Oscar-winning American actor Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog have been found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, authorities have confirmed.
In a statement, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said, “We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday afternoon at their residence on Sunset Trail. This is an active investigation – however, at this time we do not believe that foul play was a factor.”
Hackman, who was 95, had a career spanning over six decades, earning two Academy Awards, two BAFTAs, four Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He won the Oscar for Best Actor for his role as Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection (1971) and later won Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Little Bill Daggett in Unforgiven (1992). His Oscar-nominated performances also included roles in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), I Never Sang for My Father (1970), and Mississippi Burning (1988).
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed the couple’s deaths to local media shortly after midnight on Wednesday, with the news later verified by the Press Association. Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, was 63.
Authorities have not released a cause of death or an estimated time of passing. Sheriff Mendoza stated: “All I can say is that we’re in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant.”
Hackman was widely regarded as one of Hollywood’s finest actors, with over 100 roles to his name. He famously played Lex Luthor in the Superman films of the 1970s and 1980s and starred in Runaway Jury, The Conversation, and The Royal Tenenbaums. His final big-screen appearance was in Welcome to Mooseport (2004).
Born in California in 1930, Hackman enlisted in the army at 16 after lying about his age, serving for four-and-a-half years. His passion for acting led him to the Pasadena Playhouse in California, where he befriended a young Dustin Hoffman.
Reflecting on his career, Hackman once said: “I was trained to be an actor, not a star. I was trained to play roles, not to deal with fame and agents and lawyers and the press.” He also admitted to struggling with seeing himself on screen: “It really costs me a lot emotionally to watch myself on-screen. I think of myself, and feel like I’m quite young, and then I look at this old man with the baggy chins and the tired eyes and the receding hairline and all that.”
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the couple’s deaths.
