Gene Hackman's Quotes

Dysfunctional families have sired a number of pretty good actors.

The difference between a hero and a coward is one step sideways.

I went in the Marines when I was 16. I spent four and a half years in the Marines and then came right to New York to be an actor. And then seven years later, I got my first job.

Hollywood loves to typecast, and I guess they saw me as a violent guy.

I do not like assassins, or men of low character.

I don't like to talk about myself that much.

I don't see myself as a violent guy.

I have trouble with direction, because I have trouble with authority. I was not a good Marine.

I left home when I was 16 because I was looking for adventure.

I was trained to be an actor, not a star. I was trained to play roles, not to deal with fame and agents and lawyers and the press.

I'm disappointed that success hasn't been a Himalayan feeling.

I'm not a sentimental guy.

If I start to become a star, I'll lose contact with the normal guys I play best.

If you look at yourself as a star, you've already lost something in the portrayal of any human being.

My early days in Broadway were all comedies. I never did a straight play on Broadway.

My wife and I take what we call our Friday comedy day off. We watch standup comics on TV. The raunchier the better. We love Eddie Izzard.

The worst job I ever had was working nights in the Chrysler Building. I was part of a team of about five guys, and we polished the leather furniture.