Editing Gene Hackman (section)

==Career==
===1956–1969: Career beginnings===
{{quote box||align=left|width=25em|quote=Acting was something I wanted to do since I was 10 and saw my first movie, I was so captured by the action guys. [[Jimmy Cagney]] was my favorite. Without realizing it, I could see he had tremendous timing and vitality.|source=—Gene Hackman<ref name="Deseret News"/>}}
In 1956, Hackman began pursuing an acting career. He joined the [[Pasadena Playhouse]] in California,<ref name="Inside the Actors Studio"/> where he befriended another aspiring actor, [[Dustin Hoffman]].<ref name="Inside the Actors Studio"/> Already seen as outsiders by their classmates, Hackman and Hoffman were voted "the least likely to succeed",<ref name="Life and Work">{{cite book |last1=Shelley |first1=Peter |title=Gene Hackman: The Life and Work |date=2015 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9781476670478 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_tt8DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA7}}</ref>{{rp|p=7}}<ref name="Inside the Actors Studio"/> and Hackman got the lowest score the Pasadena Playhouse had yet given.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pasadena Playhouse, a Star Crucible, Reopens |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-05-08-8602020175-story.html |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |access-date=September 16, 2018 |first=Luaine |last=Lee |date=May 8, 1986 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116130112/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-05-08-8602020175-story.html |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Determined to prove them wrong, Hackman moved to New York City. A 2004 article in ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' described Hackman, Hoffman, and [[Robert Duvall]] as struggling California-born actors and close friends, sharing New York apartments in various two-person combinations in the 1960s.<ref>{{cite web |work=[[Xfinity]] |title=Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman |access-date=December 31, 2011 |url=http://xfinity.comcast.net:80/slideshow/entertainment-celebroommates/10/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110416054245/http://xfinity.comcast.net/slideshow/entertainment-celebroommates/10/ |archive-date=April 16, 2011 |publisher=[[Comcast]] |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Robert Duvall, Hollywood's No. 1 Second Lead, Breaks for Starlight |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20067777,00.html |first=Laura |last=Stevenson |magazine=[[People (American magazine)|People]] |access-date=December 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104213721/http://www.people.com/people/article/0%2C%2C20067777%2C00.html |archive-date=November 4, 2013 |date=September 5, 1977}}</ref>

To support himself between acting jobs, Hackman was working at a [[Howard Johnson's]] restaurant<ref name="Meryman">{{cite journal |title=Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, and Robert Duvall: Three Friends who Went from Rags to Riches |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2004/03/gene-hackman-dustin-hoffman-hollywood |journal=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |access-date=September 16, 2018 |first=Richard |last=Meryman |date=March 2004 |publisher=[[Condé Nast]] |archive-date=September 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916130202/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2004/03/gene-hackman-dustin-hoffman-hollywood |url-status=live}}</ref> when he encountered an instructor from the Pasadena Playhouse, who said that his job proved that Hackman "wouldn't amount to anything."<ref>{{cite journal |title=Vintage Movies: 'The French Connection' |url=http://magnetmagazine.com/2013/08/07/vintage-movies-the-french-connection/ |journal=[[Magnet (magazine)|Magnet]] |access-date=September 16, 2018 |date=August 7, 2013}}</ref> A Marine officer who saw him as a doorman said, "Hackman, you're a sorry son of a bitch." Rejection motivated Hackman, who said:
{{blockquote|It was more psychological warfare, because I wasn't going to let those fuckers get me down. I insisted with myself that I would continue to do whatever it took to get a job. It was like me against them, and in some way, unfortunately, I still feel that way. But I think if you're really interested in acting there is a part of you that relishes the struggle. It's a narcotic in the way that you are trained to do this work and nobody will let you do it, so you're a little bit nuts. You lie to people, you cheat, you do whatever it takes to get an audition, get a job.{{r|Meryman}}}}

