Bonnie and Clyde

He and his wife, Katherine, are good lefty activists, and the radicalism of films such as “Bonnie and Clyde” fit them comfortably.

Hackman shot to fame in Bonnie and Clyde at the end of the 60s and was rarely out of work - in films like The French Connection, Mississippi Burning and Superman.

When Robert Kennedy was assassinated in 1968, President Johnson cited Arthur Penn’s film “Bonnie and Clyde” as a potential cause of national violence, rather than a reflection of the national mood.

Hackman was known for such movies as The French Connection, The Conversation, Bonnie and Clyde, Mississippi Burning and Superman, but had not starred in a film since his retirement from acting in 2004.

He bounced through his early triumphs “Bonnie and Clyde” and “The French Connection” and was just getting started.