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Gene Hackman was found dead yesterday. I heard the news this morning and was shocked, to say the least. Another Immortal (link below) passing out of my life in less than a week; Roberta Flack was three days ago (link below).
I have loved Hackman's acting for decades; my very favorite was his work in The Conversation. The film stars Hackman as a surveillance expert who faces a moral dilemma when his recordings reveal a potential murder. The cast also features John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Cindy Williams of Laverne & Shirley fame, Frederic Forrest who starred with Bette Midler in The Rose, Harrison Ford of Star Wars, Teri Garr who was wonderfully wacky in Young Frankenstein, and Robert Duvall who starred in the brilliant film, Tomorrow.
So, The Conversation was a seminal project that launched many brilliant careers.
Hackman's comedic talent shown brightly in the Mel Brooks film, Young Frankenstein, I didn't even realize he was in the film until I saw his name in the credits at the end; as well as his role in The Bird Cage the 1996 American comedy film produced and directed by Mike Nichols. The Elaine May screenplay adapted the 1978 French film La Cage aux Folles, itself an adaptation of a 1973 play. It stars Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as a gay couple whose son (Dan Futterman) is set to marry the daughter (Calista Flockhart) of a conservative senator (Hackman) and his wife (Dianne Wiest).
According to the BBC (link below) Hackman was discovered yesterday afternoon in a room near the kitchen of their house in Santa Fe, New Mexico, while his wife Betsy Arakawa, a 63-year-old classical pianist, was found in a bathroom.
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
People ~ Gene Hackman's Life in Photos
USA Today ~ Gene Hackman tribute
YouTube links:
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