Hackman began performing in several [[Off-Broadway]] plays, starting with ''Witness for the Prosecution'' in 1957 at the Gateway Playhouse in [[Bellport, New York]], and including ''Come to the Palace of Sin'' in 1963.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities/gene-hackman-gateway-playhouse-ke88tbkc | title=Gene Hackman's Long Island connection: He started acting at Bellport's Gateway Playhouse | date=February 28, 2025 }}</ref> He got various bit roles, for example, in the film ''[[Mad Dog Coll (1961 film)|Mad Dog Coll]]'' and on multiple television series: ''[[Tallahassee 7000]]'', ''[[The United States Steel Hour]]'', ''[[Route 66 (TV series)|Route 66]]'', ''[[Naked City (TV series)|Naked City]]'', ''[[The Defenders (1961 TV series)|The Defenders]]'', ''[[The DuPont Show of the Week]]'', ''[[East Side/West Side]]'', and ''[[Brenner (TV series)|Brenner]]''.<ref name="Roots"/>  In 1963, he made his [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] debut in ''Children From Their Games'', which had only a short run, as did ''A Rainy Day in Newark''. However, ''[[Any Wednesday (play)|Any Wednesday]]'' with actress [[Sandy Dennis]] was a huge Broadway success in 1964.<ref name="Hall"/> This opened the door to film work. His first credited role was in ''[[Lilith (film)|Lilith]]'', with [[Jean Seberg]] and [[Warren Beatty]] in the leading roles.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.filmcomment.com/article/interview-gene-hackman/|title=Interview: Gene Hackman|website=Film Comment|first= Beverly|last=Walker|date= November–December 1988|access-date=February 27, 2025}}</ref>

[[File:Bonnie and Clyde (1967 cast photo).jpg|thumb|Hackman (left) with the cast of ''[[Bonnie and Clyde (film)|Bonnie and Clyde]]'' in 1967]]
Hackman returned to Broadway in ''Poor Richard'' (1964–65) by [[Jean Kerr]], which ran for over a hundred performances.<ref name="Hall"/> He continued to do television – ''[[The Trials of O'Brien]]'', ''[[Hawk (TV series)|Hawk]]'', and ''[[The F.B.I. (TV series)|The F.B.I.]]'' – and had a small part as Dr. John Whipple in the epic film ''[[Hawaii (1966 film)|Hawaii]].'' He had small roles in features like ''[[First to Fight (film)|First to Fight]]'' (1967), ''[[A Covenant with Death]]'' (1967), and ''[[Banning (film)|Banning]]'' (1967). Hackman was originally cast as Mr. Robinson in the 1967 [[Mike Nichols]] independent romantic comedy film ''[[The Graduate]]'', but Nichols fired him three weeks into rehearsal for being "too young" for the role; he was replaced by [[Murray Hamilton]].<ref>{{cite magazine | title=The Making of 'The Graduate' | magazine=Vanity Fair | date=February 25, 2008 | url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/03/graduate200803 | access-date=August 21, 2023 | archive-date=January 18, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118045634/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/03/graduate200803 | url-status=live}}</ref> Also in 1967, he appeared in an episode of the television series ''[[The Invaders]]'' entitled "[[The Invaders#Season 2 (1967–68)|The Spores]]" and as [[Buck Barrow]] in [[1967 in film|1967]]'s biographical crime drama ''[[Bonnie and Clyde (film)|Bonnie and Clyde]]'',<ref name="Inside the Actors Studio"/> which earned him an [[Academy Award]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The 40th Academy Awards |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1968 |access-date=February 27, 2025 |website=oscars.org |date=October 4, 2014 |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences]] |archive-date=August 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819135057/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1968 |url-status=live}}</ref>

