"Gene always said, 'I don't think about legacy. I just hope people remember me as someone who tried to do good work,'" Freeman said of his 'Unforgiven' and 'Under Suspicion' co-star.

Freeman, whose friendship with Hackman spans decades, called the late actor a “giant” of the film industry in his homage.

As in past years, the In Memoriam segment of Sunday’s Oscar telecast quickly became controversial because of the stars who were left out of the montage, notably ‘Gossip Girl’