Moviefone Editorial

Tag: the-conversation

  • Oscar Winner Gene Hackman Dead at 95

    Gene Hackman in 'The Firm'. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
    Gene Hackman in ‘The Firm’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

    Preview:

    • Gene Hackman has died at the age of 95.
    • He was found dead with his wife, Betsy Arakawa at their home.
    • Hackman’s career spanned decades –– but he retired early.

    Gene Hackman, the prolific Oscar-winning actor whose roles ranged from reluctant heroes to conniving villains and made him one of the industry’s most respected and honored performers, has been found dead along with his wife and dog at their home. He was 95.

    Their death has already sent shockwaves around the acting community, and with the Oscars mere days away, the producers will likely be scrambling to include the two-time winner in the In Memoriam section.

    Hackman had a propensity for a wide range of performances, from buffoons to driven, gruff heroes to scheming villains –– and in the likes of ‘Superman’s Lex Luthor, he combined two of them.

    He was the model of a workmanlike actor not in performance –– when he did his job, he did better than most, but he let others worry about his image. Beyond the obligatory appearances at awards ceremonies, he limited his exposure to the social circuit and was openly disdainful of the business side of show business.

    Gene Hackman in 1971's 'The French Connection.' Photo courtesy of TCM.
    Gene Hackman in 1971’s ‘The French Connection.’ Photo courtesy of TCM.

    This is what he told Film Comment in 1988:

    “Actors tend to be shy people. There is perhaps a component of hostility in that shyness, and to reach a point where you don’t deal with others in a hostile or angry way, you choose this medium for yourself. Then you can express yourself and get this wonderful feedback.”

    In 1956, Hackman married Fay Maltese, a bank teller he had met at a YMCA dance in New York. They had a son, Christopher, and two daughters, Elizabeth and Leslie, but divorced in the mid-1980s.

    In 1991 he married Betsy Arakawa, a classical pianist. Arakawa moved with him to New Mexico, and they, along with their dog, were found dead on Wednesday during a welfare check. The cause of death has yet to be determined.

    Related Article: ‘Buffy’ and ‘Ice Princess’ Actor Michelle Trachtenberg Has Died at the Age of 39

    Gene Hackman: Early Life and Career

    Gene Hackman in 'The Conversation'. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
    Gene Hackman in ‘The Conversation’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

    Eugene Allen Hackman was born in San Bernardino, California in 1930, and grew up in Danville, Illinois, where his father worked as a journalist.

    His parents’ marriage was a dysfunctional one, and when his father would beat Gene to take out his anger issues, the young Hackman found refuge in movie theaters, identifying with such screen rebels as Errol Flynn and James Cagney.

    Following his father’s abandoning the family, the situation only got worse, and a 16-year-old Hackman lied about his age to enlist in the U.S. Marines.

    Yet his attitude and constant getting into brawls didn’t make him a natural fit for the service –– he was demoted from the rank of corporal three times –– but he finally found somewhere to flourish at the unit’s radio station.

    Yet still he wavered; having earned his high school degree in the Marines, he went to study journalism in Illinois before dropping out of college and moved to New York to study radio announcing. He worked in radio in Florida before returning to the Big Apple to instead study painting before a fateful move to an acting course at the Pasadena Playhouse in California.

    From there, it was once more back to New York and the long process of looking to land acting gigs alongside contemporaries such as Robert Duvall and Dustin Hoffman, working odd jobs to support himself.

    Hackman began to score roles in off-Broadway theatrical productions, which led to film director Robert Rossen hiring him for a brief role in ‘Lilith,’ which starred Warren Beatty and Jean Seberg.

    And so, a career was launched.

    Gene Hackman: Memorable Movies and TV

    (L to R) Valerie Perrine and Gene Hackman in 'Superman II'. Photo: Warner Bros.
    (L to R) Valerie Perrine and Gene Hackman in ‘Superman II’. Photo: Warner Bros.

    Yet even given his early roles, Hackman was no overnight sensation. He ploughed a familiar path through TV series and small roles in films, appearing on the small screen likes of ‘Naked City,’ ‘The Defenders,’ ‘Hawk,’ ‘The FBI,’ and ‘Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-in.’

    It was Beatty who really gave Hackman a boost –– When Beatty began work on ‘Bonnie and Clyde,’ which he produced and starred in, he remembered Hackman and cast him as bank robber Clyde Barrow’s outgoing brother. Hackman scored praise and an Oscar nomination (his first of five) for Best Supporting Actor.

    Near-misses followed, including a role in ‘The Graduate’ and that of Mike Brady in TV institution ‘The Brady Bunch.’

    A starring role followed in 1970 with ‘I Never Sang for My Father,’ as a man struggling to deal with a failed relationship with his dying father, Melvyn Douglas –– which obviously brought up deep issues. And despite his being the lead by any real description, he was again nominated by the Academy for Best Supporting Actor.