A return to Broadway that same year, ''The Natural Look'', ran for just one performance. Additionally, he performed Off-Broadway in ''Fragments and The Basement''. Hackman was in episodes of ''[[Iron Horse (TV series)|Iron Horse]]'' ("Leopards Try, But Leopards Can't") and ''[[Insight (American TV series)|Insight]]'' ("Confrontation"). In 1968, he appeared in an episode of ''[[I Spy (1965 TV series)|I Spy]]'', in the role of "Hunter", in the episode "Happy Birthday... Everybody". That same year, he starred in the ''[[CBS Playhouse]]'' episode "[[My Father and My Mother]]" and the dystopian television film ''[[Shadow on the Land]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kW8j6sHvrewC&pg=PA500 |title=Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors |last=Roberts |first=Jerry |publisher=[[Scarecrow Press]] |page=500 |isbn=9780810863781 |year=2009 |access-date=February 3, 2017 |via=Google Books}}</ref> In 1969, he played a ski coach in ''[[Downhill Racer]]'' and an astronaut in ''[[Marooned (1969 film)|Marooned]]''. Also that year, he played a member of a barnstorming skydiving team that entertained mostly at county fairs, a film which also inspired many to pursue [[skydiving]] and has a cult-like status amongst skydivers as a result: ''[[The Gypsy Moths]]''. Hackman supported [[Jim Brown]] in two films, ''[[The Split (film)|The Split]]'' (1968) and ''[[Riot (1969 film)|Riot]]'' (1969). Hackman nearly accepted the role of [[List of The Brady Bunch characters#Mike Brady|Mike Brady]] for the TV series ''[[The Brady Bunch]]'',<ref>{{cite web |title=You'll never watch 'The Brady Bunch' the same way again after reading these 12 facts |url=https://www.metv.com/lists/youll-never-watch-the-brady-bunch-the-same-way-again-after-reading-these-12-facts |work=[[Me TV]] |access-date=September 16, 2018 |date=June 9, 2016}}</ref> but his agent advised that he decline it in exchange for a more promising role, which he did, but this story is said to have been exaggerated.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/books/2019/12/02/brady-bunch-mike-casting-robert-reed-book-excerpt/|title=How Robert Reed came to play 'The Brady Bunch' dad Mike (and who almost got the job instead)|website=EW.com|access-date=February 27, 2025|archive-date=May 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524162926/https://ew.com/books/2019/12/02/brady-bunch-mike-casting-robert-reed-book-excerpt/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===1970–1979: Breakthrough and stardom===
[[File:Actors on the set of The Poseidon Adventure celebrating their Oscar wins.jpg|thumb|left|Hackman (4th from the left) while celebrating the [[Academy Awards]] with cast members of ''[[The Poseidon Adventure (1972 film)|The Poseidon Adventure]]'' in 1972]]
Hackman was nominated for a second Oscar for an [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]] for his role in the drama film ''[[I Never Sang for My Father]]'' (1970), directed by [[Gilbert Cates]]. Hackman acted opposite [[Melvyn Douglas]], where they played father and son who are unable to communicate. [[Roger Ebert]] wrote of his performance, "Much of the film is just between the two of them and the characters seem to work so well because Douglas and Hackman respond to each other in every shot; the effect is not of acting, but as if the story were happening right now while we see it."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/i-never-sang-for-my-father-1970|title= I Never Sang for My Father review|website= Rogerebert.com|accessdate= March 9, 2025|archive-date= December 27, 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201227031302/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/i-never-sang-for-my-father-1970|url-status= live}}</ref> He starred in the drama ''[[Doctors' Wives (1971 film)|Doctors' Wives]]'' (1971) and the western film ''[[The Hunting Party (1971 film)|The Hunting Party]]'' (1971). He won his first [[Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] for his performance as [[New York City Police]] Detective [[Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle]] in the crime drama ''[[The French Connection (film)|The French Connection]]'' (1971), directed by [[William Friedkin]]. This film marked his graduation to stardom.<ref name="Inside the Actors Studio"/> Robert B. Frederick of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' praised the performances of Hackman and [[Roy Scheider]], writing, "They are very believable as two hard-nosed narcotics officers" who are also "overworked, tired and mean".<ref>{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/1971/film/reviews/the-french-connection-2-1200422615/|title= The French Connection review|website= Variety|date= October 6, 1971|accessdate= March 9, 2025|archive-date= June 9, 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210609040738/https://variety.com/1971/film/reviews/the-french-connection-2-1200422615/|url-status= live}}</ref>

