Since the 1970s, Gene Hackman has earned his place in Hollywood history as one of the greatest character actors of all time. Working alongside movie legends like William Friedkin, Clint Eastwood, and Richard Donner, the actor has brought an impressive degree of depth and range to the big screen. After passing away in 2025, Hollywood has been left with one fewer legend -- and he has the filmography to prove it.

Gene Hackman boasts one of the most impressive careers in cinema, with his '70s performances helping redefine the tone of cinema forever. Having won Oscars and left his mark on almost every genre there is, the star's impact on acting remains to this day. It isn't often the film industry finds someone as acclaimed, intense, and versatile as Hackman and, since his death, cinema has been left worse off.

Enemy of the State focuses on a labor lawyer, Robert Clayton Dean, as he gets caught up in an NSA murder conspiracy. To make it out alive, he turns to a retired but highly paranoid operative, Brill (Hackman), who assists him in proving his case and avoiding surveillance. A great conspiracy thriller, the film focuses on questions of encroaching government power and the loss of civil liberties in the name of national security -- a topic that has only become more important since.

While his role in Enemy of the State is smaller than his typical movies, Gene Hackman gave the movie its most intense character, nailing the sense of paranoia that defines the story. Here, he channels his work from The Conversation to give audiences a compelling conspiracy story, one that resonates as much today as it did then.

Crimson Tide follows the crew of a US submarine, the USS Alabama, as they set sail amidst a Russian civil war, sparking fears of international war. After initially being ordered to fire on the country, the submarine is alerted to a second message, only for its radio to be damaged -- leaving Captain Frank Ramsey at odds with his XO Rob Hunter. Where the former plans to carry out the strike, the latter takes a more skeptical approach, forcing a power struggle among the crew.

Crimson Tide's main characters represent a genuine fear that runs through any military, showing the crucial role judgment and leadership play in preventing war -- and juxtaposing it with the importance of following protocol.

No Way Out focuses on a young naval officer, Tom Farrell, as he gets caught up in a mole hunt when his boss, the Secretary of Defense, murders a woman both men were involved with. Trapped inside the Pentagon, he finds himself in the impossible position of clearing his name and avoiding suspicion -- all the while forced to feign respect for the real killer.

No Way Out signified Hackman's turn towards being recognized more as a villain than a hero, something he continued in films like The Quick and the Dead, Unforgiven, and Absolute Power. The film itself has a great twist that alone makes it worth the watch, and the cast seals it as one of the decade's most intriguing thrillers.

In 1978, Richard Donner unleashed his vision for Superman upon the world, starring Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent opposite Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor. Following the hero's origin story as he takes on his arch-nemesis, the movie garnered the admiration of fans overnight, becoming an icon of cinema. Despite his hesitation to star in the film, Hackman achieved a difficult feat in bringing to life a supervillain in a way that felt authentic to the genre and era.

In the role of Lex Luthor, Gene Hackman helped give superhero cinema arguably its greatest villain at that time, showing other actors the genre didn't have to be campy, nor relegated to B-list stars. Just as Reeve was perfect for his role, it's also tough to imagine the film or its genre earning the respect it did without the inclusion of one of the most iconic stars of the '70s.

As the master of parody, Mel Brooks has a lot of great comedy movies under his belt, and it's hard to deny that Young Frankenstein is one of his best. Casting Gene Wilder in the role of Victor Frankenstein's grandson, Frederick, follows the same plot as Mary Shelley's classic, following the young scientist as he tries to recreate his ancestor's work. What follows is a hysterical struggle to find the Creature (Peter Boyle) before he can hurt someone.

In Young Frankenstein, Gene Hackman gets only a limited role as the Blind Man, a kind-hearted man who welcomes the Creature into his home, with his disability allowing compassion to win out over fear. However, in one of the funniest moments of physical comedy in the film, his inability to see leads to one mishap after another, from scalding the Creature with hot soup to smashing his mug.

The Conversation casts Hackman in the role of surveillance specialist Harry Caul, a paranoid man who channels his attention to detail into his work. When he begins to suspect that a young couple he's recorded might be murdered by his client, he descends into a state of fear and panic as he sets out to try and stop it from happening. What follows is an endless web of deception as the man begins to realize he's made a critical error in his work.

The Conversation was among the films that truly defined Hackman's talents as an actor, forcing the audience to share in his sense of paranoia and fear until the very end. With one of the genre's best twists, the movie is a true decade-defining piece of cinema.

Mississippi Burning follows the investigation of two FBI agents, Anderson and Ward, into the disappearance of some civil rights activists in the Deep South. As they suspect locals of murder, their contrasting personalities and methods clash, setting them at odds on how to proceed. Featuring a young Willem Dafoe opposite a seasoned Gene Hackman, the film's casting was as perfect as it gets, with the stars' dynamic mirroring that of their characters.

Where Dafoe's Ward symbolizes a more by-the-book approach defined by idealism, Anderson's Southern experience makes him a more pragmatic and unorthodox character. Both stars helped make the film one of the best anti-racism movies of all time, and

Sports movies have always served as a way of uplifting the audience through classic underdog-style success stories, and few movies do it as well as Hoosiers. Focusing on a small Indiana high school teacher, Norman Dale, who coaches the ailing basketball team, the story focuses on themes of discipline, friendship, and patience. Using the imperfections of a small '50s town as its backdrop, the movie slowly builds up the team dynamic between its characters, earning Norman the respect of the audience and his players.

Hoosiers showed Gene Hackman could move beyond dark thrillers and intense roles and into something more inspirational, which he does brilliantly in the role of Coach Dale. Rather than being too shallow or sickly-sweet like some sports movies, this classic is as much a story about small-town life and family as it is about basketball.

In 1971, Hollywood officially began its turn towards an era of moral ambiguity, flawed heroes, and gritty, typically bleak stories. Few movies represent this as well as William Friedkin's The French Connection. Here, Gene Hackman is cast in the leading role as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, a New York detective who pursues a French crime boss, Alain Charnier, who attempts to import a large shipment of drugs.

As the film that won Gene Hackman his first Oscar, in a year packed full of unparalleled competition, The French Connection has remained iconic for its unique style, dark tone, and interesting protagonist.

In 1992, Clint Eastwood directed what has since become one of the most iconic Westerns of all time: Unforgiven. Telling the story of a retired gunfighter taking on a bounty to provide for his family, the movie explores a grounded, morally ambiguous version of the West. This is perfected through Gene Hackman's performance as the film's antagonist, Little Bill Daggett. An intimidating and intelligent sheriff, and a holdover of the heyday of the Old West, the character's brutality and moral compromise give Western fans something new.

Through Daggett, the actor delivers his best villain performance as a cynical man who has traded justice for peace, paving the way for his own downfall. Here, the legendary actor helped ensure Eastwood's movie would become a classic, and it's hard to deny the film belongs to Hackman just as much as it did to its director. In a genre where antagonists often come across as one-dimensional,