Two-time Oscar winner Jean Hackman has already moved across the country and has finally decided to return to Southern California, giving him the desire to give him the opportunity to be in the respected Pasadena playhouse.
It was a timely decision, leading to a lifelong friendship and a Hollywood career, spanning 50 years and included memorable roles in hits such as “French Connection,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Superman,” “Crimson Tide,” and “Relentless.”
Hackman’s days at the respected playhouse in San Gabriel Valley, east of Los Angeles, coincided with another young actor named Dustin Hoffman and formed lasting friendships. Legend has it that the two were voted “the least likely to succeed.”
In an interview with the Los Angeles Daily News in 2001, Hackman spoke about his leap into the world of acting, when his wife and dog were found dead at the age of 95 on Wednesday afternoon in his family’s New Mexico home.
“I’ve always wanted to be an actor, but when I was in high school I was too embarrassed to do anything about it,” Hackman said. “It was the first time Pasadena had the courage to actually get up on stage and see if I like it or not, if it was just a stupid idea.”
“It was the first time Pasadena had the courage to actually get up on stage and see if I like it or not, if it was just a stupid idea.”
Gene Hackman, The LA Daily News (2001)
Hackman’s role ranged from bad guys to comic maestros. Hackman, who joined the Marines at the age of 16 in 1988, told the Los Angeles Times: “If you’re in the way of your childhood, you’ll act to drive away it and point out who you are.
Hackman was born in San Bernardino and grew up in Danville, Illinois. His parents divorced when they were 13 years old.
After being discharged from the Marines in 1952, Hackman studied journalism at the University of Illinois before heading to Southern California after attempting to produce television in New York.
Hackman returned to New York in the late 1950s to continue his studies in acting.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department said Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found during a welfare check after a call from a neighbor.
“Foull plays are not suspected as a factor in these deaths at this time, but the exact cause of the death has not been determined,” the sheriff’s office shared in a statement.
Hackman has appeared in nearly 80 films over 40 years. His final role was in the 2004 political satire, “Welcome to Mooseport.”
In 1972 he won an Oscar for his role as Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in French ties. He won his second Oscar for his wole of little Bill Duggett in “Relentless” 20 years later.
He received two BAFTA awards out of five Academy Award nominations and five career nominations.
Hackman was nominated for eight Golden Globes and won three. In addition to this, he was awarded the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2003 for his “notable contribution to the world of entertainment.”
Star Trek actor George Takei posted on social media that “we lost one of the true giants of the screen.”
“Everyone could play Jean Hackman and you could feel the life behind it,” he wrote. “Everyone, anyone, he could become a towering presence and everyday Joe. That’s how powerful he was. He’s overlooked, but his work will live on forever.”
Valerie Perrine, who played Hackman’s on-screen girlfriend in the “Superman” film, said, “His performance is legendary. His talent is overlooked.
Hackman got married twice, married the first Faye Maltese in 30 years, and had three children. They divorced in 1986. He married Arakawa, a classic pianist from late 30 years in 1991. He was survived by a son and two daughters.
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