These 10 Roles Prove Gene Hackman Was One Of Hollywood’s Best Villain Actors

The recent news of Gene Hackman‘s tragic death at the age of 95 marked the passing of one of popular culture’s most preeminent cinematic bad guys. Receiving five Academy Award nominations and winning two across a successful career that spanned more than four decades, Hackman’s best movies saw him produce iconic turns in the likes of Unforgiven, I Never Sang for My Father, and Mississippi Burning to rubber-stamp his status as one of cinema’s most respected faces.

While the late, great Hackman will always remain inextricably linked with his career-best role of hard-boiled anti-hero Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in 1971’s The French Connection, the Enemy of the State star also garnered a reputation for playing a diverse array of first-rate villains. By the time Hackman had retired from acting in 2004, his film credits read like a who’s-who of iconic silver-screen antagonists, whether the actor was playing Superman’s arch-nemesis, a murderous slaughterhouse operator, or a ruthless sheriff.

10

John Herod

The Quick And The Dead (1995)

The Quick and the Dead

Release Date: February 9, 1995
Runtime: 107 Minutes
Writers: Simon Moore

An ill-fated revisionist Western from Evil Dead director Sam Raimi, 1995’s The Quick and the Dead has been more kindly reappraised by critics in recent years. However, despite boasting an ensemble cast including Sharon Stone, Russell Crowe, and a baby-faced Leonardo DiCaprio, the movie was a disastrous box office bomb and only received middling reviews upon initial release; a state of affairs that could have been even worse without the committed efforts of Gene Hackman as John Herod.

Leonardo DiCaptrio in The Quick and the Dead

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A prolific quick-draw sharpshooter, Hackman’s outlaw-turned-mayor rules the town of Redemption with an iron fist against the backdrop of Raimi’s wacky Western. He had to sidestep virtually every genre trope in the book to do it, but the actor gamely persisted to produce one of his most colorful villains, serving to elevate this chaotic offering above its more prevalent shortcomings.

9

Dr. Lawrence Myrick

Extreme Measures (1996)

Extreme Measures

Release Date: September 27, 1996
Runtime: 118 minutes
Director: Michael Apted
Writers: Tony Gilroy
Producers: Andrew Scheinman

Gene Hackman

Dr. Lawrence Myrick
Sarah Jessica Parker

Jodie Trammel

A crime-thriller from Michael Apted, Hackman’s bow as Doctor Lawrence Myrick in 1996’s Extreme Measures is one of the actor’s more obscure roles, as well as a front-runner for his most twisted villain. A neurology professor encountered by Hugh Grant’s Doctor Guy Luthan, Myrick heads an organization that performs non-consensual experiments on homeless people in an attempt to find a cure for paralysis, a procedure that invariably results in the test subject’s death.

Extreme Measures holds a score of 6.2 on IMDb.

Hackman’s morally devoid charge is the bright spot in a middle-of-the-road thriller, playing off his co-star with textbook ease to highlight his innate skill for playing villains of all varieties. The contrasting nature of his character’s reputation as a respected medical man with his sinister behind-the-scenes predilections makes for a notably unsettling villain, one who arguably serves as the star of the show despite Grant’s top billing.

8

Buck Barrow

Bonnie And Clyde (1967)

Bonnie and Clyde

Release Date: July 18, 1967
Runtime: 111 minutes
Director: Arthur Penn
Writers: David Newman, Robert Benton, Robert Towne
Producers: Warren Beatty

Warren Beatty

Bonnie Parker
Faye Dunaway

Clyde Barrow

A groundbreaking outing that is regarded as one of the first movies of the New Hollywood era, 1967’s crime-drama Bonnie and Clyde also plays host to a performance that underlines why Gene Hackman was one of cinema’s greatest villain actors. Charged with bringing Clyde Barrow’s elder brother Buck to life, Hackman’s exemplary breakout turn as this memorable career criminal saw him receive an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination in what was only his sixth credited feature film appearance.

