Reclusive actor Gene Hackman continued to enjoy his retirement in New Mexico this week while shopping for a fast food lunch.
The legendary two-time Oscar winner, 93, who hasn’t starred in a movie in nearly two decades, looked healthy and content as he bought lunch at a Wendy’s drive-thru, days after he was first seen in years.
The Superman star wore a red sweater, black vest, jeans and sneakers, completing his ensemble with a baseball cap and sunglasses as he stepped out.
Hackman, who has more than 100 credits to his name, was later seen jumping rope and dumping his trash for the day.
It was a rare sighting for the star: His last movie role was opposite Ray Romano and Christine Baranski in the 2004 comedy Welcome To Mooseport.
Icon: Reclusive actor Gene Hackman continued to enjoy his retirement in New Mexico this week while picking up a fast food lunch
Gunslinger: Two-time Oscar winner Hackman won Best Supporting Actor for his work as sadistic sheriff ‘Little’ Bill Daggett opposite Clint Eastwood in 1992’s Unforgiven (pictured)
On July 7 of the same year, he gave a rare interview to Larry King in which he announced that he had no new film projects and believed that his acting career was over.
Years later, he confirmed his retirement while promoting his third novel, Escape From Andersonville in 2008.
In 2011, he was asked by GQ if he would ever come out of retirement to make one more film, to which Hackman replied, “If I could do it in my own house, maybe, unmolested and just one or two people.” .’
Some initially thought the shocking decision had to do with their marriage. The movie star, who once admitted to having a hard time balancing his immense fame and family life, fell in love with a woman who worked at his gym (she was 31 years his junior) in the late ’80s, and the two they went on to become husband and wife in 1991.
And while at first glance, it seemed like Gene had decided to step out of the spotlight so he could settle down and become a family man, he later revealed that it actually had to do with a series of health issues he was secretly dealing with.
As it turns out, the Oscar-winning actor actually stopped acting due to the severe stress he was under, which became too much to handle after he started having problems with his heart.
However, he hasn’t completely stayed away from the industry, having narrated two Marine Corps documentaries: The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jima (2016) and We, The Marines (2017).
Stepping out: The legendary two-time Oscar winner, 93, who hasn’t starred in a movie in nearly two decades, looked healthy and content as he dumped out his trash.
Ask for it: The Superman star wore a red sweater, black vest, jeans and sneakers, completing his ensemble with a baseball cap and sunglasses as he stepped out
Leg up: Hackman, who has more than 100 credits to his name, was later seen jumping rope and dumping his trash for the day.
Sighting: Hackman has been retired from the acting world for nearly 20 years.
Field trip: Hackman wore sneakers as he jumped out of his car to dispose of his trash
Lunch break: Hackman was seen ordering his food at a drive-thru
Going out: The star was wearing jeans and a cap when she stepped out
Car: the star parked while dumping his trash
It was a rare sighting for the star: His last movie role was opposite Ray Romano and Christine Baranski in the 2004 comedy Welcome To Mooseport.
Hackman began his acting career nearly 70 years ago, joining the Pasadena Playhouse in 1956, where he befriended fellow aspiring actor Dustin Hoffman.
He eventually moved to New York in 1963 and began acting in various Off-Broadway plays and small roles on television.
The actor really made a name for himself in the 1970s, when he was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category for the 1970 film I Never Sang for My Father.
The following year he officially became a leading man and won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of New York City detective Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle in The French Connection.
He went on to have consistent work, including in Francis Ford Coppola’s disaster film The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Conversation (1974) before landing the role of supervillain Lex Luthor in 1978’s Superman: The Movie.
Back in the day: She eventually moved to New York and began acting in various Off-Broadway plays and smaller television roles in 1963. She is pictured in 1965.
Iconic: He officially became a leading man when he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of New York City detective Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle in The French Connection (1971).
Leading man: He continued to have consistent work, including in the disaster film The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation (1974; pictured)
Handsome: the talented actor can be seen in Deauville, France, back in 1981
In the 1980s, he starred in several films, including Reds (1981), Under Fire (1983), Hoosiers (1986), No Way Out (1987), and Mississippi Burning (1988).
The 1990s brought him his second Oscar when he won Best Supporting Actor for his work as sadistic sheriff ‘Little’ Bill Daggett opposite Clint Eastwood in 1992’s Unforgiven.
He rounded out that decade by also starring in Narrow Margin (1990), Geronimo: An American Legend (1993), The Firm (1993), The Chamber (1996), Wyatt Earp (1994), The Quick And The Dead (1995), Crimson Tide ( 1995), Get Shorty (1995), Absolute Power (1997), The Birdcage (1996) and Enemy Of The State (1998).
Hackman continued to be active in the early 2000s with roles in Behind Enemy Lines (2001), Heist (2001), Runaway Jury (2003), and even won the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy for The Royal Tenenbaums’ 2001.
