‘He let us hate him’: Gene Hackman had a rare power – he didn’t need to be liked | David Thomson The former marine was able to plumb depths of nastiness that set him apart from other ‘hard men’ actors of his generation, such as Robert Duvall and Clint Eastwood, writes David Thomson

Age shall not wither, nor custom die.
And you thought Tyrone Power was a joke name, but hey, Gene Hackman... There's a hard name, a good working name. #Hackman #TookNoPrisoners #DavidThomson @theguardian.com
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