‘His presence was perpetual:’ A look at Hollywood icon Gene Hackman’s impact on cinema

Gene Hackman, the two-time Oscar-winning actor known for his iconic work in Hoosiers, The French Connection, Superman, and The Royal Tenenbaums among others, died at the age of 95. The legendary Hollywood actor was found dead alongside his wife and one of their dogs at the couple’s Santa Fe home, prompting an investigation.

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“How big of a deal was Gene Hackman in the movies, especially in the 70s?” Seattle’s Morning News host Charlie Harger asked.

“If we look at that period between through the 70s, the 80s into the 90s, Gene Hackman was right up there with Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman (and) Al Pacino in both the output and the variety of films that he made and the seriousness of a lot of them as well,” Syracuse University Professor of Pop Culture Robert Thompson answered. “He was involved and headed up some real masterpieces through that period.”

He had prominent roles in six films that were nominated for Best Picture. Hackman’s two Academy Awards wins came from the two films that also took home the top prize for best film, The French Connection (1971) and Unforgiven (1992). He was nominated for an Oscar three other times.

“Between ’71 and ’75, I think he was in 14 movies, which included important films like The French Connection and The Conversation,” Thompson said. “He threw in a little comic work in Young Frankenstein just for good measure. He did five films in ’88. Five films in 2001. If nothing else, his presence was perpetual, but then 2004 comes along, and he pretty much walks away.”

How will the Academy honor him on Oscar night?

Director Francis Ford Coppola, actor Viola Davis, director Paul Feig, and actor-director Clint Eastwood were among many who paid tribute to Hackman’s death, which is expected to be prominently featured when the Academy Awards ceremony is held March 2. The importance and value of the Academy Awards has fluctuated over the last two decades, but Thompson argues the ceremony is more important than ever.

“I think the Oscars are even more important than they were before, in that there are so many entertainment choices we have now, not only all the movies that come out, but all of this stuff, which is almost infinity, that comes out for streaming,” Thompson said. “When the Oscars come out, a lot of the movies that get nominated are really fine movies, and many of them are movies that most people have never seen or even heard of before. So the Oscars is always a big, long infomercial for all of the nominated films. We’ve seen some clips or some trailers, but I think the Oscars is more significant now in that it does bring people to films they might otherwise not have heard of, and many of those films are worth being brought to.”

Related on MyNorthwest: ‘Emilia Pérez’ leads Oscar nominations with 13, setting record for a non-English language film

To listen to the entire conversation on Hackman’s legacy and the Academy Awards at large, listen here:

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News”on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here.