‘Unforgiven’ and ‘French Connection’ Star Gene Hackman Dead with Wife and Dog at Home

and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were both found dead at their home in Santa Fe with their dog. The terrible news shared by the Santa Fe New Mexican reported that Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed the news that the couple had been discovered just after midnight on Thursday morning, although they could not reveal a cause of death at the time.

In a statement shared by the Sheriff’s Office said, “We do not believe foul play was a factor in their deaths. However, exact cause of death has not been determined at this time.”

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Gene Hackman has had an incredible career, having played some of the most iconic characters in Hollywood’s history.

Hackman, who was 95, was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, having appeared in many iconic roles across his career, including playing Lex Luthor in Christopher Reeve’s Superman movies, winning an Oscar for his role in The French Connection, and picking up another for his supporting role in Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven. The actor has previously been the subject of several death hoaxes, with claims flooding the internet of his passing for almost a decade on numerous occasions. Sadly, this time, it appears not to be the case.

The Life and Career of Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman leaves behind an incredible legacy, and is remembered as one of the most versatile and respected stars in the industry. With a career of more than five decades, even though he bowed out of Hollywood in 2004, his presence has continued to be felt as his movies jump around streaming platforms, constantly discovering new audiences and building on his already huge fan base.

Born Eugene Allen Hackman in 1930, the actor joined the U.S. Marine Corps as a teenager, and subsequently held a number of jobs before turning to acting in his late 20s. Beginning his acting journey studying at the Pasadena Playhouse, Hackman was not considered to have massive potential during his time there, something that would be proven very wrong from the moment he received his big break in 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde.

In Bonnie and Clyde, Hackman starred as outlaw Buck Barrow alongside Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, which earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination and set him on an upward trajectory in Hollywood. In 1971, he proved that he had a bright future ahead when he won Best Actor for playing Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection, a role that, along with the likes of Clint Eastwood’s Harry Callahan, would bring a new kind of gritty, uncompromising style of detective to cinema and form the basis for many that followed.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Hackman delivered many performances that defined his career, from 1974’s The Conversation, a Francis Ford Coppola movie in which he played a paranoid, tormented surveillance expert living in the wake of the Watergate scandal, to his forever-remembered role as DC Comics villain Lex Luthor in Richard Donner’s Superman, a part he played in several sequels and one that every subsequent actor to take on the role has been compared to.

After many more acclaimed roles in movies such as Mississippi Burning, Hoosiers, and No Way Out, his role as Little Bill Daggett in 1992’s Unforgiven brought him his second Oscar. Continuing to work throughout the next decade, Hackman made appearances with Tom Cruise in John Grisham’s The Firm, Keanu Reeves in The Replacements, Morgan Freeman in Under Suspicion, and reunited with Clint Eastwood in Absolute Power.

Gene Hackman’s Late Career Switch

Showing his range, Hackman also delivered several comedic performances in the 1996 movie The Birdcage, 2001’s Heartbreakers, and of course as the head of the household in The Royal Tenenbaums, which became a late career highlight and landed him a Golden Globe for Best Actor. In 2004, after his final movie Welcome to Mooseport, Hackman stepped back from acting, and, except for some rare interview moments, lived out the rest of his life away from the public eye.

Hackman’s legacy is found not just in his extensive filmography, but in his influence on other actors throughout his career. As one of Hollywood’s greats, Hackman’s tragic passing closes a particular chapter in the industry that will be felt by many this morning.

Source: Santa Fe New Mexican

Gene Hackman

Birthname

Eugene Allen Hackman

Birthdate

January 30, 1930

Birthplace

San Bernardino, California, USA

Bio

Eugene Allen Gene Hackman born January 30 1930 is a retired American actor and novelist Nominated for five Academy Awards winning two Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned four decades He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde His major subsequent films include I Never Sang for My Father 1970 his role as Jimmy Popeye Doyle in The French Connection 1971 and its sequel French Connection II 1975 The Poseidon Adventure 1972 The Conversation 1974 A Bridge Too Far 1977 his role as arch villain Lex Luthor in Superman 1978 Superman II 1980 and Superman IV The Quest for Peace 1987 Under Fire 1983 Twice in a Lifetime 1985 Hoosiers 1986 No Way Out 1987 Mississippi Burning 1987 Unforgiven 1992 Wyatt Earp 1994 The Quick and the Dead Crimson Tide and Get Shorty all 1995 Enemy of the State 1998 The Royal Tenenbaums 2001 and his final film role before retirement in Welcome to Mooseport 2004

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