After ''The French Connection'', Hackman starred in ten films (not including his cameo as a blind man in the [[Mel Brooks]]-directed satirical horror comedy film ''[[Young Frankenstein]]'' in 1974) over the next three years, making him the most prolific actor in [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] during that time frame. He followed ''The French Connection'' with leading roles in the drama ''[[Cisco Pike]]'' (1972), the action crime thriller ''[[Prime Cut]]'' (1972), and the disaster film ''[[The Poseidon Adventure (1972 film)|The Poseidon Adventure]]'' (1972). He also starred in the road comedy-drama ''[[Scarecrow (1973 film)|Scarecrow]]'' (1973) alongside [[Al Pacino]], which was Hackman's favorite role of his career and won the [[Palme d'Or]] at the [[Cannes Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Modest 'Scarecrow' Preps Fresh Field at Gotham|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/news/modest-scarecrow-preps-fresh-field-in-gotham-1200480535/|first=Peter |last=Debruge |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=December 31, 2024 |date=May 14, 2013}}</ref> The following year, he starred as a surveillance expert in the [[neo-noir]] [[mystery film|mystery thriller]] ''[[The Conversation]]'' (1974), directed by [[Francis Ford Coppola]], which was nominated for several Oscars and also won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes.<ref name="Inside the Actors Studio"/> That same year, Hackman appeared in what would become one of his most famous comedic roles, as Harold the Blind Man in ''Young Frankenstein''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Weekend Top 10|url=http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2018-08-03/weekend-top-10-aug-3-2018.html|website=Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette|date=August 3, 2018|access-date=September 16, 2018|archive-date=September 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916055938/http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2018-08-03/weekend-top-10-aug-3-2018.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Hackman also appeared in the western ''[[Zandy's Bride]]'' (1974) and the neo-noir film ''[[Night Moves (1975 film)|Night Moves]]'' (1975) for director [[Arthur Penn]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Zandy's Bride: Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zandys_bride/cast-and-crew|access-date=February 27, 2025|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Night Moves: Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/night_moves/cast-and-crew|access-date=February 27, 2025|website=Rotten Tomatoes |archive-date=February 27, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227201125/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/night_moves/cast-and-crew|url-status=live}}</ref>

Hackman played one of [[Teddy Roosevelt]]'s former [[Rough Riders]] in the Western horse-race saga ''[[Bite the Bullet (film)|Bite the Bullet]]'' (1975).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bite the Bullet: Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bite_the_bullet/cast-and-crew|access-date=February 27, 2025|website=Rotten Tomatoes|archive-date=February 28, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250228015958/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bite_the_bullet/cast-and-crew|url-status=live}}</ref> He reprised his Oscar-winning role as Doyle in the sequel ''[[French Connection II]]'' (1975), for which he was nominated for the [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role]] and the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama]]. He co-starred with [[Burt Reynolds]] and [[Liza Minnelli]] in the musical ''[[Lucky Lady]]'' (1975), directed by [[Stanley Donen]], a notorious flop. After making the neo-noir thriller ''[[The Domino Principle]]'' (1977) for [[Stanley Kramer]], Hackman was part of an all-star cast in the war film ''[[A Bridge Too Far (film)|A Bridge Too Far]]'' (1977), playing Polish General [[Stanisław Sosabowski]], and was an officer in the [[French Foreign Legion]] in ''[[March or Die (film)|March or Die]]'' (1977).<ref>{{Cite web|title=March or Die: Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/march_or_die/cast-and-crew|access-date=February 27, 2025|website=Rotten Tomatoes |archive-date=February 27, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227205105/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/march_or_die/cast-and-crew|url-status=live}}</ref> Hackman showed a talent for both comedy and the "slow burn" as criminal mastermind [[Lex Luthor]] opposite [[Christopher Reeve]] in the leading role in the superhero film ''[[Superman: The Movie]]'' (1978).