R.I.P.

Bad News, Entertainment

Like most people, I suspect, I was saddened to hear of the death of actor Gene Hackman a couple of days back.  I know he retired from acting well over a decade ago, but his career was so long, and featured such brilliant roles that he deserves to be in any pantheon of great actors. He might even be the best.

While his forte was dramatic roles, he showed an unexpected flair for comedic ones too, and some of his best performances were when he combined the two.

So my question for the day:  What are your 5 favorite Gene Hackman performances?  (list is here)

Mine:

  • The Conversation (Harry Caul)
  • Unforgiven (Sheriff “Little Bill” Dagett)
  • Mississippi Burning (FBI agent Anderson)
  • Get Shorty (Harry Zimm)
  • Target (Walter Lloyd) — by the way, a totally silly movie, but Hackman is beyond brilliant in it.

Honorable mentions (next five, any of which could have been in the top 5):  The French Connection (Popeye Doyle), Bonnie & Clyde (Buck Barrow) Under Suspicion (Henry Hearst), Hoosiers (Coach Dale) and The Royal Tenenbaums (Royal Tenenbaum).

Honestly, considering that Hackman’s career spanned sixty-odd years, I could have picked yet another five quite easily;  and it was absolute hell to pick only a Top 5.

I’ve seen pretty much all his movies, and I’m trying to think of a bad performance.  Can’t.  (Some of the movies stank — see Target, above — but that’s not his fault.)  I have several Hackman movies on DVD, and I think I’ll watch a couple tomorrow.

Random thought:  he had the worst hair of any actor, ever.  Yet he still turned in brilliant performances regardless.

R.I.P. Gene, and thanks for all of them.

For what it’s worth, John Nolte agrees with me, more or less.

12 comments

  1. We watched Runaway Jury last night. Horsepoop premise for the movie, but as usual, Hackman delivered a magnificently slimy portrayal. And how can Rachel Weitz look that good and be so libby?

      1. Do you mean Rachel Weisz?

        My spelling is bad sometimes too.

        Rachel Weisz Is a smoke show.

  2. Best 5 Gene Hackman movies in my opinion.
    He was a GREAT actor.

    YMMV

    5: The Quick and the Dead

    4: Get Shorty

    3: Superman 2 (1980. Lex Luther)

    2: The Firm (not a Tom Cruise fan but this is a great movie)

    1: Enemy of the State (VERY relevant movie for today’s day and age.)

  3. There may have been some bad Gene Hackman films, but never a bad Gene Hackman performance. He first came to my attention in my yoot, as the one standout in the entirely forgettable Superman movies

    1. Hoosiers
    2. Unforgiven
    3. French Connection
    4. Enemy of the State
    5. Royal Tennenbaum’s

    I dunno if the above are his greatest roles, they’re just some of my favorites.

  5. I think the first time I seen him was The Poseidon Adventure.
    Strike that, saw him in Bonnie and Clyde too, and French Connection….lol I’ve seen a lot of his flix now that I think about it.

  8. Additions to everything listed above:

    Colonel Rhodes in Uncommon Valor

    General Sosabowski in A Bridge Too Far. His “God Bless Field Marshall Montgomery” as he went out the jump door is a classic

    1. Damn, forgot about Sosaboswski. Loved the line, “This cannot possibly work”.

  9. Don’t forget The Package (1989). Though I confess it was the Chicago locations that really made it for me.

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