John Wayne and Gene Hackman are both legendary actors. Wayne established himself as a tough guy on the screen while being a behind-the-scenes prankster. Meanwhile, Hackman emulated his acting hero James Cagney in his career and left his mark on American cinema in the process. Together, they combined for nearly 300 acting credits (per IMDb) and eight Academy Award nominations, but they never worked together, probably because Wayne hated Hackman’s acting and called him the worst actor in Hollywood.
(l-r) Gene Hackman; John Wayne | Getty Images; Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
What caused John Wayne’s death, and what is Gene Hackman doing now?
Wayne and Hackman were acting contemporaries, but they were a generation apart.
Wayne played his first credited role in the 1930 movie The Big Trail, and he worked steadily for four consecutive decades. He slowed down in the 1970s as he fought cancer, but Wayne still starred in 10 movies and appeared in several TV shows.
After battling cancer for more than a decade, Wayne died from complications from stomach cancer on June 11, 1979. His daughter, Aissa, was at his side as he spoke his last words. She was holding her father’s hand and asked him if he knew who she was. He responded with his last words, “Of course, I know who you are. You’re my girl. I love you.”
Hackman’s broke through with 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde. His final acting role came in 2004’s Welcome to Mooseport. He retired because he wanted to avoid the stress and travel that comes along with some roles.
Hackman isn’t just sitting around in retirement, though. He’s channeled his creative talents elsewhere. Hackman is a writer and novelist with seven books to his name. Still, Hackman is famous for being an award-winning actor, but Wayne just didn’t see it. Aissa Wayne said her dad once called Hackman “the worst actor in town.”
Wayne trashes Hackman’s acting: “He’s awful”
By almost any measure — from his fan-favorite movies to award nominations and big box office wins — Hackman is one of the best film actors of all time.
John Wayne just didn’t see it.
Aissa Wayne, in her book John Wayne: My Father, writes that The Duke couldn’t help but disparage Hackman anytime he saw him pop up on the screen, according to Express:
“When it came to his contemporaries in film, I only heard him speak once with any real venom. Gene Hackman could never appear on-screen without my father skewering his performance. I wish I could tell you why he so harshly criticized Hackman, but he never went into detail. Although it’s pure speculation, had my father lived to see more of his work, I think his view of Mr. Hackman would have changed.
“Back then, however, my father called Hackman ‘the worst actor in town. He’s awful.’”
Aissa Wayne describes John Wayne’s opinion of Gene Hackman’s acting
Wayne was no stranger to feuds, and Hackman might have gotten off easy by simply being called an awful actor. Wayne nearly came to blows with Frank Sinatra, almost got in a fight while shooting The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and threatened to punch Robert Duvall on the set of True Grit.
John Wayne vs. Gene Hackman — who won more Oscars?
Wayne had starred in dozens of movies before he earned his first Academy Awards nomination for Sands of Iwo Jima in 1950. He had to wait two decades to bring home a statuette.
After picking up a second Oscar nomination in 1961 for The Alamo, Wayne won his lone Academy Award in 1970 for playing Rooster Cogburn in True Grit.
Coincidentally, Hackman’s 1970 movie I Never Sang for My Father, garnered him his second Academy Award nomination in 1971 (he earned a best supporting actor nod for Bonnie and Clyde). Hackman picked up the first of his two Oscars in 1972 after starring in The French Connection, and he later earned two more nominations plus a second win for best supporting actor in Unforgiven.
The world will never know if Wayne hated Hackman’s acting in Unforgiven, but the Academy loved it.
Why John Wayne Turned Down the Chance to Work With Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood and John Wayne are the two biggest legends in the history of Western movies, however, they never worked together. The duo did have the opportunity to work together once in the 1970s. Here’s why the film never came to fruition.
How John Wayne responded when Clint Eastwood tried to work with him
Firstly, a little background. According to the book John Wayne: The Life and Legend, it all starts with Larry Cohen. Though Cohen is not a widely known director like Steven Spielberg or Quentin Tarantino, he’s a huge name to fans of B movies. He directed famous B movies like The Stuff, Q: The Winged Serpent, It’s Alive, and God Told Me To. He also wrote a script called The Hostiles shortly after Eastwood released his classic High Plains Drifter.
The Hostiles was about a gambler who wins half of an estate of an older man. The gambler and the older man have to work together despite the fact that they don’t like each other. Eastwood optioned the screenplay with the intent of playing the gambler alongside Wayne as the older man.
Eastwood sent a copy of the script of The Hostiles to Wayne. Although Eastwood felt the script was imperfect, he saw its potential. However, Wayne was not interested. Eastwood pitched the film to Wayne a second time and Wayne responded with a letter. Wayne’s letter complained about High Plains Drifter. Wayne was offended by the film and its portrayal of the Old West as a cruel, violent place.
