KUALA LUMPUR – Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.
A Reuters report said deputies discovered the 95-year-old actor and his 64-year-old wife at approximately 1.45 pm on February 26, 2025.
“Foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths at this time; however, the exact cause of death has not been determined. This is an active and ongoing investigation,” the office said.
Hackman, widely regarded as one of Hollywood’s greatest actors, had a career spanning more than six decades. Known for his versatility and distinctive presence, he appeared in over 80 films, receiving multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, two BAFTAs, and four Golden Globes.
His breakthrough role came in 1967 as Buck Barrow in “Bonnie and Clyde,” earning him his first Oscar nomination. He later won the Best Actor Academy Award for portraying New York detective Popeye Doyle in the 1971 thriller “The French Connection.” In 1993, he secured a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as a ruthless sheriff in Clint Eastwood’s “Unforgiven.”
Hackman’s other notable performances included the FBI agent in “Mississippi Burning” (1988), a small-town basketball coach in “Hoosiers” (1986), and Superman’s arch-nemesis Lex Luthor in the “Superman” films of the 1970s and 1980s. He also starred in “The Poseidon Adventure,” “Runaway Jury,” “The Conversation,” and Wes Anderson’s “The Royal Tenenbaums.” His final major role was in the 2004 comedy “Welcome to Mooseport.”
Born in California in 1930, Hackman enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at 16, serving for four and a half years. He later pursued acting, studying at the Pasadena Playhouse in California, where he befriended fellow actor Dustin Hoffman. Reflecting on his career, Hackman once said, “I suppose I wanted to be an actor from the time I was about 10, maybe even younger than that.”
Despite his success, Hackman never embraced fame. “I was trained to be an actor, not a star,” he remarked. “It really costs me a lot emotionally to watch myself on-screen.”
He retired from acting in his 70s, focusing on writing novels. In 2008, he confirmed to Reuters, “I haven’t held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I’m not going to act any longer.”
Hackman was married twice. He and his first wife, Faye Maltese, were together for 30 years and had three children before divorcing in 1986. He later married Arakawa, a classical pianist, in 1991, and they largely stayed out of the public eye in their later years. – February 27, 2025