Morgan Freeman leads tribute to Gene Hackman at the Oscars

By Hannah Roberts, PA Entertainment Reporter

Oscar winner Morgan Freeman paid tribute to actor Gene Hackman saying he was a “generous performer” who had “won the hearts of film lovers around the world”.

Hackman, a two-time Oscar winner, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead, along with one of their dogs, at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on February 26.

Taking to the stage at the 97th Oscars, ahead of the In Memoriam segment, Freeman, 87, said “this week our community lost a giant and I lost a dear friend”.

He added: “I had the pleasure of working with Gene on two films, Unforgiven and Under Suspicion, and like everyone who ever shared a scene with him, I learned he was a generous performer and a man whose gifts elevated everyone’s work.

“He received two Oscars, but more importantly, he won the hearts of film lovers all over the world. Gene always said, ‘I don’t think about legacy. I just hope people remember me as someone who tried to do good work’.

“So I think I speak for us all when I say, Gene, you’ll be remembered for that and for so much more. Rest in peace, my friend.”

Veteran Hollywood film stars paid tribute following his death including Clint Eastwood, who directed Hackman in western film Unforgiven, and Francis Ford Coppola, who wrote and directed the Oscar-nominated 1974 mystery thriller The Conversation, starring Hackman.

The film star, who was widely respected as one of the greatest actors of his generation, was a five-time Oscar nominee who won best actor in a Leading Role for The French Connection in 1972 and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Unforgiven two decades later.

Other stars featured in the In Memoriam segment included Dame Maggie Smith, known for prominent roles in the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey, who died aged 89 last year.

Also remembered was Oscar nominee Dame Joan Plowright, who died aged 95 in January.

The British actress, who was married to Lord Laurence Olivier, was known for her Golden Globe award-winning performances in TV biopic Stalin and Enchanted April, for which she was also nominated for an Academy Award.

The segment also paid tribute to The Hunger Games actor Donald Sutherland, Blade’s Kris Kristofferson, The Shining actress Shelley Duvall, Mulholland Drive director David Lynch, and more from the world of film.

The awards ceremony, this year hosted by US comedian Conan O’Brien, has recognised excellence in cinematic achievements since 1929.