After the heartbreaking news of Hollywood legend 's death, which was announced today (February 27), people are remembering the US star's career.

And although he appeared in hits such as Enemy of the State and Superman, some may not know that he dropped out of a project which went on to win the "Big Five" at the .

The Hollywood icon, , at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, starred in some of the biggest films of all time. From his Oscar-winning work on The French Connection and Unforgiven to standout roles in The Royal Tenenbaums and Mississippi Burning, Hackman, who died at the age of 95, had more than his share of iconic roles.

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But fans of the late actor are realising he had at one point been poised to star in and direct a film which won Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Screenplay at the Academy Awards.

Though Hackman would drop out of the project, the film is regarded as one of the all-time greats and made its stars, Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, household names. Silence of the Lambs picked up Oscar wins for both actors, as well as director Jonathan Demme and Ted Tally, who adapted the Thomas Harris book for the screen.

Fans reminiscing about Silence of the Lambs, and the film preceding it, Manhunter, asked why there were so many changes to the cast and crew. One user asked: "Why wasn't Brian Cox brought back for The Silence of the Lambs?"

Cox, known for his role in hit TV show Succession, played the cannibalistic killer which later bagged Hopkins an Academy Award.

One fan replied: "Because Silence Of The Lambs isn't a sequel to Manhunter. Manhunter is to Silence Of The Lambs what the Rankin/Bass version of the Hobbit is to Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Silence is an adaptation of the book that is a sequel to the book Manhunter was based on. They don't take place in the same 'universe', so to speak.

"And Hopkins became Lecter because director Jonathan Demme wanted him for the role. His first choice was Sean Connery. But when Connery turned the role down, Demme went to Anthony Hopkins who he had seen in the movie The Elephant Man.

"And in the beginning, when Gene Hackman was slated to direct the movie and possibly play Jack Crawford, they offered the role to even more actors. Jeremy Irons was among them but turned it down because he didn't want to play another dark role.

"Other actors who were at one point or another considered for the role were Jack Nicholson, John Hurt, Robert Duval, Robert De Niro, Louis Gossett Jr, Patrick Stewart and Christopher Lloyd."

Hackman is noted for turning down several big projects including Back to the Future, Se7en and Apocalypse Now. Despite turning down so many iconic films, Hackman has an outstanding filmography including features like The Birdcage, The Quick and the Dead, and Wyatt Earp.