    4922

    Real Oscar success would follow with William Friedkin’s ‘The French Connection,’ perhaps his breakout role, and which would land him the first of his two trophies.

    From there, Hackman was off to the races, appearing in a wide variety of movies including ‘The Poseidon Adventure,’ Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘The Conversation,’ ‘Young Frankenstein,’ ‘A Bridge Too Far,’ ‘Superman’ and its sequels (playing the iconic bald baddie Lex Luthor), ‘Bat*21’, ‘Mississippi Burning,’ ‘Loose Cannons,’ ‘The Firm,’ ‘The Quick and the Dead,’ ‘Crimson Tide,’ ‘Get Shorty,’ ‘The Birdcage,’ ‘Antz,’ ‘Enemy of the State,’ ‘The Mexican,’ ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ and ‘Runaway Jury.’

    In amongst them was his other Oscar-winning role, that of the brutal, corrupt Little Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood’s ‘Unforgiven.’

    Gene Hackman: Retirement

    Gene Hackman in 'The Royal Tenenbaums'. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
    Gene Hackman in ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.

    Despite his prolific career, Hackman knew when he wanted to call it quits. His final role was in 2004 comedy ‘Welcome to Mooseport,’ and he told Reuters in 2008 why he decided to step back:

    “I haven’t held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I’m not going to act any longer. I’ve been told not to say that over the last few years, in case some real wonderful part comes up, but I really don’t want to do it any longer.”

    When not on film locations, Hackman enjoyed painting, stunt flying, stock car racing and deep sea diving. In his latter years, he wrote novels and lived on his ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on a hilltop looking out on the Colorado Rockies.

    Gene Hackman: Tributes

    Gene Hackman in 'Hoosiers'. Photo: Orion Pictures.
    Gene Hackman in ‘Hoosiers’. Photo: Orion Pictures.

    Here’s what Coppola had to say about him on Instagram:

    “The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity, I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution.”

    Paul Feig wrote this on Twitter:

    “So awful. Gene was such an inspiration to so many of us who love movies. So many brilliant roles. His performance in ‘The Conversation’ alone changed the way I looked at acting and what actors could bring to a role. Such an amazing career. RIP Mr. Hackman.”

    And here’s what Viola Davis put on Instagram:

    “Loved you in everything! ‘The Conversation,’ ‘The French Connection,’ ‘The Poseidon Adventure,’ ‘Unforgiven’ — tough yet vulnerable. You were one of the greats. God bless those who loved you. Rest well, sir.”

    Gene Hackman in 1971's 'The French Connection.' Photo courtesy of TCM.
    Gene Hackman in 1971’s ‘The French Connection.’ Photo courtesy of TCM.

    List of Gene Hackman Movies:

    Buy Gene Hackman Movies On Amazon

    yjHo7Cf2

  • Frederic Forrest Dies at Age 86

    Frederic Forrest as Jay "Chef" Hicks in Francis Ford Coppola's 'Apocalypse Now.'
    Frederic Forrest as Jay “Chef” Hicks in Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Apocalypse Now.’

    Frederic Forrest, a character actor with a long resume and a sprinkling of standout roles, including in ‘Apocalypse Now’ and ‘The Rose’ has died.

    Frederic Fenimore Forrest Jr. was born on Dec. 23, 1936, in Waxahachie, Texas. Growing up, Forrest played football, ran track and went to the movies.

    2853

    Early Life

    As he noted in a 2014 interview with Alan Mercer, it almost seemed as if acting chose him.

    “All we had was the picture show. There was no television, so we’d go see all the movies. We had three movie theaters in Waxahachie. I fell into movies. I never thought about it. I didn’t think I was good at anything. I didn’t feel like I had a ‘so-called’ talent. I wasn’t good at anything people considered important. I really didn’t know what I was going to do.”

    Yet despite the impulse, when he travelled to New York to attend The Actors Studio, a glimpse of Marlon Brando exiting the building intimidated him to such a degree that he decided to join the Army instead.

    Following his service, he attended Texas Christian University, where he majored in radio and television studies with a minor in theater arts. He graduated in 1960 and returned to New York to study with Sanford Meisner. He also spent time with Lee Strasberg at The Actors Studio.

    Forrest started his career, as so many do, on the stage, and it led to his first film credit, in the Tom O’Horgan adaptation of the play ‘Futz!’ in 1969.

    That was just the start of a long career, especially after one of the plays he performed in transferred from Broadway to Los Angeles –– even if he had to cook pizzas to make ends meet.

    Film Career

    Frederic Forrest as Jay "Chef" Hicks in Francis Ford Coppola's 'Apocalypse Now.'
    Frederic Forrest as Jay “Chef” Hicks in Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Apocalypse Now.’

