Gene Hackman, the Oscar-winning actor whose death at 95 remains under investigation, has a Forest Park connection. In December 1988 Hackman starred in “The Package.” Notable scenes in the film, a Cold War ear thriller, were filmed at the Altenheim German Old People’s Home in Forest Park.
The Altenheim, built in 1885, stood in for the American military headquarters in Berlin during filming. Vintage U.S. Jeeps were lined up outside.
Hackman took a tour of the Altenheim while he was there, met residents in the dining room and offered holiday greetings and apologized for the filming disruption.
Hackman was honored during the Oscars on Sunday night with Morgan Freeman saying, “Our community lost a giant and I lost a dear friend.”
Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, a classical musician, were found dead in their home in New Mexico. One of three family dogs was also found dead. Investigators continue their work with autopsy and toxicology reports still pending. Initial reports are that both Hackman and Arakawa had been dead for perhaps nine days when their bodies were discovered.
The Altenheim also was featured in the 1974 film, “Harry and Tonto,” which included an Oscar-winning performance by Art Carney. Again in 1991 the Altenheim was featured on the big screen when film crews came to the site for “The Babe” starring John Goodman. The Forest Park Mall’s Child’s World was used for a segment of the Paul Newman and Tom Cruise film, “The Color of Money.”
Jill Wagner
from the Forest Park Review A Look Back In Time