Gene Hackman, best known for his roles in films like The French Connection and Unforgiven, and of course as the first Lex Luthor to hit the silver screen in 1977’s Superman, has passed away at age 95.
No cause of death has been announced as of yet, but he was found in his Santa Fe, New Mexico home alongside his wife and dog, both of which had also passed away. In a statement released by the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office, the law enforcement agency said, “We do not believe foul play was a factor in their deaths, however, exact cause of death has not been determined at this time.”
Hackman was born on January 30, 1930, and grew up in San Bernardino before moving to Iowa. He lived there for only a year before leaving to join the Marines, lying about his age to get in at 16. There he served as a marine radio operator for four and a half years.
He began his pursuit of acting at age 26 in 1956 at the Pasadena Playhouse in California, where he met Dustin Hoffman and was voted Least Likely to Succeed alongside his new friend. Following his time there, Hackman took bit parts in movies and television, more than once encountering past authority figures from his life during this time who told him he would never make anything of himself in Hollywood.
He began to get real film roles in the 1970s, with the neo-noir thriller The French Connection. One of his most popular roles was that of Lex Luthor, in 1977’s Superman. The role showcased his previously untapped comedic potential, and he would reprise it in 1980’s Superman II and 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.
Hackman retired from acting in 2004, at age 74, and had only broken retirement to narrate a pair of documentaries about the US Marines.
During his career, which spanned six decades, Hackman won two Academy Awards and two BAFTA awards for his roles in The French Connection and Unforgiven. He also won three Golden Globes for both of those films, and for The Royal Tenenbaums. He was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2003, just before his retirement.