Ann-Margret Refused to Call John Wayne ‘Duke’ While Introducing 1 of His Movies
Ann-Margret once starred in one of John Wayne’s lesser-known movies. However, she refused to call him by his popular moniker Duke. Here’s a look at the film they made together — and why she declined to call him by a nickname.
The one time Ann-Margret and John Wayne made a movie together
Ann-Margret is probably most known for her work in musicals, specifically Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, and The Who’s Tommy. However, she also dabbled in the Western genre. She starred alongside Wayne in the mostly forgotten movie The Train Robbers.
Wayne was also known as The Duke or just Duke. According to USA Today, the nickname was derived from his childhood dog. It stuck with him for many years. It continues to be used today — even on the box covers of the DVDs for his movies.
John Wayne | Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
During an interview with Interview Magazine, Ann-Margret explained why she didn’t refer to the Rio Bravo star by this famous name. “When I came to this country, first of all, mother and I didn’t know English,” she said. “I would curtsey, then say, ‘Thank you,’ and then when I was leaving, curtsey. For example, we went to Dallas to introduce a film I did with John Wayne. And I never called him Duke. I just couldn’t. That’s the way I was raised. When you meet someone, you say either Mr. or Mrs. or Miss. You stand up.”
Ann-Margret revealed she treated other famous people in much the same way. For example, she worked with director George Sidney on Bye Bye Birdie and Viva Las Vegas. She always called him Mr. Sidney.
What Ann-Margret thought about John Wayne
Ann-Margret refused to use Wayne’s most famous moniker. However, she had a positive view of the actor. During an interview with Fox News, she was asked what she expected when she met Wayne. “Oh, I didn’t know what to expect,” she revealed. “But when he hugged me, it’s like the world was hugging me. He was so big and wide with that booming voice.
“We were shooting in Durango, Mexico and my parents came down to visit me,” she added. “He was so great with my parents. So absolutely welcoming and gentle with them. And anybody who was great to my parents was on a throne in my eyes.”
How the world reacted to ‘The Train Robbers’
Wayne starred in many classic Westerns, including The Searchers, Stagecoach, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. However, The Train Robbers is mostly forgotten. It didn’t gain a cult following like Once Upon a Time in the West or Dead Man. It wasn’t a critical success either, garnering a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, Ann-Margret had some fond memories of making the film — even if she refused to call Wayne by his famous nickname.
True Crime on Amazon Prime: ‘Lorena’ Reexamines a 90s Tabloid Sensation
True crime might not be the first type of show that comes to mind when you think of the offerings on Amazon Prime Video. The perpetually buzzy genre is usually more associated with the likes of Netflix and HBO.
However, the streaming service boasts at least one standout docuseries from 2019. It’s one that can scratch the true crime itch for fans, but also give them a much needed new perspective on a well-worn tabloid sensation from the 1990s.
‘Lorena’ was produced by Jordan Peele of ‘Get Out’ fame
Jordan Peele, Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke, and Lorena Gallo attend the ‘Lorena’ Premiere during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. | Rich Fury/Getty Images
Lorena, as the simple, to-the-point title suggests, chronicles the sordid story of Lorena and Jon Bobbit. The series was produced by Jordan Peele, the comedian-turned-director best known for Get Out and Us, and released on Amazon Prime Video in early 2019 following a premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
In 1993, Lorena Bobbitt infamously cut her husband, John Wayne Bobbitt’s penis off in his sleep with a kitchen carving knife. She drove off with it, tossed it out the car window into a field, and eventually called 911 to report the incident. After a search followed by 9.5 hours of surgery, John Bobbitt was able to get his penis reattached and functioning normally.
Thanks in large part to the salacious and sexual nature of the Bobbittss story, it quickly became a tabloid and late-night talk show sensation. Sadly, as one might expect from a male-dominated culture, the media spectacle largely focused on John Bobbitt as a sympathetic victim and cast Lorena as a hysterical victim. John Bobbitt went on to become something of a cult figure for a time, even starring in two pornographic films.
Part of the mission statement of Lorena, the series, was to use the true crime format to recontextualize the Lorena Bobbitt story. Despite the prevailing perception of the incident beforehand, in reality, John Bobbitt had subjected Lorena to years of domestic abuse and rape, up to and including the night of her attack.
John Bobbitt was eventually acquitted on rape charges. Lorena Bobbitt was found not guilty by a jury for reasons of insanity.
“25 years later, Lorena is a groundbreaking re-investigation of the deep moral issues and painful human tragedies buried at the heart of this infamous American scandal,” Amazon’s official description of the series reads, as reported by Deadline. “Lost in the tabloid coverage and jokes was the opportunity for a national discussion on domestic and sexual assault in America.”
Lorena saw a positive reaction upon its release, currently boasting an 82% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was the biggest project yet from director Joshua Rofé, who previously helmed Lost for Life, a documentary about juvenile offenders sentenced to life in prison.