section_path: Career/1970–1979: Breakthrough and stardom
section_name: 1970–1979: Breakthrough and stardom
paragraph_text: 1970–1979: Breakthrough and stardom
  
  Hackman was nominated for a second Oscar for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the drama film I Never Sang for My Father (1970), directed by Gilbert Cates. Hackman acted opposite Melvyn Douglas, where they played father and son who are unable to communicate. Roger Ebert wrote of his performance, "Much of the film is just between the two of them and the characters seem to work so well because Douglas and Hackman respond to each other in every shot; the effect is not of acting, but as if the story were happening right now while we see it." He starred in the drama Doctors' Wives (1971) and the western film The Hunting Party (1971). He won his first Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as New York City Police Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in the crime drama The French Connection (1971), directed by William Friedkin. This film marked his graduation to stardom. Robert B. Frederick of Variety praised the performances of Hackman and Roy Scheider, writing, "They are very believable as two hard-nosed narcotics officers" who are also "overworked, tired and mean".
  
  After The French Connection, Hackman starred in ten films (not including his cameo as a blind man in the Mel Brooks -directed satirical horror comedy film Young Frankenstein in 1974) over the next three years, making him the most prolific actor in Hollywood during that time frame. He followed The French Connection with leading roles in the drama Cisco Pike (1972), the action crime thriller Prime Cut (1972), and the disaster film The Poseidon Adventure (1972). He also starred in the road comedy-drama Scarecrow (1973) alongside Al Pacino, which was Hackman's favorite role of his career and won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The following year, he starred as a surveillance expert in the neo-noir mystery thriller The Conversation (1974), directed by Francis Ford Coppola, which was nominated for several Oscars and also won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes. That same year, Hackman appeared in what would become one of his most famous comedic roles, as Harold the Blind Man in Young Frankenstein. Hackman also appeared in the western Zandy's Bride (1974) and the neo-noir film Night Moves (1975) for director Arthur Penn.
  
  Hackman played one of Teddy Roosevelt 's former Rough Riders in the Western horse-race saga Bite the Bullet (1975). He reprised his Oscar-winning role as Doyle in the sequel French Connection II (1975), for which he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama. He co-starred with Burt Reynolds and Liza Minnelli in the musical Lucky Lady (1975), directed by Stanley Donen, a notorious flop. After making the neo-noir thriller The Domino Principle (1977) for Stanley Kramer, Hackman was part of an all-star cast in the war film A Bridge Too Far (1977), playing Polish General Stanisław Sosabowski, and was an officer in the French Foreign Legion in March or Die (1977). Hackman showed a talent for both comedy and the "slow burn" as criminal mastermind Lex Luthor opposite Christopher Reeve in the leading role in the superhero film Superman: The Movie (1978). Ron Pennington of The Hollywood Reporter wrote of his performance, "Hackman plays Lex Luthor, 'the greatest criminal mind of our time,' with an effective light touch, making him humorous but not out-and-out comical." He reprised the role for two of its sequels, Superman II (1980) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987).
  
  Hackman was nominated for a second Oscar for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the drama film I Never Sang for My Father (1970), directed by Gilbert Cates. Hackman acted opposite Melvyn Douglas, where they played father and son who are unable to communicate. Roger Ebert wrote of his performance, "Much of the film is just between the two of them and the characters seem to work so well because Douglas and Hackman respond to each other in every shot; the effect is not of acting, but as if the story were happening right now while we see it." He starred in the drama Doctors' Wives (1971) and the western film The Hunting Party (1971). He won his first Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as New York City Police Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in the crime drama The French Connection (1971), directed by William Friedkin. This film marked his graduation to stardom. Robert B. Frederick of Variety praised the performances of Hackman and Roy Scheider, writing, "They are very believable as two hard-nosed narcotics officers" who are also "overworked, tired and mean".
  
  After The French Connection, Hackman starred in ten films (not including his cameo as a blind man in the Mel Brooks -directed satirical horror comedy film Young Frankenstein in 1974) over the next three years, making him the most prolific actor in Hollywood during that time frame. He followed The French Connection with leading roles in the drama Cisco Pike (1972), the action crime thriller Prime Cut (1972), and the disaster film The Poseidon Adventure (1972). He also starred in the road comedy-drama Scarecrow (1973) alongside Al Pacino, which was Hackman's favorite role of his career and won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The following year, he starred as a surveillance expert in the neo-noir mystery thriller The Conversation (1974), directed by Francis Ford Coppola, which was nominated for several Oscars and also won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes. That same year, Hackman appeared in what would become one of his most famous comedic roles, as Harold the Blind Man in Young Frankenstein. Hackman also appeared in the western Zandy's Bride (1974) and the neo-noir film Night Moves (1975) for director Arthur Penn.
  
  Hackman played one of Teddy Roosevelt 's former Rough Riders in the Western horse-race saga Bite the Bullet (1975). He reprised his Oscar-winning role as Doyle in the sequel French Connection II (1975), for which he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama. He co-starred with Burt Reynolds and Liza Minnelli in the musical Lucky Lady (1975), directed by Stanley Donen, a notorious flop. After making the neo-noir thriller The Domino Principle (1977) for Stanley Kramer, Hackman was part of an all-star cast in the war film A Bridge Too Far (1977), playing Polish General Stanisław Sosabowski, and was an officer in the French Foreign Legion in March or Die (1977). Hackman showed a talent for both comedy and the "slow burn" as criminal mastermind Lex Luthor opposite Christopher Reeve in the leading role in the superhero film Superman: The Movie (1978). Ron Pennington of The Hollywood Reporter wrote of his performance, "Hackman plays Lex Luthor, 'the greatest criminal mind of our time,' with an effective light touch, making him humorous but not out-and-out comical." He reprised the role for two of its sequels, Superman II (1980) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987).