Hollywood Icon Gene Hackman And Wife Found Dead At 95 And 63

Renowned Hollywood actor Gene Hackman was found deceased alongside his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Police confirmed the news, citing no suspicion of foul play.

Santa Fe County law enforcement confirmed the passing of Gene Hackman, the two-time Academy Award-winning actor, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, who was 63. Their bodies, along with their pet dog, were found on Wednesday afternoon in their home.Authorities have stated that there is no evidence of foul play, and an official cause of death has yet to be determined.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza addressed the media on Thursday, confirming the heartbreaking news.

Hackman built a legendary career in Hollywood, starring in critically acclaimed films such as “The French Connection,”, “Bonnie and Clyde”, and “The Royal Tenenbaums.”.His career included two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe wins, and the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award, which he received in 2003.

Born Eugene Hackman on January 30, 1930, in California, he spent much of his childhood moving from place to place before settling in Danville, Illinois.

One of his most vivid childhood memories was watching his father, Eugene, wave goodbye and walk away from the family when he was just 13 years old.

The two-time Oscar winner is known for his role in 1971’s “The French Connection.”Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

“I hadn’t realized how much one small gesture can mean,” Hackman told GQ in a 2011 interview. “Maybe that’s why I became an actor.”At 16, he enlisted in the Marine Corps, where he served for four and a half years, traveling to China, Japan, and Hawaii. Afterward, he pursued journalism and television production at the University of Illinois but soon discovered that acting was his true calling.

Determined to make it in the industry, he enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse at 27, where he met a young Dustin Hoffman.

“There was something about him that — like he had a secret. You just knew he was going to do something,” Hackman recalled in a 2004 Vanity Fair interview.Along with Robert Duvall, they formed a tight-knit trio of aspiring actors determined to make their mark in New York City.

“There was a kind of feeling of Jack Kerouac at that time — ‘On the Road’ — kids just wanting to have a good time and kind of experience things. It didn’t have anything to do with being successful — just wanting to try this thing and see if it worked,” Hackman explained in the same interview.

Hackman landed a breakthrough role on Broadway in “Any Wednesday,”, which led to a career-defining moment in the 1964 film “Lilith”, where he starred alongside Warren Beatty.When Beatty was casting for “Bonnie and Clyde,” in 1967, he personally chose Hackman to play his older brother, a role that earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

He once said he owed his career to the success of “The French Connection,” telling The Post in 2021 he was “grateful” for the role.Vera Anderson/WireImage

His career reached new heights in 1972 when he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in “The French Connection,”. The crime thriller became famous for its intense car chase scenes, filmed illegally across 26 blocks of Brooklyn.Despite the dangerous stunts, no major incidents occurred on set.

“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 Post in 2021 while reflecting on the 50th anniversary of “The French Connection.”.

“The film certainly helped me in my career, and I am grateful for that.”Following his success in “The French Connection,”, which he later admitted he had only watched once, Hackman went on to star in several other major films, including “Young Frankenstein” (1974), “Night Moves” (1975), “Bite the Bullet” (1975), and “Superman” (1978). He also won another Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Clint Eastwood’s “Unforgiven” (1992).

Over the years, he played a wide range of characters, from a troubled reverend in “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972) to a high school basketball coach in “Hoosiers” (1986), a cunning lawyer in “The Firm” (1993), and an eccentric father in “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001).

When presenting Hackman with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2003, actor Michael Caine described him as “one of the greatest actors”.Robin Williams, who co-hosted the award ceremony, joked, “Gene Hackman in Hollywood is known as an actor’s actor, but in my house, he’s known as a comedian’s comedian,”

He then added, “Whether it be comedy or drama, you’re the most gifted actor in America. You’re also a truly superhuman being,”

Hackman’s final film appearance was in 2004’s “Welcome to Mooseport,”, after which he officially retired from Hollywood.Reflecting on his decision to step away, he explained, “The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York,” in a 2009 interview. “The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.”

The infamous car chase scene in “The French Connection” earned the film critical acclaim.20th Century Fox/Everett Collection

After leaving the film industry, Hackman turned to hobbies such as “low-budget films,”, painting, and writing.He co-authored adventure novels, including “Justice For None” and “Wake of the Perdido Star”, with his longtime friend and underwater researcher Daniel Lenihan.

“It’s very relaxing for me,” he said of writing. “I don’t picture myself as a great writer, but I really enjoy the process.”

Though he admitted that filmmaking could be “stressful,”, he noted that writing brought “a different kind of stress,”.“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 shared.

Hackman is survived by his wife, Betsy Arakawa, whom he married in 1991, and his three children—Christopher, Elizabeth Jean, and Leslie Anne—from his previous marriage to Faye Maltese.

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