Gene Hackman Net Worth

What was Gene Hackman's Net Worth and Salary?

Gene Hackman was an American actor and novelist who had a net worth of $80 million. Gene Hackman's journey to stardom followed service in the Marines and years of struggle in New York theater. His breakthrough came with his Oscar-nominated supporting role in 1967's "Bonnie and Clyde," but it was his portrayal of the relentless detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in 1971's "The French Connection" that earned him his first Academy Award and cemented his status as a leading man with uncompromising intensity.

The 1970s saw Hackman deliver an extraordinary range of performances, from his paranoid surveillance expert in Coppola's "The Conversation" to the iconic villain Lex Luthor in "Superman." He brought gravitas to ensemble films like "The Poseidon Adventure" and "A Bridge Too Far," while showcasing his comedic talents in "Young Frankenstein."

Hackman continued his artistic evolution throughout the 1980s with standout roles in "Hoosiers" and earned another Oscar nomination for "Mississippi Burning." His career experienced a brilliant resurgence in the 1990s, winning his second Academy Award as the ruthless sheriff in Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven" (1992). Before retiring from acting in 2004 after "Welcome to Mooseport," Hackman delivered commanding performances in "The Firm," "Crimson Tide," "Enemy of the State," and "The Royal Tenenbaums," demonstrating his remarkable depth as a character actor. Gene Hackman won more than 30 awards, including two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, and two BAFTAs.

In retirement, Hackman pursued writing, co-authoring several novels including historical fiction. He published "Payback at Morning Peak" in 2011 and "Pursuit" in 2013. He co-wrote three historical fiction novels with undersea archaeologist Daniel Lenihan: 1999's "Wake of the Perdido Star," 2004's "Justice for None," and 2008's "Escape from Andersonville."

Early Life

Eugene Allen Hackman was born on January 30, 1930, in San Bernardino, California. His father, Eugene Sr. (a printing press operator for the "Commercial-News"), and mother, Anna, divorced in 1943. Eugene Sr. abandoned Gene and his brother, Richard.

After living in several cities, Gene grew up in Danville, Illinois, and he became interested in acting at the age of 10. He attended Storm Lake High School in Iowa but dropped out at 16 to enlist in the Marine Corps (after lying about his age), where he served as a field radio operator for 4 1/2 years. Hackman was discharged in 1951 and moved to New York.

He later enrolled at the University of Illinois to study television production and journalism, then relocated to Los Angeles and began taking acting classes at the Pasadena Playhouse Theatre in 1956. He became good friends with classmate Dustin Hoffman. The two were roommates after Gene moved to NYC in 1957.

(Photo by Vera Anderson/WireImage)

Career

In 1958, Hackman was cast in an off-Broadway production of "Chaparral," and he made both his big screen and television debut in 1961, appearing in the film "Mad Dog Coll" as well as an episode of "Tallahassee 7000."

Gene's big break came after director Robert Rossen cast him in 1964's "Lilith," alongside Warren Beatty, who later helped Hackman land the role of Buck Barrow in "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967). The role would earn Gene his first Oscar nomination.

He was offered the role of Mike Brady on "The Brady Bunch" but turned it down on his agent's advice. In 1970, Hackman starred in "I Never Sang for My Father," earning another Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination, and he won the Best Actor Oscar for 1971's "The French Connection."

In 1972, he appeared in "The Poseidon Adventure," and the following year, the BAFTA Film Awards honored him with the Best Actor award for his work in that film as well as "The French Connection." In 1974, Gene appeared in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation," which earned him a National Board of Review Award for Best Actor, and future classic "Young Frankenstein."

(Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images)

In 1978, Hackman showed his villainous side as Lex Luther in "Superman: The Movie," and he reprised his role in 1980's "Superman II" and 1987's "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace."

In the 1980s, he starred in several notable films, including "Red" (1981), "Hoosiers " (1986), and "No Way Out" (1987), and he earned an Oscar nomination and National Board of Review Award for his role as an FBI Agent in "Mississippi Burning" (1988).

In 1993, Gene won his second Academy Award for the Clint Eastwood-directed Western "Unforgiven." That year, he also played a corrupt lawyer in "The Firm" and followed it up with roles in 1994's "Wyatt Earp" and 1995's "The Quick and the Dead," "Crimson Tide," and "Get Shorty."

Due to his retirement in July 2004, Hackman only made nine films in the 2000s, including "Under Suspicion" (2000) and "Behind Enemy Lines" (2001). He earned critical acclaim and several awards for his performance in Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums" (2001), and in 2003, he co-starred with his friend Dustin Hoffman in "Runaway Jury," which was the third film of Hackman's that was based on a John Grisham novel. His final film was 2004's "Welcome to Mooseport." After retiring, Gene narrated two television documentaries: 2016's "The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jima" and 2017's "We, the Marines."

Personal Life

Gene married Faye Maltese on January 1, 1956. They had three children together, Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie, before divorcing in 1986. He went on to marry Betsy Arakawa in December 1991. Hackman has competed in several racing competitions, including the 24 Hours of Daytona Endurance Race and the Long Beach Grand Prix Celebrity Race. In 1990, Gene underwent an angioplasty after he began having chest pains while vacationing in Oregon, and in 2012, he was hit by a car while riding a bike in the Florida Keys. On February 26, 2025, Gene, his wife, and their dog were found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was 95.

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Awards and Honors

In 1972, Hackman won a Best Actor Academy Award for "The French Connection." He won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for "Unforgiven" in 1993. These two films also earned him BAFTA Awards, Golden Globes, and New York Film Critics Circle Awards. At the Golden Globes, Gene also won the Cecil B. DeMille Award (2003) and the Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical award for his performance in "The Royal Tenenbaums." Though the majority of Hackman's awards honored his work in "The French Connection," "Unforgiven," and "The Royal Tenenbaums," he won awards for "The Poseidon Adventure," "Mississippi Burning," "The Birdcage," "Bonnie and Clyde," and "The Conversation" as well. In 2015, he received the Career – Honorary Award at the CinEuphoria Awards.

Santa Fe Mansion

For several decades, Gene lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Drawn to Santa Fe after visiting in the 1980s, Gene purchased a 12-acre hilltop property there in 1990​. He proceeded to transform the former 1950s lock building into a sprawling 8,000-square-foot Southwestern-style home boasting 360-degree mountain views stretching to the distant Colorado peaks​. In 2000, Hackman even added a separate 2,367-square-foot guesthouse on the property​. Today this property is likely worth $8-10 million.

Will Smith and Jada Smith visited Hackman in Santa Fe during the filming of "Enemy of the State" and stayed at his house. Will and Jada were so enthralled by the "Santa Fe style" of his property that they hired Hackman's architect to design what eventually became their 20,000-square-foot multi-structure compound set on 100 acres in Malibu.

In the 1980s, Gene and his first wife restored a 25-acre property in Montecito, Californi. He sold for $5.5 million in 1985. In 2015, a later owner sold this house for $25 million. Hackman also previously owned a house in Pebble Beach, California, which he sold in 1993. This home was listed for $79 million in 2012.

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