Gene Hackman interview on Wogan (Nov 1986)

[@derekreid9072]

Brilliant actor, ex-marine and now 92 years old. Retired from Hollywood years ago. God bless him.

[@thesaintst1851]

Absolutely

[@ButcheryTapes]

The duck of death.

[@johnbleakley4125]

One of the true acting greats!!! Fabulous in the French Connection movie's and The Conversation, which was recently shown on BBC 4. 🙂👌👌🙏🙏

[@tonybuckley6413]

a class act indeed

[@cquilty1]

@derekreid9072 Thank you for your kind words re Terry Wogan.

[@stevenmcgowan3205]

Love it when a ridiculously talented actor also turns out to be a nice, down to Earth humble guy 👍💪🇬🇧🇺🇸

[@jneilson7568]

Unless you're Wes Anderson, rubber and glue...

[@angelastegmayr6987]

Hackman is charismatic down to Earth Bad Ass... Mississippi Burning - enogh said

[@davidlittle7182]

Imagine that he made Mississippi Burning only 2 years after this - what a film

[@iansmith9125]

Don’t go mistaking me for some whole other body. You got your brains in your dick if you think we’re just gonna fade away. Where gonna be here until this things done. Thanks for the beer 😂

[@МихаилЗеневич-ю4ъ]

Great movie! And great his character!)

[@lonestar6709]

Never gave a bad performance. Not one time! Gene Hackman. All time legend.

[@rampageclover9788]

Back when talk shows were actually engaging.....

[@JMoruzzi]

Wogan's show was hardly ever engaging. Time and again I would tune in because he had someone on I was interested in, and the interview would be nothing more than a plug and a couple of tired anecdotes. Wogan himself often seemed uninterested.

[@Jeremy-f3s]

Well these days interviews are more focused on getting the often bored actor or celeb to play parlour games especially in America because there's an assumption today's generation can't handle a conversation just by itself.

[@simonperry8569]

@@JMoruzzi Have to agree. Loved him on the radio, but he always came across a bit awkward on the chat show. I don't think he had a great knowledge of film, music and the arts, so the questions were always sort of middle of the road, a bit like himself really.

[@TS-1267]

... We Do Have Family Guy Today 😂

[@martinplatt5928]

Probably one of the finest acting talents ever. French Connection was an amazing film. 94 years old at the time of writing this.

[@jivebunny3765]

I don't know another actor who could go from The Conversation, to The French Connection, to The Poseidon Adventure, to Superman, to Mississippi Burning, to Get Shorty, to Unforgiven, and everything in between. A wonderful actor.

[@traceya9615]

It's wonderful reading the comments here. Gene Hackman is truly a film great, but I rarely hear him mentioned. He's very friendly and self-deprecating here. I love Clint Eastwood's story, that he had to persuade him to be in "Unforgiven" as he was tired of tough guy roles. His performance is majestic and he got an Oscar for it. Perfect.

[@frankspeakmore7104]

Well said.

[@Barbarous_Wretch]

Little Bill was an incredible villain. Hackman did such a great job. Film wouldn't have been the same with anyone else in that role.

[@HardRockMiner]

A real actor who you can actually admire. How refreshing.

[@fatwalletboy2]

You dont see many interviews with Gene.thanks for uploading....

[@michaelharrison1867]

One of the greats

[@martyrea79]

@@michaelharrison1867 he is that!!

[@robjackson5245]

He rocks! One of my favorite actors - "French Connection" being my favorite.

FCII was good as well.

[@SgtSteel1]

I have never seen an interview with him before. I really like him.

[@KekeElBecko]

My favourite actor of all time

[@meister6934]

Mine too and such a nice chap as well.

[@johndoyle2429]

Before I get to my main point, hollywood has a way of using this word star. Around this time Terry Wogan was doing his chat show. That's when stars were stars. Not like today. Gene Hackman is a Superb actor.

[@redditanonymous-p9w]

One of the greatest actors ever.

[@maxbowie6074]

Best film actor America ever produced

[@ppuh6tfrz646]

I wouldn't go that far but he's pretty f*cking good.

[@stephencardwell952]

@@ppuh6tfrz646 .... I disagree, but who would you say was a better character actor

[@ppuh6tfrz646]

@@stephencardwell952 De Niro, in my opinion. But I still think Hackman is a phenomenal actor. Oddly enough, one of the few performances he gave that I didn't rate was The French Connection. I don't think he deserved the Oscar for that. My favourite Hackman performances are The Conversation and Mississippi Burning.

