Morgan Freeman Pays Emotional Tribute To Gene Hackman At The Oscars

The Oscars on Sunday took a heartfelt turn as Morgan Freeman paid tribute to his longtime friend and fellow Oscar-winner, Gene Hackman. The moment was especially poignant as it came just days after Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their New Mexico home. Authorities are investigating the “suspicious” circumstances of their deaths.

Remembering a Hollywood Giant

Freeman took the stage before the in memoriam segment to honor Hackman, calling him a “giant” of the film industry and a “dear friend.” Sharing words from Hackman himself, Freeman recalled, “Gene always said, ‘I don’t think about legacy. I just hope people remember me as someone who tried to do good work.’” Freeman then added:

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

A Friendship Built on Respect

Hackman and Freeman’s friendship spanned decades, with the two sharing the screen in the 1992 Clint Eastwood western Unforgiven and the 2000 thriller Under Suspicion. But Freeman’s admiration for Hackman began long before they met. “He’s a movie actor, boy, he’s an actor, and every time I go see him, I just marvel at him,” Freeman once said in a 2000 conversation at the British Film Institute.

Hackman’s performance in Unforgiven, where he played a menacing, corrupt sheriff, earned him his second Oscar. The role left a lasting impression on Freeman, who admitted in 2017 that Hackman’s acting genuinely scared him.

An Actor’s Lasting Impact

Despite the intensity of Unforgiven, Hackman and Freeman were eager to work together again, leading to their collaboration in Under Suspicion. Freeman later called working on that film with the “incredibly gifted” Hackman “one of the personal highlights of my career.”

In another interview, Freeman summed up his admiration, saying:

“Working with Gene was wonderful. I didn’t find it too hard working with an icon I so respected.”

Hackman may no longer be with us, but his impact on cinema—and the friendships he built along the way—will never be forgotten.