In Hollywood, there are two main ways to judge an actor’s career, critical acclaim and box office receipts. Unfortunately for the movie studios, critics, and moviegoers alike, there aren’t too many actors who can accurately claim that they have succeeded in both of those arenas. After all, a lot of acclaimed actors don’t headline blockbuster films and far too many movie stars regularly give panned performances.
In terms of making blockbuster films, Gene Hackman can brag about headlining films like The French Connection, The Poseidon Adventure, Superman, and Enemy of the State among others. Hackman also has won two Oscars, four Golden Globes, two BAFTAs, and one SAG Award which makes him one of the most celebrated actors of his generation. Of course, it should go without saying that some marvelous actors have never won an Oscar. Still, the number of awards that Hackman has won says an awful lot about his skills.
After spending several decades in the spotlight, Gene Hackman suddenly stepped away from the limelight. Amazingly enough, most people have no idea why Hackman retired from acting, what he has been up to in the years since, and how much money he is worth today. That is pretty amazing considering how beloved Hackman was at the height of his career.
His Second Career
In the years since Gene Hackman made 2004’s Welcome to Mooseport, he has completely given up acting professionally. That said, Hackman has still contributed to a pair of movies by narrating two documentaries that were released in 2016 and 2017. Those two small projects aside, a lot of film fans may assume that Hackman has been retired for the last decade and a half. As it turns out, however, that simply isn’t the case.
Since acting is an art form, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that a lot of movie stars are skilled at similar disciplines. For example, a lot of actors are talented writers, including Gene Hackman. In fact, Hackman has written three historical fiction novels with undersea archaeologist Daniel Lenihan and a pair of novels by himself.
During a 2014 interview with writersbone.com, Hackman explained that he became a writer to remain relevant. Of course, he might have been joking when he said that but it is hard to tell since the interview was published in written form. However, it is clear that Hackman feels his acting experience helped with “the exploration of character” and that he is influenced by people like Twain, Hemingway, and the great Elmore Leonard.
Hackman’s Net Worth
At the height of Gene Hackman’s acting career, he was a pretty massive star. As a result, over time the studios realized that they had to back a money truck up to the front of his house if they wanted him to star in their projects.
On top of the money that Hackman made during his acting career, it seems safe to assume that his writing career has been very financially rewarding as well. After all, publishing companies have a long history of offering celebrities big-money deals. With all of that in mind, it makes sense that Hackman has a fortune worth $80 million according to celebritynetworth.com.
Reason For Retirement
In the years that immediately followed Gene Hackman’s decision to retire from acting after he made Welcome to Mooseport, very little was known about his reasons. As a result, a lot of people assumed that Hackman retired because he found making Welcome to Mooseport to be a miserable experience. After all, it is well known that Sean Connery gave up acting largely due to how much he hated making the movie The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen
In 2020, Gene Hackman finally revealed the ultimate reason why he chose to quit acting when he did. However, since it had been more than fifteen years since Hackman retired from acting, most people had long since stopped trying to figure out why Gene stepped away. As a result, most Hackman fans are still unaware that Hackman has revealed the main reason he stopped acting when he did.
During a 2020 Empire interview, revealed that “the straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that (he) took in New York”. After that test, Hackman’s “doctor advised (him) that (his) heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that (he) should be putting it under any stress”. Of course, Hackman already was in his mid-70s when his doctor told him that so he may have been considering retirement anyway. Either way, when Gene’s doctor warned him about his heart, he had a very compelling reason to pack it in.