Editing Gene Hackman (section)

===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>