(Photo by Takashi Seida/Heightened Productions Inc. via Getty Images)
Can you believe Gene Hackman turns 90 today? Gene! Where are you? The man is a legend, and a badass, he left home at 16 and lied about his age to get into the Marines.
His first film role was a cop in the 1961 movie, "Mad Dog Coll." In 1971 he would win an Academy Award for playing a cop, Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in, "The French Connection." After winning a second Oscar for "Unforgiven," four Golden Globes, and appearing in dozens of movies, Gene retired from acting in 2004 after playing President Monroe "Eagle" Cole in "Welcome To Mooseport."
So many great movies and characters, Buck Barrow in "Bonnie and Clyde," Harold the blind man in "Young Frankenstein," Lex Luthor in "Superman," and he played two coaches, Norman Dale in "Hoosiers,' and Jimmy McGinty in "The Replacements."
Happy Birthday Gene! Here's some of him most memorable roles, including Coach Dale's motivational pre game speech before the state championship game in "Hoosiers." Chills...