Eddie Egan

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Edward Walter "Eddie" Egan (b. January 3, 1930, New York City – d. November 4, 1995, Miami, Florida) was a New York City Police Department detective whose exploits were the subject of a book and movie, both entitled The French Connection.

Egan, his partner Sonny Grosso, and other New York City Police Department detectives broke up an organized crime ring in 1961 and seized 112 pounds of heroin, a record amount at the time. The investigation was the subject of a book by Robin Moore and the subsequent motion picture released in 1971.

The movie was highly fictionalized, and the character based on Egan was played by Gene Hackman, who won an Academy Award for his performance. (The film also won Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, and Editing.) The character was called Jimmy "Popeye Doyle", because "Popeye" was his nickname in real life. Egan played a small role in the movie as Hackman's supervisor, Simonson. Egan and Grosso were also technical advisors. Hackman reprised this role in the sequel film The French Connection II in 1975.

In 1986 a short-lived television series, Popeye Doyle, was based on the fictionalized character from the two films. In 1973, another film was released detailing Egan's career, this called Badge 373, with Robert Duvall playing the role of Egan.

After retiring from the police, Egan became an actor, portraying small roles in 22 movies and television series.^[1] He retired and moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1984.^[2]

He died from cancer, aged 65, at the University of Miami Cancer Center and was survived by his longtime fiancee Cheryl Kyle-Little, and a sister.