The Best Gene Hackman Movies
With more than 1,500 movie fans casting their votes, this list of the best Gene Hackman movies is full of classic performances from one of Hollywood's most beloved actors. Spanning a career that spanned five decades and over 100 roles, Gene Hackman was an actor who could do it all—from drama to comedy, action to science fiction. His diverse body of work earned him two Oscars and multiple nominations for his incredible performances.
Whether he was playing gruff authority figures like in The French Connection or "Little" Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood's western film Unforgiven, viewers were always transfixed by his natural charisma and commanding presence onscreen. Some other notable films include Enemy of the State and Superman II. In both instances, his characters were larger-than-life villains that stood out from the pack thanks to Hackman’s phenomenal talent for creating memorable characters with depth and humanity.
So check out this list of top rated Gene Hackman movies voted by movie fans everywhere. Whether you're looking for a classic film or something totally new – there's sure to be something here that will capture your attention…so don't forget to vote up your favorites!
- Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider
- Released: 1971
- Directed by: William Friedkin
Character: NYPD Det. Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle
Awards: Academy Award for Best Actor, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama
New York Detective "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and his partner (Roy Scheider) chase a French heroin smuggler. - Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, Frances McDormand
- Released: 1988
- Directed by: Alan Parker
Character: FBI Special Agent Rupert Anderson
When a group of civil rights workers goes missing in a small Mississippi town, FBI agents Alan Ward (Willem Dafoe) and Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman) are sent in to investigate. Local authorities ...more - Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman
- Released: 1992
- Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Character: Little Bill Daggett
Awards: Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
When prostitute Delilah Fitzgerald (Anna Thomson) is disfigured by a pair of cowboys in Big Whiskey, Wyoming, her fellow brothel workers post a reward for their murder, much to the displeasure of ...more - Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Frederic Forrest
- Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Hopper
- Released: 1986
- Directed by: David Anspaugh
Character: Coach Norman Dale
Failed college coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) gets a chance at redemption when he is hired to direct the basketball program at a high school in a tiny Indiana town. After a teacher (Barbara ...more - Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters
- Released: 1972
- Directed by: Ronald Neame, Irwin Allen
Character: Reverend Frank Scott
En route from New York City to Greece on New Year's Eve, majestic passenger ship the S.S. Poseidon is overtaken by a tidal wave. With the captain (Leslie Nielsen) dead, surviving passengers, ...more