Stars in Dust and in the Skies

The French Connection, Unforgiven, and The Poseidon Adventure — these are just a few of more than 70 films in which Gene Hackman appeared. The legendary actor passed away in February at the age of 95. Before embarking on his film career, he served several years in the U.S. Marine Corps — and if not for an injury from an accident, he might have remained in the military.

Eduard Modeller‘s Den No. 8 - OCTOBER 2025

Actor Gene Hackman

Served as a Marine in His Youth

Actor Gene Hackman

Served as a Marine in His Youth

10

Miro Barič

TheFrenchConnecon,Unforgiven,andThePoseidonAdventure—these

arejustafewofmorethan70lmsinwhichGeneHackmanappeared.

ThelegendaryactorpassedawayinFebruaryattheageof95.Beforeembarking

onhislmcareer,heservedseveralyearsintheU.S.MarineCorps—andif

notforaninjuryfromanaccident,hemighthaveremainedinthemilitary.

StarsinDustandintheSkies

Eugene Allen Hackman was born on

January 30, 1930, in San Bernardino,

California. His family moved frequently

during his childhood, and when he was 13,

his parents divorced. Life in poverty drove

him to enlist in the Marine Corps. He was

only 16 at the me, but he lied about his

age — something fairly common in the

days before computerized records.

In 1947, he served in a Signal Baalion in

San Diego and completed training as a eld

radio operator. He was then transferred to

the nearby Camp Pendleton base, where

he remained unl 1948. Aerward, he was

assigned to the 3rd Marine Regiment, with

which he took part in Operaon Beleaguer

in China.

This was a major operaon led by Marine

Corps Major General Keller E. Rockey,

who commanded 50,000 members of the

III Amphibious Corps in northeastern China.

Their mission was to repatriate more than

600,000 Japanese and Koreans who had

remained in China aer World War II. The

Marines also protected American cizens

and property in the country.

Hackman later recalled that part of his job

involved destroying military equipment

le behind by the Japanese so it wouldn’t

fall into the hands of communist forces.

He was staoned rst in Qingdao and

later in Shanghai. The Marines successfully

evacuated thousands of foreign naonals

but had to survive numerous skirmishes

with communist soldiers. Aer the

communists won the Chinese Civil War, the

U.S. Marine Corps withdrew from China in

1949.

Hackman subsequently served in Hawaii

and Japan. He was slated for deployment

to the Korean War, but before that could

happen, he suered serious injuries in

a motorcycle accident. He crashed into an

unlit tractor and broke his right leg, right

shoulder, and le knee. Doctors deemed

him unt for further service, and in 1951,

he was placed in the reserve.

He le the Corps with the rank of corporal,

the fourth enlisted rank in the Marines

and the lowest noncommissioned ocer

grade. The next rank would have been

sergeant, which Hackman never reached

— though he was promoted to corporal

mulple mes. He was also demoted

three mes for leaving without permission.

He generally had lile fondness for

A young Gene Hackman

as a Marine. (Source: USMC)