(Credits: Alamy)
Sun 10 August 2025 17:15, UK
Any aspiring actor could do worse than to learn from the late, great Gene Hackman.
Not only did the moustachioed icon win two Oscars, but he gave some of the most memorable screen performances of the 20th Century. Whether as an embattled cop in The French Connection, a notorious gangster in Bonnie and Clyde, or a bigoted politician in The Birdcage, Hackman always gave you a reason to pay attention. Even if he could be a total nightmare behind the scenes.
As well as a natural talent for all things acting, a young Hackman also rubbed shoulders with the very best in the early days of his career. Lilith, the first feature in which he received a credit, also featured Peter Fonda and future Bonnie and Clyde co-star Warren Beatty. Before his film career took off, he appeared in a TV show called Tallahassee 7000, which was fronted by the great Walter Matthau
Despite having worked with all these top stars while still finding his feet, one idol always held a special place in Hackman’s heart. This star was one that he would look to emulate in his own career. Speaking to French TV channel Antenne 2, Hackman detailed his affection for one of the all-time greats: Marlon Brando.
“Brando has always been my ideal as an actor,” he explained. “The kind of personality he has, the kind of craft he had, and the kind of physical presence… I’ve always tried to… think of myself in terms of the intent of Brando.”
Adding, “Not to ape him in any way, but to give a scene or a moment or whatever the same kind of intent that a Brando would. I don’t know if it’s clear exactly to a civilian audience that doesn’t understand acting, but it doesn’t mean I, in any way, attempt to imitate him. I admire him tremendously.”
As he was six years his junior, Hackman would have admired Brando’s best work growing up. He would have been in his early 20s when his hero was making some of his most famous pictures, including A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront. Brando even gave his fan an unexpected leg-up.
When he denied Francis Ford Coppola’s request to star in his Godfather follow-up, The Conversation, the lead role went to Hackman instead. This is one of the parts that help solidify the younger man as a major player and is widely regarded as one of his best showings ever.
The pair famously did work together on a massive movie in the late 1970s – the first major screen adaptation of Superman. Hackman played Lex Luthor, the archnemesis of Christopher Reeve’s ‘Man of Steel’. However, he probably didn’t get to spend much time with his fave.
Brando was notoriously troublesome in his role as Jor-El, Superman’s father. He refused to learn his lines and generally made life a living hell for anyone on set who was just trying to do their job. His co-stars probably wanted nothing to do with him, even if they were big fans beforehand.
He may not have lived up to expectations in person, but at least Hackman got the chance to work alongside someone he admired so greatly. They say ‘don’t meet your heroes’, but maybe it’s OK every now and then.
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