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Superman: The Movie: Full Cast & Crew|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/superman_the_movie/cast-and-crew |access-date=February 27, 2025|website=Rotten Tomatoes|archive-date=February 27, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227232303/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/superman_the_movie/cast-and-crew|url-status=live}}</ref> Ron Pennington of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' wrote of his performance, "Hackman plays Lex Luthor, 'the greatest criminal mind of our time,' with an effective light touch, making him humorous but not out-and-out comical."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/superman-1978-review-1235059378/|title= 'Superman': THR's 1978 Review|website= [[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date= December 10, 2021|accessdate= March 9, 2025|archive-date= January 21, 2025|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20250121140509/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/superman-1978-review-1235059378/|url-status= live}}</ref> He reprised the role for two of its sequels, ''[[Superman II]]'' (1980) and ''[[Superman IV: The Quest for Peace]]'' (1987).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Superman II: Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/superman_ii/cast-and-crew|access-date=February 27, 2025|website=Rotten Tomatoes |archive-date=February 27, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227200249/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/superman_ii/cast-and-crew |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Superman IV: The Quest for Peace: Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/superman_iv_the_quest_for_peace/cast-and-crew|access-date=February 27, 2025 |website= Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref>

===1980–1999: Established career and acclaim===
{{Quote box||align=right|width=25em|quote=Gene is someone who is a very intuitive and instinctive actor&nbsp;... The brilliance of Gene Hackman is that he can look at a scene and he can cut through to what is necessary, and he does it with extraordinary economy – he's the quintessential movie actor. He's never showy ''ever'', but he's always right on.|source=—[[Alan Parker]]<br />director of ''Mississippi Burning'' (1988)<ref>Gonthier, David F. and O'Brien, Timothy M. ''The Films of Alan Parker, 1976–2003'', McFarland (2015) p. 167</ref>}}

Hackman alternated between leading and supporting roles during the 1980s. He appeared opposite [[Barbra Streisand]] in ''[[All Night Long (1981 film)|All Night Long]]'' (1981) and supported Warren Beatty in ''[[Reds (film)|Reds]]'' (1981). He played the lead in ''[[Eureka (1983 film)|Eureka]]'' (1983) and a supporting role in ''[[Under Fire (1983 film)|Under Fire]]'' (1983). Hackman provided the voice of God in ''[[Two of a Kind (1983 film)|Two of a Kind]]'' (1983) and starred in ''[[Uncommon Valor]]'' (1983), ''[[Misunderstood (1984 film)|Misunderstood]]'' (1984), ''[[Twice in a Lifetime (1985 film)|Twice in a Lifetime]]'' (1985), ''[[Target (1985 film)|Target]]'' (1985) for Arthur Penn, and ''[[Power (1986 film)|Power]]'' (1986). Between 1985 and 1988, he starred in nine films, making him the busiest actor, alongside [[Steve Guttenberg]].<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=October 5, 1988|page=1|last=Cohn|first=Lawrence|title=Acting Jobs Steadiest Since Studio Era}}</ref> Hackman played a high school basketball coach in ''[[Hoosiers (film)|Hoosiers]]'' (1986), which a 2008 [[American Film Institute]] poll named the fourth-greatest sports film of all time.<ref>{{cite web |title=MAFFEI: 'Hoosiers' still a classic after 25 years |url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-maffei-hoosiers-still-a-classic-after-25-years-2011feb17-story.html |work=San Diego Union Tribune |date=February 18, 2011 |access-date=August 17, 2018 |archive-date=August 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818052147/http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-maffei-hoosiers-still-a-classic-after-25-years-2011feb17-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref> After ''[[Superman IV: The Quest for Peace]]'' (1987), he also voiced [[Nuclear Man]] (who was portrayed by Mark Pillow) and was in ''[[No Way Out (1987 film)|No Way Out]]'' (1987), ''[[Split Decisions]]'' (1988), ''[[Bat*21]]'' (1988), and ''[[Full Moon in Blue Water]]'' (1988).

