“Bonnie and Clyde” (1967)

In one of his first big-screen roles, Gene Hackman earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor as the older brother of Warren Beatty’s bank robber Clyde Barrow.

“Downhill Racer” (1969)

Robert Redford stars as a narcissistic skier, while Hackman plays the Olympic coach trying to hold the team together.

“I Never Sang for My Father” (1970)

Hackman earned his second Oscar nomination playing a professor seeking to re-establish his connection to his difficult, now ailing father in an adaptation of Robert Anderson’s hit Broadway play.

“The French Connection” (1971)

Hackman graduated to Hollywood leading man with his portrayal of a hardboiled NYPD narcotics detective named Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (loosely based on a real-life detective). William Friedkin’s film won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Hackman.

“The Poseidon Adventure” (1972)

Hackman was one of five Oscar winners cast in this disaster epic, playing a straight-talking...