Gene Hackman’s Oscar Nominations by Year	Category	Result
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)	Best Supporting Actor	Nominated
I Never Sang for My Father (1970)	Best Supporting Actor	Nominated
The French Connection (1971)	Best Actor	Won
Mississippi Burning (1988)	Best Actor	Nominated
Unforgiven (1992)	Best Supporting Actor	Won

A glorious star-making performance that would establish Hackman as a face to watch moving forward, the actor’s scene-stealing combination of menace and manners meant that Buck remained one of his most widely celebrated roles even as his career progressed to new heights. The quintessential romanticized criminal, Clyde’s blend of laconic humor and hard-boiled toughness is one of this classic outing’s most memorable aspects.

7

Brandt Ruger

The Hunting Party (1971)

The Hunting Party

Release Date: July 16, 1971
Runtime: 111 minutes
Director: Don Medford
Writers: William W. Norton
Producers: Arnold Laven, Arthur Gardner

Candice Bergen

Melissa Ruger
Gene Hackman

Brandt Ruger
Simon Oakland

Matthew Gunn

Arguably Hackman’s darkest Western movie role, 1971’s The Hunting Party saw the actor take on the twisted role of Brandt Ruger. A sadistic cattle baron, the movie chronicles Ruger’s attempts to track down the men who kidnapped his wife, with the help of a murderous posse and a selection of advanced new rifles to aid his pursuit.

…one of the actor’s more memorable villainous bows can be found at the heart of Medford’s movie.

A diabolical production from the mind of the late Don Medford, The Hunting Party is one of Hackman’s most violent outings. However, if one is willing to look past a literal lake of fake blood, one of the actor’s more memorable villainous bows can be found at the heart of Medford’s visceral Western movie. The Hunting Party is far from a flawless outing, but Hackman’s first-rate turn as the implacable Ruger serves as a notable highlight.

6

Monroe Cole

Welcome to Mooseport (2004)

Welcome to Mooseport

Release Date: February 24, 2004
Runtime: 110 minutes
Director: Donald Petrie
Writers: Tom Schulman, Doug Richardson

Welcome to Mooseport isn’t exactly the first film that comes to mind when thinking of a farewell appearance befitting of a cinematic standout like Gene Hackman. However, in addition to marking the actor’s final movie credit, the 2004 political satire serves as one of the more unlikely vessels for one of his less serious antagonists; Monroe Cole, the former President of the United States who finds himself in a heated race for a town’s mayorship against Ray Romano’s hardware store owner, Harold Harrison.

Welcome to Mooseport holds a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score of 13%.

While the movie was panned by critics, the lighthearted nature of Welcome to Mooseport’s premise allowed Hackman the freedom to flex his comedic muscles, resulting in one of his more unexpectedly memorable appearances as the movie’s primary antagonistic foil. Blending his usual gravitas with a wicked dose of humor, Hackman’s inimitable presence is the only thing that makes this dismal outing bearable.

5

Captain Frank Ramsey

Crimson Tide (1995)

Crimson Tide

Release Date: May 12, 1995
Runtime: 116 Minutes
Director: Tony Scott
Writers: Michael Schiffer

A fan-favorite performance that Hackman will always be remembered for, 1995’s Crimson Tide saw the actor play one of his more complex antagonists. Captain Frank Ramsey decidedly isn’t a villain of the Doctor Evil variety, but he’s still framed as the bad guy of Tony Scott’s submarine action-thriller, after the battle of wills that erupts between Hackman’s seasoned submarine commander and Denzel Washington’s new executive officer threatens an international nuclear crisis.

Hackman was a real-life military veteran; the actor lied about his age to enlist in the United States Marine Corps and served four and a half years as a field-radio operator.

Producing an electrifying performance that leverages his impressive chemistry with Washington to maximum effect, Ramsey is one of the actor’s most compelling bad guys. A testament to the actor’s ability to play layered, nuanced antagonists, Hackman’s part in this epic battle of wills carries one of the most underrated offerings of the 1990s from the moment that his character appeared onscreen.

