From Oscar Winner to Novelist

When actors disappear from Hollywood, we tend to assume they were forced to do so. Not Gene Hackman, though. The brilliant award-winning performer appeared in over 100 productions before deciding to step away in 2006. The former “The French Connection” idol did so to follow his dream of becoming a novelist.

Hackman’s second career isn’t as well-known as his first, but he’s still a prolific (and published) writer. His list of publications includes 2011’s “Payback at Morning Peak: A Novel of the American West” and “Pursuit,” a 2013 police novel.