There is a good case to be made that Gene Hackman was arguably the finest American screen actor of the past 55 years. While the level of tributes and genuine praise attributed to his contribution to American screen acting, entirely warranted and deserved.

Gene Hackman properly made his mark by the late 1960s and into the early 1970s; one of a new breed of actors who began to make immediate inroads into Hollywood film-making. This was the era of the American New Wave, a period in which much more complex character driven and artistically street-wise films were being produced, that required new actors to reflect that change and alteration in approach.

Along with the likes of Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper, Robert Duvall, Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro, it was during that period, that Gene Hackman also began to attract attention. Yet, he was not your traditional leading man with matinee idol looks; with one critic describing him as closely resembling a burly, beer-guzzling truck driver.

Yet though he lacked the movie star glamor of a Warren Beatty, or a Robert Redford, he possessed something much more substantial. For he was gifted with a domineering (sometimes intimidating) power, presence and an air of solid gravitas, that greatly elevated all of the films that benefited from his participation.

I recall discussing his career on the old Scot FM (remember that former Leith based radio station?) many years ago, comparing him with the great Spencer Tracy; an actor who at first glance, possessed that average, ordinary everyman persona, which made him so relatable and identifiable on screen. For audiences, he was real and he was human, often excelling as gruff authority figures, quietly disguising either malevolent menace, or heartfelt benevolence in equal measures.

Certainly, for me, one of the sheer joys of regularly going to the cinema during much of the 70s/80s/90s, was watching an actor such as Gene Hackman, grabbing the attention of the audience with a fierce fury that would often shake you out of all expectations.

For there were few actors during that time, who could dominate the screen with such a forceful compelling intensity – not forgetting a surprising versatility - than Hackman. Here was a performer who combined the judicious blend of an unorthodox leading man, with being a consummate character actor; a reluctant and wary movie superstar, who was greatly respected (and at times) greatly feared by all who worked with him.

I always felt that if Gene Hackman was in a film, you were almost guaranteed that the quality of the story and characterization would be raised to a much higher level. He was also renowned throughout the industry as a hardworking, uncompromising and dedicated professional; an actor who strove to achieve honesty and truth through his performances.

Of course, in 1971, it was in his Oscar winning role as the bullish, aggressive rule-bending New York detective “Popeye” Doyle, that first turned him into a somewhat reluctant movie superstar.

Many of his other films are like a roll-call of some of the most popular and influential American films of the modern era that included: Bonnie And Clyde, The Poseidon Adventure, The Conversation, Young Frankenstein, Superman, Mississippi Burning and Unforgiven.

However, during his long career there are a number of less heralded films that are always worth catching (or re-catching) that displayed all of his talents and strengths.

For example: his vagabond traveler in Scarecrow, the horse loving cowboy in Bite The Bullet, the veteran basketball coach in Hoosiers, the Air force officer trapped behind Vietcong enemy lines in Bat 21, the Washington politician compromised and embroiled in a murder cover-up in No Way Out, the assistant DA protecting a murder witness in Narrow Margin, the belligerent nuclear submarine commander about to trigger WW3 in Crimson Tide and (echoing his earlier role in The Conversation) the older, cynical surveillance expert in Enemy Of The State.

Avoiding typecasting even found him embracing eccentric comedy, playing the feckless father attempting to re-connect with his family after a long absence, in The Royal Tenenbaums.

Not long after that, he appeared opposite his old buddy Dustin Hoffman, in the convoluted courtroom thriller Runaway Jury. The intense and corrosive confrontation between the two actors during a break in the court proceedings, is simply a textbook example of American screen acting at its purest.

He retired from acting in his mid-70s, and focused upon a new career as a novelist, in which he found some success. Even though he lived a long life, the recent tragic news of his death (and that of his wife) came as a bit of a shock to all who grew up watching and loving his movies.

However, he will always retain the affection, admiration and respect of generations of movie lovers, for his dedication to his craft, and for providing us with so many great screen moments and memories.

He was a hell of an actor, and his status as one of the greats is irrefutable. ■