Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle

Detective James "Popeye" Doyle is a fictional character portrayed by actor Gene Hackman in the 1971 movie The French Connection. The character is based on a real-life New York City Police Detective named Eddie Egan.^[1][2] Doyle is #44 as a Hero on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains list.

The French Connection

In the 1971 movie The French Connection, Popeye Doyle 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, Doyle has many negative qualities: He is an overzealous, bigoted alcoholic who is often disrespectful to his superiors. Nevertheless, he 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, Doyle accidentally kills a federal agent with whom he previously had an argument and continues in pursuit of his foe.

The real-life Eddie Egan also appeared in the film, and Gene Hackman won an Academy Award for his performance.

French Connection II

In 1975, its 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.

TV pilot Popeye Doyle

In 1986, Doyle (played by Ed O'Neill) was the protagonist of a television pilot movie called Popeye Doyle. Although the series was never produced, the pilot was shown as a TV movie on NBC.

Cultural references

Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits founder Al Copeland named his fast-food chain after Popeye Doyle.^[3]

References