[@G58]

I disagree about DeNero. He plays himself, just as John Wayne did. But I agree with you about Gene Hackman, and the two movies you mentioned. His performances in BAT 21 and Enemy of The State were exceptional too.

[@pappy374]

@@G58 Have you seen the film Prime Cut with Hackman and Lee Marvin? It's such a strange film in that Hackman plays a, probably, incestuous gangster.

[@Jonesaustin]

came here to hear his take on LL but wow what a true artist. who doesn't adore Gene Hackman. what a talented actor. he played such intensity but is really a kind soul. just amazing, I so miss seeing him on the big screen.

[@Firebrand55]

Mississippi Burning.........'nuff said.

[@sij809]

One of the greatest ever. Insanely versatile.

[@angelastegmayr6987]

Yessssss Charismatic Bad Ass.... Hackman one of the best

[@flynnterry9848]

Agree

[@BenjaminGessel]

How can anyone dislike Gene…. 🤷‍♂️😁👍

[@67lionsoflisbon37]

Class will always out! Gene Hackman is absolutely class.

[@Ryan-on5on]

There is no actor alive today who has done more varied roles with such aplomb, depth, and commitment to realism as Gene! I hope he has been enjoying his well-deserved retirement. Hollywood doesn't deserve talent such as his!

[@Bondek1996]

Something about Hackman, Hoffman and Duvall all being great mates and years on from those early days, all achieving great fame.

[@nanicattack]

One of the greatest actors of all time. The range of this guy is scary.

[@sexobscura]

I'm petrified

[@alfching2499]

Pop eye Doyle you never forget

[@scottyk200]

He was great in Crimson Tide.

[@sij809]

I say this without any hint of hyperbole. Dude is great in every single movie he's in. Even the not so good ones

[@Smudgeroon74]

@scottyk200 have you seen Uncommon Valor[1983 film with Hackman obviously, Patrick Swayze has a minor part]?

[@sjoormen1]

Only movie I didn't like with him starring in . He played well, but that plot of mutiny was played too many time.

[@sij809]

@@sjoormen1 crimson tide? I'm curious when you watched it. Wouldn't be fair to say it's been played too many times if the movies you watched were made after.

[@sjoormen1]

@@sij809 I'm not sure, but I don't think so. Truth be told I wached mostly old movies, from 50, to 80s. New films... I kinda stopped waching movies few back... I'd say that there may be some 20 original story ideas, rest are remakes... might be wrong, butI got that impression

[@adrianbrowne7874]

Gene Hackman's performance in 'The Conversation' as the surveillance operative, whose intrusive behaviour, ultimately sends him 'over the edge' remains of the most compelling performances i have ever seen!!

[@jonnyspen8403]

Kevin Costner once said that the biggest star he ever acted with was Sean Connery - but the greatest actor was Gene Hackman.

[@debbywillan5165]

The blind hermit in Young Frankenstein is a favorite.

[@traceya9615]

😂Yes, he is absolute class.

[@Jeremy-f3s]

This is actually the first time ive ever seen him interviewed despite having seen many films with him in them. Im surprised at how freindly and talkative he is having seen him play so many gruff characters that dont talk alot.

[@G58]

Gene’s performances in BAT 21 and Enemy of The State were exceptional.

[@pete4205]

An absolute gentleman, and a formidable actor.

[@martinobrien7110]

The Conversation Game Over .

[@martinmcdonald4207]

Excellent movie.

[@OrcmanRepugnant]

One of the very best ever.

[@melvert33]

He's great in Unforgiven...to English Bob "you been talkin bout the Queen again...on the 4th July" bam!

[@oliverwells7342]

One of the greatest without doubt. Thank you Gene for all the time spent watching your brilliance.

[@davedempster7658]

Not many legend actors out there now, but Gene is certainly one of them. A term I don't use often for actors.

[@jeshkam]

French Connection 2 is a wonderful sequel, especially the detox scenes.

[@donaldduck7461]

I like when the old girl nicks his watch.

[@martinmcdonald4207]

Wogan was up there with Parky as the best interviewer ever. When you look at the idiots today it`s a sad reflection on the times we live in.

