Gene Hackman in ‘I Never Sang for My Father’.Photo:RGR Collection / Alamy Stock Photo
RGR Collection / Alamy Stock Photo
The actor was known for his roles inBonnie and Clyde(1968),The French Connection(1972),Superman(1978),The Royal Tenenbaums(2001) and so many others. But in 2011, Hackman revealed that his mother never got to see him in any of the 80 films he made in his lifetime.
During an interview withGQ, theUnforgivenstar confirmed that his mother, Anna, had encouraged him to become an actor as a child, taking him to the movies and telling him she wanted to see him on the silver screen one day.
Gene Hackman at the 2003 Golden Globe Awards.Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
“I would have been 10,” Hackman said. “Things parents say to children are oftentimes not heard, but in some cases you pick up on things that your parent would like to see you have done.”
“Unfortunately my mom never saw me act,” he added. “So I’m sorry for that, but that’s the way it is.”
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Melvyn Douglas, Elizabeth Hubbard and Gene Hackman in ‘I Never Sang for My Father’.Columbia Pictures/Getty
Columbia Pictures/Getty
Hackman toldGQthat if he could pick one of his films for his mom to have seen, it would be 1970’sI Never Sang for My Father.
Hackman starred in the film as a college professor confronting his difficult relationship with his ailing father (Melvyn Douglas) in the wake of the death of his mother (Dorothy Stickney). The role earned the actor his second Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
“I thought it was a sensitive picture about family and relationships, and I think she would have been proud and happy to see that,” he said. “You’re fortunate sometimes to be able to do something in life that defines who you are and who your parents may have wanted you to be.
source: people.com
