When Gene Hackman's Mustache Almost Ruined His Role as Lex Luthor in Superman: "I'll Never Take It Off"

One of the great roles Gene Hackman played throughout his career was in Superman (1978). His role was that of the villain Lex Luthor. Gene was by then one of the most respected actors in Hollywood and already had an Oscar for The French Connection (1971) and had been recognized for great work with both William Friedkin and Arthur Penn or Francis Ford Coppola

Gene, the mustache has to goNo. The mustache stays. Look, I've accepted with the hair [shaved] and all that but I'm never going to take off the mustache

'". Then Richard Donner proposed that he also shave his own mustache if Hackman agreed to take off his. "He refused again, but then he looked at me and said, 'Okay, but you have to do it right now.'"

Hackman was at the height of his career and his portrayal of Superman's arch-enemy is resoundingly personal. This includes the characterisation of the character, which until the end of the film did not reveal the bald characteristic

with which he had been identified in the comics for decades, although in his early appearances he did have hair.