The Oscar-winner was 95 years old. Two-time Academy Award-winning actor Gene Hackman has been found dead in his home in Santa Fe alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa. The couple’s dog was also found dead at the home. According to the Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza, no foul play is suspected.
“I want to assure the community and neighborhood that there's no immediate danger to anyone,” Mendoza added. Following his retirement from Hollywood, Hackman was rarely seen in public, he was last pictured in 2024 out with his wife around Santa Fe.
Hackman burst on the scene in the Bonnie & Clyde in 1967 playing one of Warren Beatty’s brother and earning an Academy Award nomination. From there, Hackman appeared in a string of hits, winning his first Oscar for his role as Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection, following that up with hits such as Superman, Scarecrow with Al Pacino and The Poseidon Adventure.
His hits continued into the 1980s and 1990s, with movies like Mississippi Burning, No Way Out and The Birdcage. In 1992, Hackman won his second Academy Award for his role in Clint Eastwood’s western Unforgiven. Hackman backed out of Hollywood following the 2003 flop Welcome to Mooseport, becoming a writer of historical fiction and living away from the spotlight.
