Gene Hackman, a formidable actor who amassed a slew of unforgettable performances spanning decades, is dead.
Authorities say the two-time Oscar winner, 95, and his wife, classically trained pianist Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead at their home in New Mexico on Wednesday during a welfare check. Their dog was also found dead at the home, per a report from the Associated Press citing a rep for the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office. No foul play is suspected, though an investigation is ongoing.
Complex has reached out to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office for comment.
In the early 1960s, the San Bernardino-born Hackman started to develop his voice as an artist with several roles across film, TV, and theater. This led to an Oscar-nominated supporting turn as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde in 1967, followed by another nomination in that category for his performance as Gene Garrison in I Never Sang for My Father, released in 1970.
With The French Connection, directed by William Friedkin, Hackman won his first Oscar for his portrayal of Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle, a character based on a real NYC detective. Hackman won again in 1993, this time for Supporting Actor, after appearing opposite Clint Eastwood in the subversive anti-Western Unforgiven.
Hackman’s widely acclaimed performances in The French Connection and Unforgiven also led to Golden Globe wins for the actor, as did his comedic turn in Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums. Welcome to Mooseport, a satire pairing Hackman with comedian Ray Romano, ultimately became the actor’s final film role, as he was effectively retired following its 2004 release.
Francis Ford Coppola, who directed Hackman in the classic 1974 neo-noir thriller The Conversation, remembered his former collaborator as “a great artist” in a tribute post shared to Instagram early Thursday.
“The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity,” the Godfather and Apocalypse Now filmmaker said. “I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution.”
Hackman, previously married to Faye Maltese, with whom he shared three children, first started dating in the ‘80s before ultimately moving in together in Santa Fe. Per a New York Times piece published in 1989, Hackman first met Arakawa, a pianist, when she was working part-time at a fitness center in California. By 1991, the two were married.
“It’s a great life, absolutely,” Hackman, then in his 60s, told Charlie Rose in a 1999 interview when asked how he feels about having risen to the top as an actor while also working in other artistic fields, i.e. writing and painting. “I think that I’ve been really privileged to have been given the opportunity to do some of the things that I’ve done.”
The larger filmography of Hackman, who brought a quiet confidence and a remarkable lived-in quality to every role, spanned over 40 years and also counted among its rank numerous other memorable titles including (but certainly not limited to) Night Moves, Superman, Reds, Hoosiers, Mississippi Burning, Crimson Tide, The Birdcage, The Firm, Enemy of the State, and Runaway Jury.
RIP.
