Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle

Last updated
Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle
Gene Hackman in "The French Connection" (screenshot).jpg
Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) in The French Connection .
First appearance The French Connection (1971)
Last appearance Popeye Doyle (1986)
Portrayed by Gene Hackman (films)
Ed O'Neill (TV pilot)
In-universe information
Full nameJames "Jimmy" Doyle
NicknamePopeye
GenderMale
Title Detective
Occupation Police officer

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. [1] [2] Doyle, as played by Hackman in The French Connection, is ranked number 44 as a hero on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains list.

Contents

The French Connection

In the 1971 movie The French Connection , Popeye is a rough police detective who routinely breaks the rules in an effort to catch criminals, in this case a group of French drug smugglers. On an individual basis, Popeye has many negative qualities; he is a racist, womanizing alcoholic who is often disrespectful to his superiors. Nevertheless, he is a dedicated officer leading the New York City Police Department's narcotics squad in drug arrests and is willing to do whatever it takes to lock up known drug dealers, even if it involves civilians. Near the end of the movie, Popeye accidentally kills Bill Mulderig (Bill Hickman), a federal agent with whom he previously had an argument. Undeterred by Mulderig's death, Popeye continues in pursuit of his foe.

French Connection II

The 1975 sequel French Connection II follows Popeye as he pursues drug smuggler Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey) back to Marseille. Gene Hackman and Fernando Rey the only two cast members to appear in both movies reprised their roles as Popeye and Charnier. While the original movie was based on a true story, the sequel was entirely fictional.

Cultural references

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene Hackman</span> American actor (born 1930)

Eugene Allen Hackman is an American retired actor. In a career that spanned more than six decades, he received two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globes, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and the Silver Bear. Hackman's two Academy Award wins included one for Best Actor for his role as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in William Friedkin's acclaimed thriller The French Connection (1971) and the other for Best Supporting Actor for his role as "Little" Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood's Western film Unforgiven (1992). His other Oscar-nominated roles were in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), I Never Sang for My Father (1970), and Mississippi Burning (1988).

<i>The French Connection</i> (film) 1971 American film by William Friedkin

The French Connection is a 1971 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by William Friedkin and starring Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider and Fernando Rey. The screenplay, written by Ernest Tidyman, is based on Robin Moore's 1969 non-fiction book of the same name. It tells the story of fictional NYPD detectives Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo, whose real-life counterparts were narcotics detectives Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso, in pursuit of wealthy French heroin smuggler Alain Charnier.

<i>Beverly Hills Cop</i> 1984 film directed by Martin Brest

Beverly Hills Cop is a 1984 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Martin Brest, with a screenplay by Daniel Petrie Jr., and story by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr. It stars Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit detective who visits Beverly Hills, California, to solve the murder of his best friend. Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, Lisa Eilbacher, Steven Berkoff, Paul Reiser, and Jonathan Banks appear in supporting roles.

<i>Blue Streak</i> (film) 1999 film by Les Mayfield

Blue Streak is a 1999 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Les Mayfield. Inspired by the 1965 film The Big Job, the film stars Martin Lawrence, Luke Wilson, Dave Chappelle, Peter Greene, Nicole Ari Parker and William Forsythe. Lawrence plays Miles, a jewel thief who tries to retrieve a diamond he left at a police station, whereupon he disguises himself as a detective and gets paired with a real policeman to investigate burglaries. The film was shot on location in California. The prime shooting spot was Sony Pictures Studios, which is located in Culver City, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pork pie hat</span> Style of headware

A pork pie hat is one of several different styles of hat that have been worn since the mid-19th century. The pork pie hat gained further popularity in the 20th century, being worn by famous actors and musicians. This style of hat features a flat crown that resembles a traditional pork pie, thus earning its name.

<i>Beverly Hills Cop II</i> 1987 buddy cop film directed by Tony Scott

Beverly Hills Cop II is a 1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Tony Scott, written by Larry Ferguson and Warren Skaaren, and starring Eddie Murphy. It is the sequel to the 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop and the second installment in the Beverly Hills Cop film series. Murphy returns as Detroit police detective Axel Foley, who reunites with Beverly Hills detectives Billy Rosewood and John Taggart to stop a criminal organization after Captain Andrew Bogomil is shot and seriously wounded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fernando Rey</span> Spanish actor (1917–1994)

Fernando Casado Arambillet, best known as Fernando Rey, was a Spanish film, theatre, and television actor, who worked in both Europe and the United States. A suave, international actor best known for his roles in the films of surrealist director Luis Buñuel and as the drug lord Alain Charnier in The French Connection (1971) and French Connection II (1975), he appeared in more than 150 films over half a century.

