OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Known for movies like "Unforgiven" and "Hoosiers," Gene Hackman had a world- wide spotlight, but his legacy extended beyond Hollywood into Wisconsin communities.
- Gene Hackman visited the EAA Museum in 1989.
- Hackman was a pilot and aircraft owner for many years.
- Hackman's role as Lex Luther in Superman is still loved by comic book enthusiasts.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, edited for web.)
Not just a pilot in movies but an aviation enthusiast.
“He was talking about building an airplane, and of course, EAA of course brings together builders of aircraft,” Dick Knapinski, director of communications of EAA, says.
Knapinski says Hackman owned multiple aircraft and was a pilot for years. Hackman visited EAA in 1989.
“Literally popped in one day to talk to our then president Tom Poberezny about flying and aircraft,” Knapinski says.
A newspaper clipping from the visit wrote “...the star… said it was one of the most enjoyable days he has experienced in quite some time.”
“From what I've read about Gene Hackman through his career, he was always intellectually curious… so it doesn’t surprise me that kind of mindset led him to aviation,” Knapinski says.
Hackman had a different sort of impact across Oshkosh. Tripper Pech, manager of House of Heroes Comics, says he grew up watching Hackman as Lex Luther in the 1978 Superman movie.
“I love that rendition of Lex, it’s one of my favorites,” Pech says.
With a lifelong passion for comics and superheroes, Pech remembers the effect Hackman has had on his own life.
“It’s a bit of sadness and melancholy, but you get to remember all the good stuff there, and remember somebody who was able to portray a character that I love to this day,” he says. “Being a good person, that’s really what those movies and comics have taught me.”
So whether a flying superhero or a flying airplane, Hackman had a special impact on Oshkosh.
“We who live in the Oshkosh area can point to that and go, ‘Yeah, we’re a part of that, we’re that crossroads that brings people together, ’” Knapinski says.