Hackman acted opposite [[Gena Rowlands]] in the [[Woody Allen]] drama ''[[Another Woman (1988 film)|Another Woman]]'' (1988).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Another Woman: Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/another_woman/cast-and-crew |access-date=February 27, 2025 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |archive-date=February 27, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227201504/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/another_woman/cast-and-crew |url-status=live}}</ref> Hackman starred in the [[Alan Parker]]-directed crime drama ''[[Mississippi Burning]]'' (1988), costarring [[Willem Dafoe]], where they portrayed [[FBI agents]] investigating the murder of a [[civil rights leader]]. He earned acclaim for the role, with [[Roger Ebert]] praising his performance for his subtlety.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mississippi-burning-1988|title= Mississippi Burning review|website= Rogerebert.com|access-date= February 28, 2025|archive-date= April 21, 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160421132742/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mississippi-burning-1988|url-status= live}}</ref> He was nominated for a second [[Academy Award for Best Actor]], losing to [[Dustin Hoffman]] for ''[[Rain Man]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=1989 Oscars |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1989 |website=Oscars |date=October 5, 2014 |access-date=August 17, 2018 |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706095646/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1989 |url-status=live}}</ref> After this he appeared in ''[[The Package (1989 film)|The Package]]'' (1989).<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Package: Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/package/cast-and-crew |access-date=February 27, 2025 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |archive-date=February 27, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227215301/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/package/cast-and-crew |url-status=live}}</ref> Hackman starred in ''[[Loose Cannons (1990 film)|Loose Cannons]]'' (1990) with [[Dan Aykroyd]], and he had a supporting role in ''[[Postcards from the Edge]]'' (1990). He appeared with [[Anne Archer]] in ''[[Narrow Margin]]'' (1990), a remake of the 1952 film ''[[The Narrow Margin]]''. After ''[[Class Action (film)|Class Action]]'' (1991) and ''[[Company Business]]'' (1991), Hackman played the sadistic sheriff "Little Bill" Daggett in the [[Western (genre)|Western]] ''[[Unforgiven]]'', directed by [[Clint Eastwood]] and written by [[David Webb Peoples]]. Hackman had pledged to avoid violent roles, but Eastwood convinced him to take the part, which earned him a second Oscar, this time for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]. The film also won [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]].<ref name="Inside the Actors Studio"/>

Hackman returned to [[Broadway (theater)|Broadway]], starring in the 1992 [[Ariel Dorfman]] play ''[[Death and the Maiden (play)|Death and the Maiden]]'', acting opposite [[Glenn Close]] and [[Richard Dreyfus]] at the [[Brooks Atkinson Theater]].<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url= https://playbill.com/production/death-and-the-maiden-brooks-atkinson-theatre-vault-0000008008|title= Death and the Maiden (1992, Broadway)|website= Playbill|access-date= February 28, 2025|archive-date= March 3, 2025|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20250303191120/https://playbill.com/production/death-and-the-maiden-brooks-atkinson-theatre-vault-0000008008|url-status= live}}</ref> In 1993, he appeared in ''[[Geronimo: An American Legend]]'' as Brigadier General [[George Crook]] and co-starred with [[Tom Cruise]] as a corrupt lawyer in ''[[The Firm (1993 film)|The Firm]]'', a legal thriller based on the [[The Firm (novel)|John Grisham novel of the same name]]. Hackman would appear in two other films based on [[John Grisham]] novels, playing Sam Cayhall, a [[Klansman]] on [[death row]], in ''[[The Chamber (1996 film)|The Chamber]]'' (1996), and jury consultant Rankin Fitch in ''[[Runaway Jury]]'' (2003). Other films Hackman appeared in during the 1990s include ''[[Wyatt Earp (film)|Wyatt Earp]]'' (1994) (as Nicholas Porter Earp, ''[[Wyatt Earp]]''{{'}}s father), ''[[The Quick and the Dead (1995 film)|The Quick and the Dead]]'' (1995) opposite [[Sharon Stone]], [[Leonardo DiCaprio]], and [[Russell Crowe]], and as submarine Captain Frank Ramsey alongside [[Denzel Washington]] in ''[[Crimson Tide (film)|Crimson Tide]]'' (1995).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Crimson Tide: Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/crimson_tide/cast-and-crew |access-date=February 27, 2025 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |archive-date=February 27, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227221532/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/crimson_tide/cast-and-crew |url-status=live}}</ref>

