In pictures: Hollywood legend Gene Hackman on the silver screen

Hollywood legend Gene Hackman, his wife and their dog have been found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

In a career spanning more than six decades, the much-loved actor won a number of gongs - including two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globes, and one Screen Actors Guild Award.

Here are some of his best-known roles:

The French Connection

Hackman, 95, won a best actor Oscar for his performance as Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in The French Connection.

The 1971 action thriller, directed by William Friedkin (The Exorcist), follows two dogged New York Police Department detectives as they aim to take down a French heroin smuggler.

The Poseidon Adventure

Hackman played Reverend Frank Scott in the 1972 disaster film.

The movie follows a group of passengers who find themselves fighting for survival after a rogue wave capsizes aging ocean liner SS Poseidon during its final voyage from New York to Athens before being scrapped.

The ensemble cast featured five Oscar winners, including Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Albertson, Shelley Winters and Red Buttons.

Superman

Hackman stole the show as villainous Lex Luthor opposite Christopher Reeve in the 1978 movie Superman.

His performance earned him a best supporting actor BAFTA nomination.

Hackman portrayed the Man of Steel's arch nemesis two more times, in 1980 (Superman II) and 1987 (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace).

Mississippi Burning

Mississippi Burning is set in 1964 and revolves around the disappearance of three civil rights workers - loosely based on a real-life murder investigation.

The 1988 crime thriller follows two FBI agents as they are met with hostility by the fictional town's residents, local police and the Ku Klux Klan.

Hackman earned a best actor Oscar nomination for his performance as FBI agent Rupert Anderson.

The Unforgiven

The Unforgiven was a smash hit at the box office in 1992.

Hackman picked up the best supporting actor Oscar for his performance as Sheriff "Little" Bill Daggett.

Clint Eastwood's western won an additional three Academy Awards, including best picture, best director and best film editing.

The movie, also starring Morgan Freeman, follows aging outlaw and killer William "Bill" Munny (Eastwood) who takes on one more job to avenge an injustice.

Read more:
Oscar-winning actor and wife found dead at home with their dog

The Firm

John Grisham's legal thriller The Firm was given the silver screen treatment in 1993 with Hackman going toe-to-toe against Tom Cruise.

The movie follows promising Harvard Law graduate Mitch McDeere (Cruise) who joins a prestigious law firm only to discover that it has a sinister dark side.

Unlike in Grisham's novel, Hackman's role of Avery Tolar is more of a reluctant villain than downright baddie.

The Quick And The Dead

Unlike The Unforgiven, western The Quick And The Dead failed to dominate the box office and received mixed reviews from critics.

Directed by Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Spider-Man), the 1995 action film revolves around a female gunfighter who returns to a frontier town to take part in a shooting tournament to avenge her father's death.

Hackman, playing ruthless outlaw-turned-mayor John Herod, is joined by Sharon Stone, Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Crimson Tide

Directed by Tony Scott, Denzel Washington clashes with Hackman in this 1995 submarine action thriller.

The movie - which parallels a real-life incident during the Cuban Missile Crisis - takes place on a US nuclear missile submarine and sees a young officer (Washington) staging a mutiny to prevent his trigger-happy captain (Hackman) from launching the boat's weapons before confirming his orders to do so.

The movie earned composer Hans Zimmer a Grammy Award for the main theme.

Absolute Power

Eastwood once again takes on Hackman in 1997 political thriller Absolute Power.

Eastwood, also behind the camera, plays a master jewel thief who witnesses the death of a woman involving the crooked president of the United States (Hackman).

The cat-and-mouse thriller, based on David Baldacci's novel, also stars Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Scott Glenn and Judy Davis.

Runaway Jury

Based on Grisham's 1996 novel of the same name, Runaway Jury pits Hackman against long-time friend Dustin Hoffman.

The 2003 movie sees Hackman portray shady jury consultant Rankin Fitch, with Hoffman playing rival attorney Wendell Rohr in the trial against a gun manufacturer.

In the legal thriller, Hackman's character meets his match in a couple played by John Cusack and Rachel Weisz, who appear to be able to sway the jury to deliver any verdict they want.

The Royal Tenenbaums

The Royal Tenenbaums boasts a stacked cast that includes Hackman, Owen and Luke Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Danny Glover and Ben Stiller.

The 2001 Wes Anderson comedy-drama follows the lives of three gifted siblings who experience great success in youth, and even greater disappointment and failure in adulthood.

Hackman won a Golden Globe for his performance as eccentric father Royal Tenenbaum.

(c) Sky News 2025: In pictures: Hollywood legend Gene Hackman on the silver screen