Gene Hackman has died, aged 95, after one of the greatest careers in film acting.
The movies has lost one of its greats.
Here are 10 Hackman movie posters that collectors can pay tribute with.
1 - The French Connection
This original poster was auctioned for $375 in 2023. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
Director William Friedkin was desperate to get anyone but Hackman to play the lead in this 1971 thriller. In the end, it became one of the actor's defining role and his first Oscar (Friedkin also won an Oscar). It's a gritty, violent and very thrilling thriller.
2 - The Conversation
Good quality original promotional material for the Conversation is already valuable, and will cost you several hundred pounds.
Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 movie is generally accepted as a masterpiece now. Called a "paranoia film" and sometimes linked to the Nixon/Watergate revelations, the idea and script were completed years earlier.
3 - Unforgiven
Posters for Unforgiven can go for hundreds of pounds. Hackman was perfect for a film that put another dimension on western archetypes.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, Hackman won his second and final Oscar as a supporting actor in this 1992 revisionist western. It's a dark and mesmerizing view of the West in which Hackman stands out as a corrupt sheriff.
4 - Mississipi Burning
Hackman described the experience of making Mississippi Burning as intense.
Hackman was rarely a straightforward Good Guy, but he was at least on the right side in this gripping retelling of a racist murder during the Civil Rights campaigns of the 1960s. He's an FBI man determined to get a result. The movie was criticised for its handling of history, but a Los Angeles Times review has a great tribute to a great actor: "Hackman's mastery at suggesting an infinite number of layers beneath a wry, self-deprecating surface reaches a peak here."
5 - The Bird Cage
You can still find posters like this online for just tens of dollars.
What a cast! And, Gene shows triumphantly that he can do comedy in this 1996 Mike Nichols film. Not everything about this movie has aged brilliantly, but Hackman's performance as a conservative politician has.
6 - Night Moves
It's a great image, but Night Moves is not yet a collector's classic.
Night Moves was no hit on its 1975 release, but it's now recognised as a classic neo-noir. That's in no short measure down to Gene Hackman, whose performance was strong enough to get a BAFTA nod at the time, and is still celebrated today.
7 - The Royal Tenenbaums
This French lobby card perfectly captures Royal, and was listed for sale for under $100.
Wes Anderson's style isn't for everyone, but Gene Hackman's performance as Royal Tenenbaum was so good it transcended the director's quirks for many critics. He won several critics' awards, including the Golden Globe and the National Society of Film Critics awards, for the role.
Collecting movie memorabilia today
Posters are just one way to celebrate the talents of your favourite stars.
Autographs, signed photos, letters and documents, scripts, costumes... they can also come to market.
Top image courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
