Gene Hackman Played Tough Guys, but He Had a Soft Heart for Animals
Oscar-winning actor and author Gene Hackman, who passed away along with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their beloved dog, is best known for his roles such as the hard-nosed cop Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection and the supervillain Lex Luthor in Superman. But at PETA, we will always remember and admire him for his role as a vocal animal defender.
In 2010, Hackman joined PETA, True Blood’s Kristin Bauer, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Animal Protection of New Mexico, and other animal rights groups in speaking out against a cruel plan by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to transfer more than 200 “retired” chimpanzees from New Mexico to Texas—where they would likely have been used in painful, invasive experiments. Some of the chimpanzees who were at risk were 60 years old and were refugees from the space program. Others had been used in seatbelt crash tests decades ago.
In a letter to the NIH, Hackman wrote, “Scientists around the world have largely stopped experimenting on chimpanzees, in part because these animals just haven’t proven to be good models for human health research. The United States is the last developed country on earth still making large-scale use of chimpanzees in invasive experiments.”
“As you know, efforts to save the Alamogordo [chimpanzees] have drawn support from Gov. Bill Richardson, Sen. Tom Udall, and many other people around the state and across the country. I join them in urging you to fulfill the National Institutes of Health’s goal to ‘exemplify and promote the highest level of scientific integrity, public accountability, and social responsibility in the conduct of science’ by allowing these chimpanzees to live out their lives in the safety of a sanctuary.”
Though Hackman often played tough-guy characters, he had a soft heart for animals, especially dogs. While he was filming for The Replacements in Baltimore in 1999, two stray dogs wandered into the football stadium where the scene was taking place. After being fed a good meal, the strays were driven by a chauffeured limousine to a shelter, where they were named Gene and Keanu (after Hackman’s co-star in the film, Keanu Reeves). The next day, Hackman called the shelter about adopting the strays. He arranged to have his two current canine companions transported from New Mexico, where he lived, to Baltimore so they could meet their potential new family members. The dog named Gene hit it off with Hackman’s other pups, and soon became a part of their family.
Gene Hackman’s remarkable life is a reminder that the most important roles we play sometimes aren’t the ones everyone knows about. Let’s keep his kind-hearted spirit alive by always speaking out against cruelty and opting to adopt—never shop.
