Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HR0224

HR0224 LRB104 12928 ECR 24478 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of legendary actor Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman, formerly of Danville, who passed away on February 18, 2025; and

WHEREAS, Gene Hackman was born to Anna Lyda Elizabeth and Eugene Ezra Hackman in San Bernardino, California on January 30, 1930; he resided in Danville, and he later attended Storm Lake High School in Iowa before dropping out at age 16; lying about his age, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served as a radio field operator stationed in Qingdao, China and Shanghai until 1949; he was then reassigned to Hawaii and Japan until being discharged in 1951; he enrolled at the University of Illinois, studying journalism and television production; and

WHEREAS, Gene Hackman began pursuing a career in acting in 1956, joining the Pasadena Playhouse in California, where he befriended aspiring actor Dustin Hoffman; the pair, along with other Californi-based actors, moved to New York City in the 1960s; and

WHEREAS, Gene Hackman began performing in many Off-Broadway plays, including Witness for the Prosecution in 1957; he also starred in various bit roles, including in the film Mad Dog Coll and on multiple television series, including in Tallahassee 7000 and Route 66; he made his Broadway debut in Children From Their Games in 1963, and he starred in the huge Broadway success Any Wednesday in 1964; and

WHEREAS, Gene Hackman received his first credited film role in Lilith in 1964; he also starred in the biographical crime drama Bonnie and Clyde, earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1967; he then returned to Broadway while continuing to take roles in both film and television; and

WHEREAS, Gene Hackman was nominated for a second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in I Never Sang for My Father in 1970, and he won his first Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in The French Connection in 1971; he starred in ten films over the next three years, making him the most prolific actor in Hollywood at the time; during that time, he starred in the comedy-drama Scarecrow, which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and in The Conversation, which was nominated for several Academy Awards and also won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes; and

WHEREAS, Gene Hackman spent the 1980s alternating between leading and supporting roles, including in All Night Long in 1981, Reds in 1981, and Eureka in 1983; he played a high school basketball coach in Hoosiers in 1986, which was named the fourth greatest sports film of all time by the American Film Institute in 2008; he also starred in the western Unforgiven in 1992, earning him a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor; and

WHEREAS, Gene Hackman continued to act in many films, including Under Suspicion in 2000, The Replacements in 2000, Behind Enemy Lines in 2001, Heartbreakers in 2001, and The Royal Tenenbaums, one of the most iconic roles of his career, earning him the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy; he made his final televised appearance on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives in 2008; and

WHEREAS, After Gene Hackman retired from acting, he, alongside archeologist Daniel Lenihan, wrote three historical fiction novels, including Wake of the Perdido Star in 1999, Justice for None in 2004, and Escape from Andersonville in 2008; he also narrated four episodes of the NFL Films documentary series Americas Game: The Super Bowl Champions in 2007 and two documentaries related to the Marine Corps, including the Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jima in 2016 and We the Marines in 2017; and

WHEREAS, Gene Hackman married Faye Maltese in 1956, and together they had three children, Christopher Allen, Elizabeth Jean, and Leslie Anne Hackman; the couple divorced in 1986; he married Betsy Arakawa in 1991, and they remained married until their deaths in 2025; and

WHEREAS, Gene Hackman leaves behind a legacy of celebrated acting and iconic roles; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the family of Gene Hackman and the City of Danville as an expression of our deepest sympathy.