![\"Gene](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gene-Hackman-Actor-Far-Out-Magazine-1140x855.jpg\")
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(Credits: Alamy)<\/p>\n
Sun 10 August 2025 17:15, UK <\/p>\n
Any aspiring actor could do worse than to learn from the late, great Gene Hackman<\/a>. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/p>\n Despite having worked with all these top stars while still finding his feet, one idol always held a special place in Hackman\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBrando has always been my ideal as an actor,\u201d he explained<\/a>. \u201cThe kind of personality he has, the kind of craft he had, and the kind of physical presence\u2026 I\u2019ve always tried to\u2026 think of myself in terms of the intent of Brando.\u201d<\/p>\n Adding, \u201cNot 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\u2019t know if it\u2019s clear exactly to a civilian audience that doesn\u2019t understand acting, but it doesn\u2019t mean I, in any way, attempt to imitate him. I admire him tremendously.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n As he was six years his junior, Hackman would have admired Brando\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n