    As his cinema career began to heat up, he appeared in the likes of ‘The Don Is Dead’, ‘The Gravy Train’ and the low-budget horror film ‘It Lives Again’, ‘Valley Girl’, ‘The Stone Boy,’ ‘The Two Jakes’, ‘Chasers,’ ‘Lassie,’ ‘Point Blank’ and ‘The Quality of Light’. He also enjoyed a healthy career on the small screen.

    He rarely scored leading roles, but became a consummate character actor, and a favorite of directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, who cast him in movies such as ‘The Conversation’, Apocalypse Now’, ‘Tucker: The Man and His Dream‘ and ‘One From the Heart’.

    Awards recognition followed with ‘The Rose’ in 1979, where he played a grounded, straight-talking limo driving tasked with chauffeuring a wild child rock star around. That film saw him starring alongside Bette Midler (in her film debut), and she was among those paying tribute after learning he had died.

    https://twitter.com/BetteMidler/status/1672410043973791745

    Forrest reflected on his life and career in a New York Times profile in 1979:

    “I don’t expect much. I’ve been around too long to have expectations. This is a fickle town, no rhyme or reason to it. By the time you go down the driveway to pick up your mail, you’re forgotten. I waited a year after Larry to try to do something good, but no scripts came. They told me to hire a public relations firm to try to get an Emmy. There was no way I could do that. It goes against my grain to buy ads. I don’t want to buy a prize. I want someone to give me one. Who wants a prize if you have to hustle it?”

    The actor died on Friday after a long illness. He was married and divorced twice and is survived by his sister.

    Cindy Williams and Frederic Forrest in Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Conversation.'
    (L to R) Cindy Williams and Frederic Forrest in Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘The Conversation.’

    Frederic Forrest Movies:

    Buy Frederic Forrest Movies On Amazon

     

  • Cindy Williams Dies Age 75

    Cindy Williams and Ron Howard in George Lucas' 'American Graffiti.'
    (L to R) Cindy Williams and Ron Howard in George Lucas’ ‘American Graffiti.’

    Cindy Williams, who unusually for the time period went from appearing in Oscar-nominated movies to becoming a true star on TV in ‘Laverne & Shirley’ has died following a brief illness. She was 75.

    Cynthia Jane Williams was born in Van Nuys on Aug. 22, 1947, though she, her mother and sister lived in Dallas for nine years to escape her alcoholic father.

    After they returned to the San Fernando Valley, Williams attended Birmingham High School alongside Sally Field (who left to star in ‘Gidget’). She was voted “funniest female” on graduation in 1965, and then majored in theater at Los Angeles City College.

    While appearing in theatrical productions, Williams worked at IHOP and served drinks at the famed Whisky a Go Go nightclub to pay the bills. But she met Garry Marshall and Fred Roos, who were launching a management company and began to find work in commercials.

    She made the leap to movies with sci-fi comedy ‘Gas!’ and Jack Nicholson’s ‘Drive, He Said’. A few other small roles follows before she landed the part of Laurie in ‘American Graffiti’, not expecting much from it, but impressed by the finished film. That collaboration with George Lucas led to her auditioning to play Princess Leia in ‘Star Wars’ though the role ultimately and famously went to Carrie Fisher.

    Cindy Williams and Frederic Forrest in Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Conversation.'
    (L to R) Cindy Williams and Frederic Forrest in Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘The Conversation.’

    Yet Williams still scored impressive work, following the Oscar nominated ‘Graffiti’ with the equally acclaimed ‘The Conversation’. She’d continue to appear in front of the camera from time to time in movies but worked more behind the scenes.

    Her acting career, however, took off on the small screen after she appeared on an episode of ‘Happy Days’ with writing partner Penny Marshall. That led to spin-off ‘Laverne & Shirley, which followed struggling Laverne DeFazio (Marshall) and Shirley Wilhelmina Feeney (Williams), high school friends, sharing a basement apartment in Milwaukee and working as bottle cappers for the Schotz brewery.

    The show was known for plenty of physical comedy and witty writing. And Williams pointed to its appeal in an interview. We made sure the joke was always on us, we never made fun of anyone else,” she said. “We also wanted to keep the wolf nipping at our heels, like how are we going to pay the rent, how are we going to pay the electric bill. So we kept it grounded in that. We also made sure it was extremely funny to us.”

    Despite huge success and big ratings, the show didn’t end well for Williams, who refused to sign a contract saying she would appear on the day she would give birth. She was written out of the series before its final season after suing for the pay she would have received for the missing episodes.

    “The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed,” said her Children Zak and Emily Hudson in a statement. “Knowing and loving her has been our joy and privilege. She was one of a kind, beautiful, generous and possessed a brilliant sense of humor and a glittering spirit that everyone loved.”

    Cindy Williams as Shirley Feeney on 'Laverne & Shirley.'
    Cindy Williams as Shirley Feeney on ‘Laverne & Shirley.’
    2JK4IPod