4

Rankin Fitch

Runaway Jury (2003)

Runaway Jury

Release Date: January 16, 2003
Runtime: 127 minutes
Director: Gary Fleder
Writers: John Grisham, Brian Koppelman, David Levien, Rick Cleveland, Matthew Chapman

Hackman’s penultimate movie appearance, Gary Fleder’s legal thriller Runaway Jury placed the veteran actor in the boots of one of his most morally devoid charges. This took the form of the movie’s chief antagonist, Rankin Fitch, a corrupt jury consultant who uses his position to influence the outcome of legal proceedings. Fleder’s picture sees Hackman’s devious charge go up against John Cusack and Dustin Hoffman during a fraught court case concerning a mass shooting.

Runaway Jury is based on John Grisham’s 1996 novel, The Runaway Jury.

Fitch serves as one of Hackman’s most sinister villains; hardly a surprising state of affairs when one considers that the character is inspired by the works of the iconic novelist, John Grisham. Distracting the movie’s audience from some of its more blatant legal implausibilities with his committed performance, the actor’s shady turn as Fitch also bears the notable accolade of being the final serious villainous role from one of cinema’s quintessential bad guy actors.

3

Mary Ann

Prime Cut (1972)

Prime Cut

Release Date: June 1, 1972
Runtime: 84 minutes
Director: Michael Ritchie
Writers: Robert Dillon
Producers: Joe Wizan

Cast

Angel Tompkins

Clarabelle

Hackman’s work in 1972’s Prime Cut underlined the actor’s willingness to get down and dirty with the roles he selected, playing the leading villain in a controversial movie notorious for its graphic subject matter. The American was tasked with the role of “Mary Ann” in Joe Wizan’s unashamedly dark crime outing, a crooked slaughterhouse operator with a predilection for using his position for dastardly means.

The actor’s first project following his Oscar win for The French Connection, Mary Ann is a character brought to life at the height of his dramatic powers.

Prime Cut serves as the backdrop for one of the actor’s most colorful and memorable villainous performances. Hackman’s first movie following his Oscar win for The French Connection, Mary Ann is a character brought to life at the height of his considerable dramatic powers. There’s so much ridiculously explicit content in the shocking movie that it’s easy to get distracted, but Hackman’s gleefully wicked bow serves to keep the audience’s attention effortlessly grounded as Wizan’s twisted story plays out.

2

Lex Luthor

Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), & Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

Superman

Release Date: December 15, 1978
Runtime: 143 Minutes
Writers: Mario Puzo, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, David Newman, Leslie Newman, Robert Benton, Tom Mankiewicz

One of cinema’s earliest blockbuster supervillains, Hackman’s portrayal of Lex Luthor in three Superman movies from 1978 to 1987 underlined his status as one of cinema’s most celebrated and instantly recognizable faces. Charged with playing the nemesis to one of the most famous characters in the history of popular culture, Hackman threw himself into playing Luthor with a gleeful lack of restraint that resulted in one of his most memorable bows.

Placing the actor head-to-head with Christopher Reeves’ titular character, 1978’s Superman would spawn four sequels. A critical and commercial hit, Hackman’s superbly bonkers performance as Superman’s arch-enemy was a vital component in the original movie’s lasting success and influence. He would reprise his role on two separate occasions, 1980’s Superman II and 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, although neither appearance is as revered as his work in the series’ first installment.

1

Sheriff Bill “Little Bill” Daggett

Unforgiven (1992)

Unforgiven

Release Date: August 7, 1992
Runtime: 130 Mins
Writers: David Webb Peoples

Pitting Hackman against Western legend Clint Eastwood, the actor’s electric turn as the ruthless Sheriff “Little Bill” Daggett in 1992’s Unforgiven is widely regarded as a front-runner for his best performance, villainous or otherwise. Earning Hackman his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the American’s bow as Clint Eastwood’s foil produced one of the best Western movie villains of all time, a status quo that remains intact as of 2025.

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Gene Hackman utterly lost himself in bringing his memorable charge to life, a state of affairs that allegedly left his co-star, Morgan Freeman, afraid that Hackman was literally going to hurt him while in character as “Little Bill.” An eloquent and calculating antagonist of the highest order, Daggett’s conflicting nature as a man willing to plumb any moral depths to maintain law and order in his town presents one of the more complex bad guys that the genre has ever played witness to.

ByCineShout

10 John Herod