Editing Gene Hackman (section)

===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>