News See Photos of Gene Hackman Through the Years By Madeline Boardman Madeline Boardman Madeline Boardman is a former digital features director at Entertainment Weekly. She left EW in 2017. EW's editorial guidelines Published on January 30, 2017 09:28AM EST Close 01 of 40 Gene Hackman Through the Years Born in California in 1930, Gene Hackman celebrates his 87th birthday Monday. Pictured here in the 1960s, the actor made his on-screen debut in 1961, landing early roles in The United States Steel Hour, The Defenders, and Bonnie and Clyde. In the decades since, Hackman has racked up two Oscars and three Golden Globes. See photos of the star through the years, ahead. 02 of 40 Gene Hackman in 1968 Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 03 of 40 Gene Hackman With Robert Redford in Downhill Racer in 1969 04 of 40 Gene Hackman in Reno, Nevada on October 29, 1969 29,1969 in Reno, Nevada. (Photo by Santi Visalli/Getty Images 05 of 40 Gene Hackman in 1970 06 of 40 Gene Hackman With Director William Friedkin on the Set of The French Connection in 1971 Stanley Bielecki Movie Collection/Getty Images 07 of 40 Gene Hackman in The French Connection in 1971 08 of 40 Gene Hackman on January 16, 1972 09 of 40 Gene Hackman in Prime Cut in 1972 10 of 40 Gene Hackman on March 24, 1972 George Brich/AP 11 of 40 Gene Hackman With Faye Maltese at the 44th Academy Awards on April 10, 1972 12 of 40 Gene Hackman With Ernest Borgnine, Arthur O'Connell, Carol Lynley, Red Buttons, Jack Albertson, Roddy McDowall, Shelley Winters, Stella Stevens, and Pamela Sue Martin in The Poseidon Adventure in 1972 13 of 40 Gene Hackman With Al Pacino on the Set of Scarecrow in 1973 Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 14 of 40 Gene Hackman With Daughters Elizabeth and Leslie at a Celebrity Baseball Game in Hollywood in the Early 1970s Frank Edwards/Archive Photos/Getty Images 15 of 40 Gene Hackman With Fay Maltese at the 45th Annual Academy Awards on March 27, 1973 Ron Galella/WireImage 16 of 40 Gene Hackman on December 7, 1973 Evening Standard/Getty Images 17 of 40 Gene Hackman in The Conversation in 1974 18 of 40 Gene Hackman With Liza Minnelli at the University Club in Mexico City on June 26, 1975 19 of 40 Gene Hackman With Burt Reynolds on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on December 15, 1976 20 of 40 Gene Hackman in Superman in 1978 21 of 40 Gene Hackman With Christopher Reeve at the Premiere of Superman in Los Angeles on December 15, 1978 Reed Saxon/AP 22 of 40 Gene Hackman at the Pro-Celebrity Race in Long Beach, California on March 14, 1981 Rasmussen/AP 23 of 40 Gene Hackman in 1983 ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images 24 of 40 Gene Hackman in Chicago on May 10, 1985 25 of 40 Gene Hackman on the Set of Mississippi Burning on May 6, 1988 Robert R. McElroy/Getty Images 26 of 40 Gene Hackman With Betsy Arakawa at the Berlin Wall on March 13, 1989 27 of 40 Gene Hackman at the 61st Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 29, 1989 Ron Galella/WireImage 28 of 40 Gene Hackman With Gerald Ford at the Mission Hills Celebrity Sports Invitational in Rancho Mirage, California on November 30, 1991 alifornia, United States. (Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage 29 of 40 Gene Hackman in Unforgiven in 1992 Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images 30 of 40 Gene Hackman With Clint Eastwood at the 18th Annual LA Film Critics Association Awards in Hollywood on January 19, 1993 Kypros/Getty Images 31 of 40 Gene Hackman at the 65th Academy Awards on March 29, 1993 32 of 40 Gene Hackman With Jay Leno on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on July 23, 1993 Margaret Norton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images 33 of 40 Gene Hackman With Betsy Arakawa at the 66th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 21, 1994 Ron Galella/WireImage 34 of 40 Gene Hackman in Los Angeles on 1996 Ron Davis/Getty Images 35 of 40 Gene Hackman With Clint Eastwood on the Set of Absolute Power in 1997 Courtesy Everett Collection 36 of 40 Gene Hackman in New York on January 31, 1998 Jim Cooper/AP 37 of 40 Gene Hackman With Anjelica Huston in The Royal Tenenbaums in 2001 38 of 40 Gene Hackman at the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards on January 19, 2003 Chris Haston/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images 39 of 40 Gene Hackman at the Runaway Jury Press Conference in New Orleans on September 19, 2003 Vera Anderson/WireImage 40 of 40 Gene Hackman at the Next House ESPN The Magazine Party on February 4, 2005 Evan Agostini/Getty Images