[@angelastegmayr6987]

One of the best... No Scandals , No Drugs , No Alkohol etc.... Retired from Hollywood Years ago.... Just good acting and Charisma.. Down to Earth Guy... 94 Years old ! If you compare him with Guys like Johnny Depp there are Worlds between them... Hope he enjoys his last Years on Earth

[@pikebishop8516]

The freedom to express yourself, money, women, art, politics in confort... Nostalgia is not what it used to be.

[@iskrajackal9049]

One of my all time favourites. Brilliant in Mississippi Burning, The Firm, so many great parts that Gene totally owned

[@seancondon3740]

Funny that Wogan would say, you'll never better French Connection, in 1986, and then he makes Mississippi Burning in 1988 and Unforgiven in 1992, winning another Oscar...fantastic actor, Gene Hackman.

[@peternagy-im4be]

French Connection remains the standout

[@gerardwalsh2369]

One of my favourites.....when he appears on screen.... He steels that moment.....a genuine person.

[@neavius]

When actors were bloody well actors - the whole 50s,60, 70s scene in film allowed greatness to rise… never will be repeated

[@igg3937]

Gene Hackman is a very gene-uine guy.

[@Kayem967]

Shame on you lol

[@robandchristheateam5053]

Can’t stop reading the countless praises of this wonderful human being. I echo his greatness.

[@brianbozo2447]

If I saw there was a film with Gene Hackman I would absolutely have to see it. Genes performances were always riveting. You would think someone like Tarantino would want to have someone of his quality in his films.

[@manuellaopao8036]

......he is a class of his own...one of the best in his generation....

[@eddieingalls534]

He must have immediately put Wogan at peace, as it's clear Hackman is going to take part in the interview in a very nice, entertaining way.

[@johngalvin3124]

Agreed. And Terry Wogan was the most skilled interviewer ever.

[@maxpain73]

True great,never any fuss or disgrace.a joy to watch.

[@allisterwhitehead]

I love the fact you could hear police sirens in the background.

[@adriansal3524]

Living legend

[@Danthehorse]

Loved him in The Birdcage too.

[@jameschesterton]

He never did better 'The French Connection', but he was consistently brilliant for the remainder of his career.

[@LarryFleetwood8675]

Poseidon Adventure and countless other, always the same strong focus. Best US screen actor ever, Id say.

[@frankspeakmore7104]

I think Crimson Tide gives French Connection a close run.

[@therealisation5500]

Bite the bullet was on the TV yesterday fantastic From the Conversation to the unforgiving and of course the french connection Mr Hackman is one of my most favourite actors

[@johnoshea470]

My favourite actor ever , an absolute legend ❤

[@CelticTerry1]

I wonder if he was filming Superman IV in England at the time of this interview.

[@allthatjazzshow3299]

Thank you for uploading!

[@stephengiese7549]

He put in his time as an actor. It is well deserved to now enjoy life and do what you want and have some fun too. Enjoyed all his film work. He really enjoyed doing this and I really enjoyed watching😀

[@Arfabiscuit]

Thr French connection is a master piece

[@TrumptonMayor]

He made a film called I Never Sang For My Father which is absolutely superb.❤

[@flashtheoriginal]

He is magnificent in The Firm. A superstar

[@alexdavies7394]

Thanks for sharing! Gene Hackman comes across as friendly enough in this interview. But he was allegedly an unpredictable person to work with.

[@rolandblythe8032]

Loved a film called Narrow Margin and Missippi Burning

[@Fopdoodle-vr1zx]

Yep, watched it (Narrow Margin) a few nights ago. Great scene with James B. Sikking having drinks & bribery.

[@MichaelYoung-gl8ou]

Missed watch Gene Hackman's movies. Legendary stuff.

[@Tonysmithmusic]

one of the greatest actors of all time.

[@stevecampbell6294]

Gene Hackman and Jack Lemmon my 2 favourite actors.

[@nedleyolpal]

Great actor my favourite along with Lawrence Olivier, Deniro

[@Chris-f7s2y]

I’d forgotten about that Wogan Combe-over haircut. Hilarious, and so 1970s.

[@jamesbyrne9312]

It literally tells you this is 1986 interview

[@leecousins7805]

Great actor played in some off the greatest movies of all time ie french connection 1 and 2 Mississippi Burning the conversation unforgiven enemy of the state Runaway jury the list goes on👏

[@Catharguy]

Don't forget Crimson Tide of course. ;)

[@leecousins7805]

@@Catharguy off course great film

[@danabrahams7892]

'We made some interesting films'... understatement of the century - what a legend

[@ROCKINGMAN]

Gene Hackman is one of those Hollywood greats, the roles he's played, the films and the presence. Always a scene stealer.

