Gene Hackman

To put his career in perspective, I think this quote just about sums it up.

"I was trained to be an actor, not a star. I was trained to play roles, not to deal with fame and agents and lawyers and the press."

Gene Hackman was in born in San Bernardino, California in 1930. He dropped out of school when he was sixteen in order to join the United States Marine Corps and was a disc jockey during his tours in Asia and the Pacific. After leaving the service, he moved to New York City in order to pursue a career in radio. It wasn't until he was in his late 20's that he decided he wanted to become an actor.

He moved to Los Angeles and enrolled as a student at the Pasadena Playhouse acting school where both he and fellow student Dustin Hoffman were voted the "least likely to succeed".

Yes, it's true that Hackman has been in some (what might be best described as) "forgettable" movies, however the all around body of work is quite impressive. Here's a listing of his film credits and the year they appeared.