DANVILLE
Road sign on Interstate 74 East, near Danville
| Gene Hackman spent most of his childhood in Danville, Illinois, a small
city in the east-central part of the state. Born in San Bernadino, California in
1930, he moved to Danville as a young boy. At 16 he enlisted in the Marines for a
four year hitch. He returned to Danville briefly after military service, working
as a TV cameraman at WDAN, but soon left to pursue acting in
California, and later, New York. He still has family and friends
in the Danville area and
occasionally visits. |
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Gene visits Danville Public Library, July 24, 2001.
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(Photo courtesy Danville Area Convention & Visitors' Bureau)
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Above left, Gene's childhood home at 2101 Cannon Street, on Danville's east
side. The home was torn down in 1998. Above right, a "Walk of
Fame" marker on N. Vermilion St., at the Village Mall entrance. Below,
8 year-old Gene with his parents and family in Danville, 4/20/38.
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(photo courtesy Danville Commercial News)
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Above left, during a family visit in 1971, Gene's father, a pressman for the Danville
Commercial News, gave a tour of the facilities to Gene and other family.
Standing next to Gene Sr. is Orin Hackman, a veteran journalist whose appreciation
of art had a lasting impact on the actor. Above right, after winning his
second Oscar for 1993's Unforgiven, Hackman dedicated the award to the memory of
his uncle Orin, who had died the day before. |
(photo courtesy Danville Commercial News)
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Left, Hackman visits a friend at Danville's Red Mask Theater in 1969.
He
was there to see "Any Wednesday," coincidentally a show he starred in on Broadway. Above, a
plaque honors him at Danville High School, his alma mater. Similar plaques honor
Danville natives Bobby Short, Dick
and Jerry Van Dyke, and others.
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Below, In 2005, the McDonald's restaurant on Gilbert
Street in Danville was remodeled to showcase an impressive salute to famous
Danville natives with permanent displays of photographs and memorabilia.
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Glass etching of Gene
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Photographs of Gene line a wall
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2001 LIBRARY VISIT
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Discussing literature with a friend.
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Above and right, from July 23-25, 2001, while
visiting family and friends in Danville, Gene visited the public library with friend
Daniel Lenihan, co-author of their novels Wake of the Perdido Star
and Justice
for None and a
noted underwater archaeologist. |
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2003 GOLDEN GLOBE PARTY
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| Below, on January 19, 2003, Gene
received the Cecil
B. DeMille Award at the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Los
Angeles. That same night in Danville, a party was held at the Fischer
Theatre to recognize his achievements, with proceeds going to the
theater's restoration. |
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| Above left, the Fischer marquee.
Above right, watching the live Golden Globes broadcast via
video projection.
Right, lining up for Hors d'oeuvres.
Bottom right, the Chuck Briggs Jazz Trio provides music.
Bottom left, the audience toasts Gene after his acceptance
speech. In the speech, he recalled spending countless hours as a
kid in Danville's Palace movie theater, which was located next door to
the Fischer.
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2004 BOOK SIGNING
| On June 3, 2004, Gene Hackman and Dan Lenihan
appeared at Danville Public Library for a book
signing to promote their new novel Justice
for None. Below, the crowd, estimated at 600-700,
extended past the front of the building and well beyond the back. It was the largest turnout ever seen for a library event. |
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Above, library staff present the authors with gifts. Right, Dan and Gene pose with Justice for None.
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Left, signing the books. Above, Gene with a young
fan.
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The signing was scheduled to last two hours, but the authors graciously
stayed an additional two hours to ensure that no one would be shut
out. Above, after the signing, Gene's old classmates joined
him and Dan for lunch in the library's break room.
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