Hollywood star Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have been found dead in their Santa Fe home, along with their dog.
New Mexico police said their causes of death are under investigation but they do not believe foul play is a factor at this time.
The two-time Oscar-winning actor, 95, and his retired pianist wife, 63, were found on Wednesday afternoon at their residence in Sunset Trail.
Hackman had an illustrious acting career that spanned several decades, with roles including the curly-haired cop in The French Connection, Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor, as well as parts in Get Shorty and The Royal Tenenbaums.
The American actor was also awarded three Golden Globes and bestowed with the Cecil B. DeMille Award.
However, Hackman and his wife were known for being reclusive and the actor had not starred in a movie since 2004, when he played Monroe “Eagle” Cole in the political satire Welcome to Mooseport.
In an interview with Empire in 2009, he said: “The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York.”
He continued: “The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.”
Gene Hackman and actress Marisa Tomei pose with their Oscars after being awarded Best Supporting Actor and Actress for Unforgiven and My Cousin Vinny respectively – Scott Flynn/AFP
The California native was born Eugene Hackman on Jan 301930.
His parents moved from city to city, eventually settling in Danville, Illinois. The late star remembered his father, Eugene, saying goodbye to the family with the wave of a hand when he was 13.
He told GQ in 2011: “I hadn’t realised how much one small gesture can mean,” adding: “Maybe that’s why I became an actor.”
He joined the Marines at age 16, serving for four-and-a half years before seeking a degree in journalism and television production.
He then abandoned those plans to pursue a serious acting career, enrolling in the Pasadena Playhouse in California aged 27, where he met a 19-year-old Dustin Hoffman.
Hackman told Vanity Fair in 2004: “There was something about him that – like he had a secret. You just knew he was going to do something,”
Along with actor Robert Duvall, the young thespians moved to New York, and in 1964, aged 34, Hackman scored his big Broadway break in “Any Wednesday”, which led to him starring in “Lilith” alongside Warren Beatty that same year.
When Beatty was selecting his cast for the 1967 film “Bonnie and Clyde”, he then tapped Hackman to play his older brother.
The 95-year-old received two Oscars and two Baftas during an acting career that spanned several decades – CBS Photo Archive
Hackman was catapulted to global fame in 1972, when he won the Best Actor Oscar for The French Connection, William Friedkin’s gritty police drama portraying two tough New York City cops trying to intercept a huge heroin shipment coming from France.
Hackman played “Popeye” Doyle, a short-fused alcoholic but also a hard-working and dedicated police officer, who faces off with his nemesis Alain Charnier, a suave gentleman and one of the largest drug suppliers of pure heroin to North America.
The crime thriller boasts one of the best car chase scenes of all time, with death-defying stunts through 26 blocks of Brooklyn — all done illegally.
Miraculously, the cast and crew came out of it unscathed.
“Filmmaking has always been risky — both physically and emotionally — but I do choose to consider that film a moment in a checkered career of hits and misses,” Hackman told The New York Post in 2021 in a rare interview, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The French Connection.
“The film certainly helped me in my career, and I am grateful for that.”
Hackman went on to star in Young Frankenstein (1974), Night Moves (1975), Bite the Bullet (1975), Superman (1978), and even Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven (1992), which gave him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
He also headlined blockbusters by playing a wayward reverend in The Poseidon Adventure (1972), a down-on-his-luck high school basketball coach in Hoosiers (1986), a dodgy tax lawyer in The Firm (1993), and an eccentric father in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001).
Gene Hackman (left) as Sam Clayton and James Coburn as Luke Matthews in the Western ‘Bite the Bullet’ in 1975 – Silver Screen Collection/Moviepix
While presenting him the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2003, Michael Caine hailed Hackman as “one of the greatest actors” he knows.
He received equally stellar praise from Robin Williams, who co-presented the award. “Gene Hackman in Hollywood is known as an actor’s actor, but in my house, he’s known as a comedian’s comedian,” Williams quipped.
“Whether it be comedy or drama, you’re the most gifted actor in America. You’re also a truly superhuman being,” he added.
Gene Hackman appears in Get Shorty with John Travolta – Frank Trapper/Corbis Entertainment
After more than 100 credits, Hackman retired from Hollywood to New Mexico in 2004 to pursue a more sedate life.
He co-wrote adventure novels such as “Justice For None” and “Wake of the Perdido Star” with his friend, underwater researcher Daniel Lenihan.
“It’s very relaxing for me,” Hackman said of writing. “I don’t picture myself as a great writer, but I really enjoy the process.”
It’s “a different kind of stress,” he admitted.
“It’s one you can kind of manage, because you’re sitting there by yourself, as opposed to having 90 people sitting around waiting for you to entertain them,” he added.
“I like the loneliness of it, actually. It’s similar in some ways to acting, but it’s more private and I feel like I have more control over what I’m trying to say and do.”
Gene Hackman (right) as Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle in ‘The French Connection’ – Silver Screen Collection/Moviepix
Last year, he and his wife Betsy were seen out and about for the first time in two decades at a restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The outing marked the first time they were seen together in public for 21 years.
He told Reuters in 2008: ‘I haven’t held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I’m not going to act any longer.’
“I’ve been told not to say that over the last few years, in case some real wonderful part comes up, but I really don’t want to do it any longer.”
Hackman divorced his first wife, Faye Maltese, in 1986 after spending 30 years together and raising three children.
Five years later, he married Betsy Arakawa.
In an interview with Empire in 2020, the retired actor said he enjoyed watching DVDs that Arakawa rented.
“We like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce,” he said.
He confessed to being a fan of British stand up comedian Eddie Izzard.
“Friday night is set aside for a Comedy Channel marathon, with particular attention paid to Eddie Izzard. The speed of thought is amazing,” he said.
Hackman is survived by three children, Christopher, Elizabeth Jean and Leslie Anne, with his late ex-wife, Faye Maltese.
A statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff in New Mexico said there was an “active investigation” into the deaths.
The police department 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.”
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Source link
