Tough guy's act had real connection

HE WAS the anti-hero, tough guy of Hollywood, who was once described as having the face of a truck driver but Gene Hackman, who starred in The French Connection, Superman and The Poseidon Adventure, was one of the film industry's most bankable and enduring stars over five decades.

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He won two Oscars and was nominated for another three and made more than 70 films, many of which were huge box office draws.

He shot to fame in Bonnie And Clyde at the end of the 1960s but retired from acting in 2004 on the advice of his cardiac doctor, opting to live a quiet life in New Mexico with his second wife, Betsy.

Born Eugene Allen Hackman in California in 1930, he moved in with his maternal grandmother in Illinois, after his parents divorce. His father, also Eugene, left the home and his mother Ann burned to death in a fire in 1962.