On this day, Nov. 4, in 1995, Eddie “Popeye” Egan, the tough-talking Irish American whose career as a New York City policeman inspired the Academy Award-winning film “The French Connection,” died after a battle with cancer.
In 1961, Egan and his partner Sonny Grosso managed one of the biggest heroin busts in New York City history. The story was made into the 1971 film, “The French Connection,” starring Gene Hackman as Popeye Doyle. Egan, a larger-than-life figure himself, got to play the role of his own boss.
“The French Connection” set the standard by which all movie chase scenes are judged. After his retirement in 1984, Egan went on to play bit character roles in 22 movies and television series.
In 1986, Ed O’Neill played the title character in the NBC movie, “Popeye Doyle.”
— Scott McCabe
