Legendary actor Gene Hackman has passed away at the age of 95. While the circumstances of his death are still being investigated (he, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found dead in their New Mexico home), those details can only help us understand this loss rather than truly process it. The great Gene Hackman is gone.Of course, its been quite a while since weve seen Gene Hackman grace a screen of any size. Aside from some interviews and public appearances (and an accidental cameo on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives), Hackmans last movie was the 2004 comedy Welcome to Mooseport. According to Hackman, a combination of fatigue and health problems caused him to do what few actors his stature can ever truly do: walk away.It was an unlikely ending to an acting career that began just as strangely. Hackmans breakthrough film role (Buck Barrow in 1967s Bonnie and Clyde) didnt come until he was 36 years old. Before then, Hackman served in the Marines, worked odd jobs, and took on a scattered series of acting gigs.Famously, Hackman and his Pasadena Playhouse classmate Dustin Hoffman were once voted by their classmates as Least Likely to Succeed. In a later interview, Hackman explained that he and Hoffman were labeled character actors, at best. Neither Dustin nor myself looked like the leading men of that era, Hackman said.Though everything that came next may inspire some to label those critics as Hackman haters, there was conventional wisdom in their words. Stars are rarely born in their late 30s from such a coarse cocoon. If you were going to advise your friend Gene Hackman to continue being an actor, you would likely preach reason. Youd tell him to be happy being the surly dad, the heavy, or whatever Police Office #3 roles he could get. Anything more than that surely seemed out of reach.Yet, Hackman embodied a creed that working people like him have preached from their heart during the toughest times, All I need is a chance to prove myself.And so he did. Granted, Hackman was fortunate to break through in an era of movies when subverting traditions was not only en vogue but in-demand. There were few other periods when the guy who looked like he was born in a barn to become your grandpas perfect fishing buddy could have risen to star status.Yet, even that special time for films produced few leading men like Gene Hackman. When you think of Hackman, your mind may go to his iconic work in films like The French Connection, Hoosiers, and Unforgiven. Each of those movies (and many more) saw Hackman play the kind of gruff powerhouse that exudes gravitas. Its those kinds of roles that sometimes define the actor and, admittedly, may have made Hackman a prolifically powerful performer in any era.To truly appreciate what made Hackman a special and different leading man, though, you have to embrace his willingness to be vulnerable in a way that so many other leading men were not. Unlike other actors who were just itching to treat vulnerability as the wound that allowed them to unleash a cornered animal, Hackman was comfortable with letting us linger in a quiet, uncomfortable pain that didnt need to be converted into fuel for rage. Just watch him hang around the margins in The Conversation as he slowly tries to understand the people he listens in on with such apparent detachment. He doesnt need to be larger than life when he makes life so fascinating.Once he established himself as one of the most real performers in a famously fake industry, Hackman utilized his stature in the most wonderfully wild of ways. You could certainly argue Hackman is the most underrated comedic actor ever. His role in The Birdcage saw him play the kind of uptight, conservative presence in a wacky scenario you may expect from an actor like Hackman, but that only scratches the surface of his comedic chops. He could be wacky in Young Frankenstein or sleazy and scheming in Get Shorty without compromising his raw presence. In Superman, he perfectly portrayed Lex Luthor as equally campy and maniacal in ways that will likely never be replicated.Strangely, Hackmans three Best Supporting Actor nominations and one win in that Academy Award category may be the greatest testament to his leading man status. While Hackmans work ethic made him famously intense on movie sets, he was more interested in commanding your attention than demanding it. Even as his star power grew, he was more than willing to take on supporting roles of substance where his abilities could be best utilized for the good of the right project and right crew. Its the kind of commitment to a selfless goal that more egoistic stardom seekers can rarely appreciate even though that quality often separates great leaders from privileged posers.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!For me, there is no better display of everything Gene Hackman was a performer than Wes Andersons The Royal Tenenbaums. Hackman may have battled with Anderson behind the scenes (Anderson said he wrote the part for Hackman against his wishes), but the results are magical. In Royal OReilly Tenenbaum, Hackman found a central character who gave ample space to a true ensemble cast while stealing the show by effortlessly veering between being hilarious, heartbreaking, and uplifting. Weve seen it all from Hackman before, but to see it so perfectly crystallized in one of the actors last major performances reminds you of the gift Hackman possessed that he so generously shared with the world.Just look at those who followed in Hackmans footsteps if you want to appreciate how the ways he changed the idea of a leading man changed movies for the better. All-time great actors like Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Edward Norton, Joaquin Phoenix, Christian Bale, and more have cited Hackman as one of the biggest inspirations on their work. Everyone from Clint Eastwood and Edgar Wright to Nathan Lane and George Takei have taken to social media today to call Hackman the greatest. Hackmans ability to remain true to himself in nearly every way while delivering in such a wide variety of roles spread across decades amazes those who know and love this industry most.Yet, Gene Hackman remains a one of one performer who existed in that miniscule middle space on the Venn Diagram that separates actors from stars. He could be tough, he could be funny, he knew when to take over, he knew when to step aside, and he felt real because he was real. He was the kind of leading man we need on the biggest screens, in our hearts, and in the world.