Gene Hackman

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

“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.”

“Dysfunctional families have sired a number of pretty good actors.”

“My grandfather had been a newspaper reporter, as was my uncle. They were pretty good writers and so I thought maybe somewhere down the line I would do some writing.”

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

“It really costs me a lot emotionally to watch myself on screen. I think of myself, and feel like I'm quite young, and then I look at this old man with the baggy chins and the tired eyes and...”

“You go through stages in your career that you feel very good about yourself. Then you feel awful, like, 'Why didn't I choose something else?' But overall I'm pretty satisfied that I made the...”

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