Happy Birthday, Mr. Hackman

I was watching cable at my parents' house while my mom was in the adjacent room attending to something else. A preview came on for the vintage movie, Downhill Racer. The preview mentioned Gene Hackman, then went on and on about Robert Redford.

Suddenly, mom popped in to look at the tv: "Gene Hackman! Where's Gene Hackman?"

For some of us, stars like Robert Redford just can't hold a candle to the mysterious sparks that fly from a guy who doesn't really look like anything, but who can play anybody.