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Eugene F. "Gene" Kranz (17 August, 1933–) is a former NASA flight controller. His career began in the earliest days of the Mercury program and continued until after the 1993 shuttle mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. He was the lead flight director during the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Distinctive for his buzz-cut hair, Leland Thread white vests, and straight-talking demeanor, Kranz was portrayed with much zeal by Ed Harris during the movie Apollo 13, the actor earning an Academy Award nomination for his performance. Kranz was the leader of the tiger team that saved the Apollo 13 astronauts.