Oscar winning actor Gene Hackman was found dead at the age of 95 along with his wife, veteran actor Betsy Arakawa, at their home in New Mexico’s Santa Fe on Thursday. In a career that spanned four decades, Hackman received two Academy Awards, two British Academy Films Awards, and four Golden Globes. Depending on the generation one belongs to, your favourite roles played by him could be from any of the following: Bonnie and Clyde (1967), The French Connection (1971), Unforgiven (1992), Superman (1978 on wards), No Way Out (1987), The Quick and the Dead (1995) and so many more.

Hackman won Best Actor for his role as Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle in the action thriller The French Connection (1971), Best Supporting Actor for playing the evil Sheriff in Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven (1992), and was Oscar-nominated for his roles in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), I Never Sang for My Father (1970), and Mississippi Burning (1988).

Hackman in Clint Eastwood's The Unforgiven (1992)

Eugene Allen Hackman was born in San Bernardino, California, United States, and served four and a half years in the US Marine Corps, stationed in China, Hawai and Japan till his discharge in 1951. Hackman’s mother died in 1962 due to a fire that was caused while she was smoking. He started pursuing a journalism course, but left it id way, going on to pursue acting. He joined the Pasadena Playhouse in California, a historic performing arts venue, where he became friends with another actor, Dustin Hoffman, where, ironically, both of them voted ‘The least likely to succeed.’

Starting off with bit roles in films and TV series, he was also very active in the theatre scene, with his breakthrough role coming I Never Sang for My Father, and then came The French Connection, paving his way to stardom, with him being part of several memorable films such as The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Scarecrow (1973) and The Conversation (1974). But the current Marvel and DC obsessed generation would be interested to note that he played supervillain Lex Luthor in Superman: The Movie (1978) which starred Christopher Reeve as the superhero, and reprised his role in two of its sequels in 1980 and 1987. Luthor is characteristically bald, however, Hackman refused to go bald for the role, instead wearing various wigs and hairstyles, and only sporting a bald look for one scene.

In the thriller No Way Out (1987), starring Kevin Costner, he played the Secretary of Defense, who tries to cover up the accidental killing of his mistress. In the crime thriller Mississippi Burning (1988), loosely based on a 1964 murder investigation where he plays an FBI agent investigating the disappearance of civil rights workers. Another thriller which is a must watch is The Firm, where he co-starred with Tom Cruise, a legal thriller based on the John Grisham novel of the same name.

With Sharon Stone in The Quick And The Dead (1995)

Apart from The Superman series, his predominant presence as a villain can be seen most strikingly in Unforgiven and also The Quick And The Dead, which also starred Sharon Stone, Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. Hackman also played some memorable roles in comedy movies such as the John Travolta starrer Shorty (1995), The Birdcage (1996) with Robin Williams and his role as Harold the Blind Man in Young Frankenstein (1974).

In 2004, Hackman had given an interview to Larry King, announcing that he had no film projects coming up and in 2008 while promoting his third book, confirmed his retirement from acting. He had written three historical fiction novels along with archaeologist Daniel Lenihan- Wake of the Perdido Star (1999), Justice for None (2004) and Escape from Andersonville (2008). Hackman had two marriages and had three children from his first marriage.