Gene Hackman

The American actor rose to stardom as early as 13 years old, and it wasn’t until his mid-30s when he landed his first major breakout role in the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde. With all that continuing success, he became more distant from his family— a decision he states that he regrets until now. His acting career caused a rift in his personal life, especially with his children. Recently, however, he’s been able to reconcile with them to a certain degree.

He’s decided to step away from the acting industry in favor of more private life, even admitting that becoming a celebrity was never his goal in the first place. Even though Gene didn’t quite rise up to superstar stardom, the actor told the press in all honesty that he would want to be at least remembered as a decent actor.