Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle
| Detective James R. Doyle | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Gene Hackman as Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle in The French Connection (film) | |
| First appearance | The French Connection (film) |
| Last appearance | "Popeye Doyle" |
| Portrayed by | Gene Hackman (movies) Ed O'Neill (TV pilot) |
| In-universe information | |
| Nickname | "Jimmy" "Popeye" |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Detective |
| Occupation | Police officer |
Detective James "Popeye" Doyle is a fictional New York City police detective portrayed by actor Gene Hackman in the 1971 movie The French Connection. The character is based on a real life New York City detective named Eddie Egan.[1][2]
In the 1971 film The French Connection
In the movie The French Connection, Popeye Doyle is a rough police detective who routinely breaks the rules in an effort to catch his opponent, which in the movie is a group of French drug smugglers. On an individual basis, Doyle has many negative qualities- he is alcoholic, bigoted, overzealous, and is sometimes disrespectful to his superior officers. Doyle however is a dedicated officer leading the NYPD's Narcotics Squad in drug arrests and is willing to do whatever it takes to lock up known drug dealers. Near the end of the movie, Popeye Doyle accidentally kills a federal agent with whom he previously had an argument, and continues in his pursuit of his foe. The real life Eddie Egan also appeared in the film and Gene Hackman won an Academy Award for his performance.
In the 1975 sequel French Connection II
In 1975, a sequel titled French Connection II followed Popeye Doyle as he pursued drug smuggler Alain Charnier back to Marseilles, France. Gene Hackman and Fernando Rey -- the only two cast members to appear in both movies -- reprised their roles as Doyle and Charnier.
While the original movie was based on a true story, the sequel was entirely fictional.
In the 1986 TV pilot Popeye Doyle
In 1986, Doyle was the protagonist of a television pilot called "Popeye Doyle", played by Ed O'Neill. Although the series was never produced, the pilot was shown as a TV movie on NBC.[3]
Other actors considered for the role
- Peter Boyle was originally offered the role in 1970. However, he had just completed Joe, a violent movie about two men who go on a killing spree. (The title character, played by Boyle, was one of the two men.) After seeing audience members cheer the violence in the movie -- which was actually critical of such actions -- Boyle declined the offer stating that he would never again appear in a film or TV show that glorified violence.
Cultural references
- Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits founder Al Copeland named his fast-food chain after Popeye Doyle.[4][5]
See also
- Eddie Egan
- The French Connection
- AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains (hero number 44)
References
- ^ Eddie Egan (I) - Biography
- ^ Eddie Egan Biography - Yahoo! Movies
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091780/ "Popeye Doyle" TV pilot on imdb.com
- ^ Martin, Douglas. "Al Copeland, a Restaurateur Known for Spice and Speed, Dies at 64". The New York Times, March 25, 2008
- ^ Google News archives result turns up several results and led to this footnote now added to article: Hoffman, Ken, "Chicken Cordon Bleu est tres magnifique" King Features Syndicate as reprinted in The Gazette of Cedar Rapids-Iowa City, Iowa, June 19, 1998, p 2, ("chain was named for Popeye Doyle, the cop in The French Connection")as archived online at newsbank.com. Retrieved March 27, 2008
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