Lex Luthor.
Popeye Doyle.
Royal Tenenbaum.
The list of memorable Gene Hackman roles is as long as your arm, but he's not acting anymore.
Why?
Watch to learn what he's up to now.
Gene Hackman was born Eugene Allen Hackman on January 30, 1930, in San Bernardino, California.
He was one of two boys born to Eugene Ezra Hackman and Anna Lyda Elizabeth.
His father worked as a newspaper printing press operator and was a strict disciplinarian,
according to the Independent.
Perhaps it was his father's profession that would lead him to seek a job in media later
on in life.
Sadly, Hackman's upbringing was less than stellar.
In his early teens, his family relocated a lot and eventually ended up in Danville, Illinois.
At that point, his father left the family and never returned, leaving Hackman and his
brother alone with their mother.
Adding to their trauma, Hackman's mother moved in with his grandmother, who wasn't fond of
him.
On top of all this, he dropped out of high school.
According to the book "Reaching Beyond Excellence" by Jim Mathis, Hackman was arrested and jailed
for stealing at 16 years old.
He also lied about his age to join the Marines and spent four years in service.
In that time, he finished high school and worked as a radio announcer, but an accident
forced him to be discharged in 1951.
Afterward, he returned home to Illinois and worked as a cameraman for his local news station.
Gene Hackman's time as a radio announcer in the armed forces inspired him to seek a career
in the field.
As a recipient of the G.I.
Bill, Hackman used the money to study journalism and television at the University of Illinois.
He wound up in New York shortly after and studied at the School of Radio Technique.
But Hackman's radio dreams got derailed when he discovered a new interest: performing arts.
He found his way to California and enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse — a famed acting
school.
While there, he met fellow actor Dustin Hoffman and they became lifelong friends, though they
weren't exactly the best pupils.
Apparently, as students, they were voted least likely to succeed.
Obviously, their respective careers would later prove otherwise.
For Hackman, it started when he returned to New York.
After working his way up, he got lucky and landed a gig on Broadway.
Hackman also found himself taking on small roles in several television series and it
paid off.
By 1964, he was finally cast in his first major film, "Lilith."
He continued acting in TV shows, but his big break was right around the corner.
In 1967, he starred alongside Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway in the film "Bonnie and Clyde."
Hackman played Buck Barrow, the brother of the infamous robber.
His portrayal earned him his first Academy Award nomination in 1968 for best actor in
a supporting role.
Unfortunately, he lost to George Kennedy, who won for his role as Dragline in the classic
"Cool Hand Luke".
Though Hackman didn't win the Oscar that year, it nonetheless brought him the spotlight he
needed to make it big in Hollywood.
He would go on to star in a variety of films, including "I Never Sang For My Father," for
which he earned his second nomination for best actor in a supporting role in 1971.
He was nominated for the third time in 1972, and finally won best actor for his role as
Popeye Doyle in the gritty cop drama "The French Connection."
It was a job that Hackman nearly didn't get, as he was apparently the seventh choice, according
to the Independent.
Still, the role solidified his acting credibility, and he became a big star.
In the 1970s alone, Hackman starred in 19 films.
The '80s proved no different, and some of his biggest and most notable roles came out
of that decade — such as Andersen in "Mississippi Burning" and Coach Dale in "Hoosiers."
"Thank you...Huddle up."
The '90s turned a new tide in his career.
Hackman won his second Oscar for best actor in a supporting role in 1992's "Unforgiven"
and voiced a character in an animated film — the 1998 DreamWorks movie "Antz."
One of his last major films was 2001's "The Royal Tenenbaums" — a movie for which he
won his third Golden Globe.
"What's wrong with you!?"
"Ethel!"
"Are you crazy!?"
"Ethel, baby...I am dying."
Gene Hackman acted in his last film in 2004.
After filming "Welcome to Mooseport," the actor vanished from the Hollywood big screen
and hasn't reappeared since.
That year he also released his second novel titled "Justice for None."
Many assumed he was probably taking time off to focus on being a novelist, but in 2008,
the then 78-year-old announced that he was officially retiring from acting.
In a conversation with Reuters, he explained that even though he was on a hiatus, it wasn't
set in stone because he was hoping a big opportunity might come up.
He said:
"I haven't held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I'm not going to act
any longer.
I've been told not to say that over the last few years, in case some real wonderful part
comes up, but I really don't want to do it any longer."
Hackman mostly emphasized that the business aspect of acting disinterested him and he
no longer had the energy to do it.
And per his doctor's orders, Hackman didn't need to excite his heart with any added stress,
as noted by Empire Magazine.
According to Newsweek, a photo of Gene Hackman went viral, and many people wondered what
the now 91-year-old has been up to in the last decade.
Even though he quit acting, Hackman has since made some appearances — mostly in documentaries
as a narrator.
Hackman has also been a guest on TV shows and specials.
The former actor lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife Betsy, to whom he's been married
since 1991.
According to Architectural Digest, the couple has been living in their southwestern-style
mansion for the last 30 years.
If one is looking for Hackman, they might find him pedaling around Santa Fe on his e-bike
— a hobby he's had for years, according to Men's Journal.
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