gene Hackman.
I extend my deepest sympathies to his family and friends.
Thank you Gene, for making life a little bit better for millions of people through your stellar work.
