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After Gene Hackman died on February 26, 2025, his obituary, written by Robert Berkvist, was published by The New York Times. However, according to an X post by Justin George, the obituary was written much before his death and Berkvist died on January 6, 2023. George wrote:
“This New York Times obituary of Gene Hackman was written before the writer, Robert Berkvist, died in 2023. Newspapers like NYT prewrite obits for famous people so they are ready the instant a death is announced. Sometimes they sit ‘in the can’ for years.”
According to Robert Berkvist’s obituary published by the newspaper company, he was a Brooklyn native who dedicated over 40 years to the company. Berkvist started as a copyboy after earning his master's in journalism from Syracuse University.
His passion for the arts made it a dream come true to write and later edit content for books, theater, music, and film. After retiring from the Times' Culture desk in 2001, he continued writing obituaries for notable figures in entertainment.
Robert Berkvist is survived by his wife, Carol, his son Andrew, and his partner Anita Gallers, along with his daughter Kristin and her partner, D'Arcy Hyde. Berkvist called Gene Hackman the “perfect Everyman.” He wrote:
“The familiar characterization of Mr. Hackman was that he was Hollywood’s perfect Everyman. But perhaps that was too easy. His characters, convict, sheriff, Klansman, steelworker, spy, minister, war hero, grieving widower, submarine commander, basketball coach, president, edefied pigeonholing, as did his shaded portrayals of them.”
Gene Hackman’s roles and works through Robert Berkvist’s words
Robert Berkvist highlighted Gene Hackman’s talent for portraying complex, middle-aged characters, with his most iconic role being Popeye Doyle in The French Connection (1971). The role, which earned Hackman his first Academy Award for Best Actor, portrayed a tough and determined narcotics officer. Writing about his roles, Berkvist mentioned:
“Not all his roles explored life’s dark side. His knack for comedy, honed on the stage, resurfaced in Mel Brooks’s “Young Frankenstein” (1974), in which he had a cameo role as a blind hermit who unknowingly plays host to the monster, and served him well in later films like “The Birdcage” (1996) and “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001).”
Despite his success, Gene Hackman’s demanding schedule took a toll. In 1975, he reprised his role as Doyle in French Connection II. By the late 1970s, he decided to take a break.
After portraying Lex Luthor in Superman (1978) and filming scenes for Superman II (1980), he stepped away from Hollywood, returning in 1981 with the comedy All Night Long, alongside Barbra Streisand.
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Robert Berkvist commented that Gene Hackman’s journey began when he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1946, serving in China, Hawaii, and Japan, where he worked as a radio station disc jockey for his unit.
After leaving the military, he briefly studied journalism at the University of Illinois before moving to New York to explore television production. He later shifted to acting, training in New York and at the Pasadena Playhouse in California, where he became friends with Dustin Hoffman.
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