What character was played by Gene Hackman in 'The French Connection'?
Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle fictional. Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle is a fictional character portrayed by actor Gene Hackman in the films "The French Connection" (1971) and its sequel, "French Connection II" (1975), and by Ed O'Neill in the 1986 television film "Popeye Doyle". Hackman won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in "The French Connection". The character is based on a real-life New York City police detective, Eddie Egan, who also appeared in the film as Walt Simonson, Doyle's supervisor. Doyle, as played by Hackman in "The French Connection", is ranked number 44 as a hero on the
French Connection II French Connection II French Connection II is a 1975 crime drama film starring Gene Hackman and directed by John Frankenheimer. It is a fictional sequel to the initially true story of the 1971 Academy Award winning picture "The French Connection". The film expands on the central character of Det. Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle who travels to Marseille, France where he is attempting to track down French drug-dealer Alain Charnier, who escaped at the end of the first film. Hackman won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the original "The French Connection" and he and Fernando Rey are the only returning