MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

Photos of Gene Hackman, 93, looking unrecognizable go viral as Gen Z asks 'who's he'

The OG Lex Luthor has been away from the spotlight for almost two decades

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO: Hollywood royalty Gene Hackman is hale and healthy! The reclusive actor, who had celebrated his 93rd birthday in January looked to be in great spirits and amazing shape as he was spotted doing yard work and eating a sandwich. ‘The French Connection’ actor went at the yard with a shovel at his private estate, hours after he was spotted at a local Wendy’s, ordering a sandwich at the drive-thru and eating it in his car. He had then gone on to refill his car at the closest gas station.

This was a very rare spotting of the actor, who had last graced the screens 19 years ago in 2004’s ‘Welcome to Mooseport.’ Having been an important part of many of Hollywood’s celebrated films, such as ‘Superman,’ ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ and ‘Hoosiers,’ Hackman has since ridden off into the sunset and left show business behind. He now enjoys a private life in Santa Fe with musician wife Betsy Arakawa, with whom he has been married for more than three decades since 1991. For his lowkey outing, Hackman was seen in a grey pullover and a black zipper vest, which he paired with jeans and a baseball cap.

READ MORE

Tippi Hedren's birthday: Actress, 93, is 'devoted' grandma, mends relationship with daughter

'Detached from reality': Jack Nicholson's friends fear legend will die a recluse like Marlon Brando

Gene Hackman’s days away from the spotlight

His casual and very normal look and errand run are very on-brand with the ‘Unforgiven’ actor’s choice of a lowkey life and varied pursuits since he walked away from the red carpet. He is the author of a 2013 police thriller called ‘Pursuit,’ and a 2011 western ‘Payback at Morning Peak.’ He also has three other novels to his credit, which he co-wrote with undersea archeologist Daniel Lenihan. The actor has also taken to cycling, which is probably how to remain fit and slender even in his old age.

About his career-defining film ‘The French Connection’

While the award-winning movie had come out more than 50 years ago, it continues to live on in Hollywood legend as the film that gave us one of the best car chases of all time. However, Hackman seems to have a much more mellowed view of the film, with him even admitting that he saw it only once, many decades ago.

“[I] haven’t seen the film since the first screening in a dark, tiny viewing room in a post-production company’s facility 50 years ago,” he told New York Post, adding that “if the film has a legacy, I am not sure what that would be. At the time, it seemed to me to be a reverent story of a cop who was simply able to solve and put a stop to a major crime family’s attempt to infiltrate the New York drug scene.”