Gene Hackman, 93, healthy as reclusive star seen for first time in years, two decades from last film

Reclusive actor Gene Hackman, 93, must have good genes, as he looked healthy when he was spotted for the first time in years, out and about in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Sunday.

The legendary two-time Oscar winner – who has not starred in a film for nearly two decades – seemed to be in great shape, doing yard work at his ranch with shovel in hand.

Before that, the retired actor enjoyed a fast food lunch at a parking lot in his white truck, after hitting a Wendy’s drive-thru.

The Royal Tenenbaums actor later fueled up in two different ways – as he both pumped gas and grabbed a coffee at a gas station.

Hackman – Hackman – who has over 100 credits to his name – was dressed perfectly for an active day out, sporting a black Columbia fleece sweater over a grey long sleeve t-shirt, blue jeans and black sneakers.

He made sure to protect himself from the sun as he also wore a pair of black sunglasses and a khaki-colored baseball cap.

His grey hair was tucked behind his ear under the headwear, and he wore his signature mustache. 

It was a rare sighting of the star – his last movie role was alongside Ray Romano and Christine Baranski in the 2004 comedy Welcome To Mooseport.

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 lined up and believed 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 do one more film, to which Hackman responded: ‘If I could do it in my own house, maybe, without them disturbing anything and just one or two people.’

He has not stayed completely away from the industry, however, as he has narrated two Marine Corps documentaries:  The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jima (2016) and We, The Marines (2017).

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 performing in several Off-Broadway plays and smaller TV roles.

The thespian truly made his name in the 1970s, when he was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category for the 1970 flick I Never Sang For My Father.

The following year he officially became a leading man, winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as New York City Detective Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle in The French Connection.

He went on to have consistent work, including in disaster film The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation (1974) before landing the role of supervillain Lex Luthor in 1978’s Superman: The Movie.

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 as he earned the Best Supporting Actor gong for his work as sadistic sheriff ‘Little’ Bill Daggett alongside 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 earned the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy for 2001’s The Royal Tenenbaums.