Gene Hackman’s ‘Connection’ to Baltimore Remembered as Beloved Actor Dies at 95

By DONNA BALANCIA

BALTIMORE  – Gene Hackman who among his many acting roles, played an ex-NSA agent in “Enemy of the State,” which was filmed in Baltimore, passed away at 95, it was announced Thursday. The death of Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and one of their dogs is under investigation, according to the Santa Fe, N.M. Sheriff’s Office.

Hackman won two Academy Awards over his decades-long acting career. His first was a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Popeye Doyle in the 1971 film “The French Connection.” He received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the role of “Little Bill” Daggett in the 1992 Clint Eastwood-directed picture “Unforgiven.”

But for Hackman, there were many productions in between those Oscars, as well as before and after. Hackman, whose career encompassed work on Broadway as well as TV, had a reputation for playing audience-enamoring, heroic characters whose flaws lie just below the surface.

Even in comedic film roles like his cameo in “Young Frankenstein” (1974) and his Golden Globe-winning role in “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001), he brought sincerity and depth, which connected with the viewer. His career on Broadway was built on comedy and he incorporated that talent into his film work. Action-adventure fans know Hackman as the evil Lex Luther in “Superman IV: The Quest For Peace” (1987), a role which gave Hackman the chance to let loose with camp and humor.

In the Baltimore production “Enemy of the State,” Hackman played the slick Edward Brill Lyle, a counter-surveillance expert and former NSA agent. Hackman delivered a gritty performance whose character is on a mission to protect labor lawyer Robert Clayton Dean, played by Will Smith.

Principal photography on the film, directed by Tony Scott for then-Disney division Touchstone Pictures, took place in various Baltimore locations, including aboard a ferry in Fell’s Point, as well as Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. The picture was released in 1998 and many of the top names in Hollywood participated, including Regina King, Jon Voight, Gabriel Byrne, Lisa Bonet, Tom Sizemore and Larry King.

In his retirement years, Hackman and his wife of 34 years, pianist Arakawa, 63, lived in Santa Fe, N.M., where they led a quiet life away from Hollywood. Hackman started a career as a writer and kept physically active even in his 90s.

But throughout his remarkable life and amazing accomplishments on screen and off he kept humble.

“If I start to become a star, I’ll lose contact with the normal guys I play best,” he once said.

Hackman’s daughter, Elizabeth, told news sources she believed the couple may have died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Watch the ‘Enemy of the State’ trailer here: