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 |
| 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 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 1986, Doyle was the protagonist of an 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]
Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits founder Al Copeland named his fast-food chain after Popeye Doyle.[4][5]
See also
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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