The legendary Gene Hackman is one of the most celebrated actors of the last century, and as a reward for his performances he earned multiple Academy Awards during his career. A true icon in American cinema, Gene Hackman is known for many iconic roles from his 50-year career in television and movies. Hackman retired from acting at the age of 74 citing stress on his body, but not before amᴀssing more than 170 major and minor award nominations and taking home more than 70 wins. In that regard, he is one of the most decorated actors of all time.

Hackman’s last film role came in 2004, but just a year prior to that he was awarded the Golden Globe Cecile B. DeMille Award for his contributions to entertainment, a fitting exclamation point for his storied career. Hackman pᴀssed away in February 2025, and he will be remembered for many of his most popular roles, such as Lex Luthor in the Superman franchise, Coach Norman Dale in Hoosiers, and Royal O’Reilly Tenenbaum from The Royal Tenenbaums. However, he collected Academy Awards for his role in two all-time great dramas.

Gene Hackman Won 2 Oscars For The French Connection & Unforgiven

He Won One Best Actor And One Best Supporting Actor

Hackman established himself as one of the best dramatic actors in Hollywood in the early 1970s, along with one of its most prolific. In a span from 1972-1974, he starred in 10 movies in just three years, not counting his memorable cameo in the classic comedy Young Frankenstein. Just before that though, he captured his first Academy Award when he won Best Actor for his role as Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in William Friedkin’s 1971 action thriller The French Connection.

It would be more than twenty years before Hackman won another Academy Award. The versatile leading man starred in dozens of movies and garnered many more awards, but he finally won another Oscar for his role in Clint Eastwood’s classic Western Unforgiven. Hackman won Best Supporting Actor for his fiery performance as Sheriff “Little” Bill Daggett, while Unforgiven went on to gather eight other Oscar nominations, and three other wins.

Gene Hackman Was Nominated For Three More Oscars

He Tallied Another Best Actor And Two More Best Supporting Actors

Before he broke through with a win for his role in The French Connection, Hackman actually earned two other Academy Award nominations. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 40th Academy Awards for his role in the classic 1967 crime drama Bonnie & Clyde, and three years later earned another nomination for the same award for his performance in Gilbert Cates’ drama I Never Sang For My Father.

He mixed in one other Academy Award nomination between his two wins. He earned a Best Actor nomination for his role as FBI Agent Rupert Anderson in the controversial crime thriller Mississippi Burning, although he lost out to Dustin Hoffman, who won for Rain Man that year. Gene Hackman pᴀssed just a week before the 97th Academy Awards, but his impact on Hollywood is certainly immortalized both in the gold of his many awards and in the roles he’s most remembered and loved for.