<i>French Connection II</i> 1975 film by John Frankenheimer

French Connection II is a 1975 American neo-noir action thriller film starring Gene Hackman and directed by John Frankenheimer. It is a sequel to the 1971 film The French Connection. The film continues the story of the central character, Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, who travels to Marseille in order to track down French drug-dealer Alain Charnier, played by Fernando Rey, who escaped at the end of the first film. Hackman and Rey are the only returning cast members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. J. Clarke's</span> Restaurant in Manhattan, New York, U.S.

P. J. Clarke's is a saloon, established 1884. It occupies a building located at 915 Third Avenue on the northwest corner of East 55th Street in Manhattan. It has a second location at 44 West 63rd Street on the southeast corner of Columbus Avenue.

<i>Joe</i> (1970 film) 1970 American drama film directed by John G. Avildsen

Joe is a 1970 American drama film written by Norman Wexler and directed by John G. Avildsen. It stars Peter Boyle, Dennis Patrick, and Susan Sarandon in her film debut.

<i>The French Connection</i> (book) Book by Robin Moore

The French Connection, also known as The French Connection: The World's Most Crucial Narcotics Investigation and The French Connection: A True Account of Cops, Narcotics, and International Conspiracy, is a nonfiction book by Robin Moore first published in 1969 about the notorious "French Connection" drug-trafficking scheme. It is followed by the 1975 book The Set Up. The book was adapted to film in 1971 as The French Connection, written by Ernest Tidyman and directed by William Friedkin, which was followed by the film sequel French Connection II in 1975, and the television film sequel Popeye Doyle in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Hickman</span> American actor, stunt driver, stunt coordinator (1921–1986)

William Hickman was an American professional stunt driver, stunt coordinator and actor in the U.S. film industry. His film career spanned from the 1950s through to the late 1970s, and included films such as Bullitt, The French Connection and The Seven-Ups.

<i>Loose Cannons</i> (1990 film) 1990 film by Bob Clark

Loose Cannons is a 1990 American action comedy film written by Richard Matheson, Richard Christian Matheson and Bob Clark, who also directed the film. The film stars Gene Hackman as a hard-nosed cop who is teamed up with a detective with multiple-personality disorder, played by Dan Aykroyd, to uncover a long-lost Nazi sex tape, featuring Adolf Hitler, which would jeopardize the political future of the German chancellor-elect. The theme song features vocals by Katey Sagal and Aykroyd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Egan</span> American police detective and actor (1930–1995)

Edward R. Egan was an American actor and former police detective. He was the subject of the nonfiction book The French Connection and its 1971 film adaptation.

Salvatore Anthony Grosso, known as Sonny Grosso, was an American film producer, television producer, and NYPD detective, noted for his role in the case made famous in the book and film versions of the French Connection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippe Léotard</span> French actor, poet and singer (1940–2001)

Philippe Léotard was a French actor, poet and singer.

<i>Badge 373</i> 1973 film by Howard W. Koch

Badge 373 is a 1973 American neo noir crime thriller film inspired, as was The French Connection, by the life and career of Eddie Egan, here called "Eddie Ryan". The film, which has a screenplay by journalist Pete Hamill, was produced and directed by Howard W. Koch, and stars Robert Duvall as Ryan, with Verna Bloom, Henry Darrow and Eddie Egan himself as a police lieutenant.

<i>A Date with the Falcon</i> 1942 film by Irving Reis

A Date with the Falcon is the second in a series of 16 films about the suave detective nicknamed The Falcon. The 1942 sequel features many of the same characters as the first film, The Gay Falcon (1941).

Popeye Doyle is an American 1986 television film starring Ed O'Neill as New York City police detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle. The film is a sequel to the feature films The French Connection (1971) and French Connection II (1975), in which Doyle had been played by Gene Hackman; Hackman had won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in The French Connection. Popeye Doyle was originally intended as a pilot episode for a series called Popeye Doyle, but the series was not picked up.

<i>Mickey Spillanes Mike Hammer</i> (1984 TV series) American crime drama television series

Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, with Stacy Keach in the title role, is an American crime drama television series that originally aired on CBS from January 28, 1984, to May 13, 1987. The series consisted of 51 installments: 46 one-hour episodes, a two-part pilot episode, and three TV Movies.

References

  1. Eddie Egan (I) - Biography
  2. Eddie Egan Biography - Yahoo! Movies
  3. Martin, Douglas (March 25, 2008). "Al Copeland, a Restaurateur Known for Spice and Speed, Dies at 64". The New York Times . New York City.