RELATED: Sloane From Ferris Bueller Quit Hollywood a Decade Ago. See Her Now. During his career, Hackman starred in many films that are classics today. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1971 film The French Connection and the award for Best Supporting Actor for 1992’s Unforgiven. He also appeared in the films Bonnie and Clyde, Mississippi Burning, the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, Hoosiers, and The Royal Tenenbaums. His last movie was 2004’s Welcome to Mooseport. Hackman didn’t retire because he was sick of acting but because it would be better for his health. In a 2009 interview with Empire, Hackman shared, “The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York. The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.” He told the magazine that after retirement, he spends his time fishing, painting, and watching “DVDs that my wife rents.” He added, “We like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Hackman and his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, have been married since 1991 and live in New Mexico. The actor has three children from his first marriage to Faye Maltese. In addition to being an actor, Hackman is a novelist. He has co-written three books with Daniel Lenihan and written two on his own. Hackman and Lenihan’s first book, Wake of the Perdido Star, was published in 1999 when Hackman was still acting. The other four books were released after retirement. His latest, Pursuit, hit shelves in 2013. For more celebrity news delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. Since leaving Hollywood, Hackman doesn’t make appearances or give interviews often, but there have been some instances. In 2019, he signed autographs for fans via Official Pix, and the company posted photos of him on Facebook. And, in early October of this year, Hackman spoke to the New York Post about the 50th anniversary of The French Connection, which was released on Oct. 7, 1971. The interview primarily focused on the famous car chase scene from the film, which director William Friedkin spoke about in-depth. “I haven’t seen the film since the first screening in a dark, tiny viewing room in a post-production company’s facility 50 years ago,” Hackman said. “The film certainly helped me in my career, and I am grateful for that.” He also said of the movie, “Filmmaking has always been risky—both physically and emotionally—but I do choose to consider that film a moment in a checkered career of hits and misses.” RELATED: The Biggest Celebrities Who Are in Their 90s, Then and Now.