[@ppuh6tfrz646]

What an actor he is!

[@stephencardwell952]

Was, although he's still with, retirement beaconed.

[@ppuh6tfrz646]

@@stephencardwell952 I didn't want to talk of him in the past tense.

[@alphabetaxenonzzzcat]

Great as Harry Caul in The Conversation.

[@stephencardwell952]

Gene so rarely was the leading role, but he always stood out and was so credible in the parts he played. My big favourite was his movie "Heist" ... ( He played the leading role, and he was so cool... the best ! )

[@rosselliswilkinson]

Gene did a lot of leading roles in the 70s and 80s, he did win best actor for the French Connection, in later years he took on supporting roles

[@davidbraithwaite9281]

Remember seeing Crimson Tide in the cinema back in the 90s. The scene where he's arguing with Denzel just had me captivated. The original Superman film was the first film we rented on VHS back in the day when i was a kid and again such a charismatic performance. That's besides the other legendary films he's been in that others have mentioned in the comments. Legend.

[@razakhalid4265]

Terry Wogan looks like a movie star too

[@petersmith-yg7me]

Fantastic actor.

[@jantollefsen1567]

He was 56 years of age then. He is 94 years old now. Great actor.

[@johnanthonydorgan]

He is one of the greats. Any film with him in it is always watchable because of it. Retired way too early though 😢

[@endeckerBM]

Fantastic actor. One of the all-time greats; I've never seen him in any role where he did anything less than knock it out of the park.

[@Johnny-rj6ou]

French Connection, The Conversation, Mississippi Burning, The Birdcage. And then there's The Untouchables. Great movies.

[@Fopdoodle-vr1zx]

LEGEND of the screen. Always grabs your attention, interesting in everything he does. Miss him now he's retired. Grew up watching him, Clint & Charlie B. Great movie stars. All the film stars now are so clean cut, dare I say boring. There I said it. Great interview, very open, not pretentious. Apparently he's pretty shy off screen.

[@kenmills4977]

One of the great American actors. I once heard Michael Caine describe himself as "the English equivalent of Gene Hackman" 🤣🤣🤣 Truly deluded

[@bored1ca]

One of my favorite actors. Some people would disagree but I always wanted to see him work with Quentin Tarantino, even if it was just a small role.

[@MrPicklerwoof]

Tarantino wrote some of his dialogue in Crimson Tide, so at least he got to experience his writing to some degree.

[@bored1ca]

@@MrPicklerwoof 😮Well I'll be damned....

[@BeardLAD]

5:01 Gene (and his life) would be a great example for anyone today who is unfortunately trapped by illusions of success through fame. The timestamp is just one standout example provided by Gene, and it eludes to where a man or woman’s focus needs to NOT be, for achieving success: success is not so much about ignoring ‘the money’, either, but that’s a good start!

[@MadBrit26]

Fantastic actor and hope he’s enjoying retirement but would love an interview after all these years.

[@anthonydry5265]

Legend.

[@TS-1267]

... Gene Hackman had that Coolness About Him... Brilliant Actor Indeed 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@solsol1624]

One of my favourite actors, pity he retired so long ago but of course it's his life😊

[@68blues]

Great guy!

[@Filmmaker809]

Loved Gene in every film he made like everyone here. He is now retired and writes books.

[@smudge0161]

Enemy of the State: Superb Film

[@watchlover8297]

Mississippi Burning is a brilliant film because of Gene.

[@stavrosavgousti8887]

One of my favourite actors of all time.

[@Michael-mm3fm]

Enemy of the State, my favourite film mostly down to this great, great actor’s performance.

[@daviddavies2072]

Good interview, very interesting 👍

[@craigfayers6735]

Can play the good guy and bad guy equally brilliantly! I personally love him in Crimson Tide.

[@mrpaolobafico]

probably my favourite actor of all, definitely top 3

[@KiernanDavid]

Fine actor.tough as nails.seen nearly all his films.

[@onehungrypanda316]

He sounds so suave lol

[@stormytempest6521]

OUTSTANDING ACTOR !

[@letmetellyousomething123]

Just a brilliant actor. Lovely man.