Celebrity tributes are pouring in for Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, who is credited with helping define the “New Hollywood” cinema of the 1970s and went on to a legendary film career that spanned six decades.

In a career that spanned decades, Gene Hackman blazed his own path into movie history, playing iconic characters in classic movies including "The French Connection," "Bonnie and Clyde," "Superman," "Hoosiers" and more critically acclaimed films.