Hackman played film producer Harry Zimm alongside [[John Travolta]] in the comedy-drama ''[[Get Shorty (film)|Get Shorty]]'' (1995). In 1996, he took a comedic turn as conservative Senator Kevin Keeley in ''[[The Birdcage]]'' with [[Robin Williams]] and [[Nathan Lane]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Birdcage at 20 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/birdcage-20-20-film-article-1.2581258 |website=[[New York Daily News]] |access-date=August 17, 2018}}</ref> He co-starred with [[Hugh Grant]] in ''[[Extreme Measures]]'' (1996) and reunited with Clint Eastwood in ''[[Absolute Power (film)|Absolute Power]]'' (1997). Hackman did ''[[Twilight (1998 film)|Twilight]]'' (1998) with Paul Newman for director [[Robert Benton]], voiced the villain in the [[DreamWorks Animation|DreamWorks]]' animated film ''[[Antz]]'' (1998), and co-starred with [[Will Smith]] in ''[[Enemy of the State (film)|Enemy of the State]]'' (1998), his character reminiscent of the one he had portrayed in ''The Conversation''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Enemy of the State: Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/enemy_of_the_state/cast-and-crew |access-date=February 27, 2025 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |archive-date=February 27, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227212344/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/enemy_of_the_state/cast-and-crew |url-status=live}}</ref>

===2000–2004: Final films and retirement===
[[File:GeneHackmanJun08.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|Hackman in 2008]]
Hackman co-starred with [[Morgan Freeman]] in ''[[Under Suspicion (2000 film)|Under Suspicion]]'' (2000), [[Keanu Reeves]] in ''[[The Replacements (film)|The Replacements]]'' (2000), [[Owen Wilson]] in ''[[Behind Enemy Lines (2001 film)|Behind Enemy Lines]]'' (2001), and [[Sigourney Weaver]] in ''[[Heartbreakers (2001 film)|Heartbreakers]]'' (2001) and appeared in the [[David Mamet]] crime thriller ''[[Heist (2001 film)|Heist]]'' (2001)<ref>{{cite news |title=Film Review; Forget the Girl and Gold; Look for the Chemistry |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/09/movies/film-review-forget-the-girl-and-gold-look-for-the-chemistry.html |website=The New York Times |date=November 9, 2001 |access-date=September 16, 2018 |last1=Scott |first1=A. O. |archive-date=September 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916055958/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/09/movies/film-review-forget-the-girl-and-gold-look-for-the-chemistry.html |url-status=live}}</ref> as an aging professional thief of considerable skill who is forced into one final job. He made a cameo in ''[[The Mexican]]'' (2001).<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Mexican movie review & film summary (2001) {{!}} Roger Ebert |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-mexican-2001 |access-date=February 27, 2025 |website=www.rogerebert.com |language=en-US |archive-date=June 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608001116/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-mexican-2001 |url-status=live}}</ref> Hackman gained much critical acclaim<ref>{{Cite news |last=Larman |first=Alexander |date=November 16, 2021 |title=Gene Hackman's one-man war on The Royal Tenenbaums |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/gene-hackmans-one-man-war-royal-tenenbaums/ |access-date=February 27, 2025 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235 |archive-date=August 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240804141714/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/gene-hackmans-one-man-war-royal-tenenbaums/ |url-status=live}}</ref> playing against type as the head of an eccentric family in [[Wes Anderson]]'s comedy film ''[[The Royal Tenenbaums]]'' (2001). Frank Scheck of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' wrote, "Hackman is utter perfection as the misbegotten paterfamilias, conveying beautifully Royal's underlying decency and love for his family as well as his con-man slickness."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/royal-tenenbaums-2001-review-935292/|title= 'The Royal Tenenbaums': THR's 2001 Review|website= [[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date= October 5, 2016|access-date= February 28, 2024}}</ref> For his performance, he received the [[Golden Globe Award]] for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy|Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Gene Hackman – Golden Globes |url=https://goldenglobes.com/person/gene-hackman/ |website=Golden Globes |access-date=February 28, 2025 |archive-date=January 8, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250108123514/https://goldenglobes.com/person/gene-hackman/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2003, he also starred in another John Grisham legal drama, ''[[Runaway Jury]]'', at long last getting to make a picture with his long-time friend [[Dustin Hoffman]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Edelstein |first1=David |title='Who are you calling a star?': Gene Hackman interviewed at home in Santa Fe |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/jan/27/1 |access-date=February 28, 2025 |work=The Guardian |date=January 27, 2002 |archive-date=August 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801034256/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/jan/27/1 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cameron Diaz and other celebs who have retired from stage and screen |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/movies/2018/04/04/cameron-diaz-and-other-celebs-who-have-retired/480732002/ |website=AZ Central |access-date=August 18, 2018 |archive-date=May 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512104624/https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/movies/2018/04/04/cameron-diaz-and-other-celebs-who-have-retired/480732002/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2004, Hackman appeared alongside [[Ray Romano]] in the comedy ''[[Welcome to Mooseport]]'', his final film acting role.<ref name="Roots" /> Hackman was honored with the [[Cecil B. DeMille Award]] from the [[Golden Globe Awards]] for his "outstanding contribution to the entertainment field" in 2003. [[Michael Caine]] and [[Robin Williams]] presented him with the award.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2002_Nov_14/ai_94221542 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709200148/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2002_Nov_14/ai_94221542 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 9, 2012 | title = Business Wire, November 14, 2002. Hollywood. 'Gene Hackman to Receive HFPA'S Cecil B. DeMille Award At 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards to be Telecast Live on NBC on Sunday, January 19, 2003' |publisher=Findarticles.com |date= November 14, 2002|access-date=June 17, 2010}}</ref>

In July 2004, Hackman gave a rare interview to [[Larry King]], where he announced that he had no future film projects lined up and believed his acting career was over.<ref>{{cite web |title=CNN.com Transcripts |url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2004-07-07/segment/01 |website=CNN.com |access-date=February 28, 2025 |archive-date=February 28, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250228013928/https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2004-07-07/segment/01 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2008, while promoting his third novel, he confirmed that he had retired from acting.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://in.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idINN0429553020080605|title=Just a Minute With: Gene Hackman on his retirement|author=Blair, Iain|work=[[Reuters]]|date=June 5, 2008|access-date=July 19, 2008|archive-date=April 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413115115/http://in.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idINN0429553020080605|url-status=dead}}</ref> That year, Hackman made his last televised appearance in ''[[Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives]]'', as [[Guy Fieri]] went to a Santa Fe diner where Hackman was eating.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/gene-hackman-diners-drive-ins-and-dives-guy-fieri/|title=Gene Hackman's Last On-Screen Appearance Was... Opposite Guy Fieri?!?!|author=Cox, Danny |website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |date=October 7, 2023|access-date=October 13, 2023}}</ref> Speaking on his retirement in 2009, Hackman said, "The straw that broke the camel's back was actually a stress test that I took in New York. The doctor advised me that my heart wasn't in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/why-did-gene-hackman-quit-acting/#:~:text=In+a+rare+moment+of,putting+it+under+any+stress%E2%80%9D.|title=Why did Gene Hackman quit acting?|date=February 8, 2024|website=faroutmagazine.co.uk|access-date=February 27, 2025|archive-date=November 23, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241123034931/https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/why-did-gene-hackman-quit-acting/#:~:text=In+a+rare+moment+of,putting+it+under+any+stress%E2%80%9D.|url-status=live}}</ref> When asked during a ''[[GQ]]'' magazine interview in 2011 if he would ever come out of retirement to do one more film, he said he might consider it "if I could do it in my own house, maybe, without them disturbing anything and just one or two people."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.gq.com/story/gene-hackman-gq-june-2011-interview|title=Eighty-one Years. Seventy-nine Movies. Two Oscars. Not One Bad Performance.|first=Michael|last=Hainey|agency=GQ|date=June 1, 2011|access-date=February 25, 2017|archive-date=February 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218191424/http://www.gq.com/story/gene-hackman-gq-june-2011-interview|url-status=live}}</ref>