Gene Hackman
Found Dead in Home with Wife Betsy Arakawa
Published February 27, 2025 3:34 AM PST
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Updated February 27, 2025 4:43 AM PST
Legendary actor and two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman has reportedly been found dead inside his Santa Fe, New Mexico home alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports their bodies were discovered Wednesday afternoon, with Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirming the news just after midnight on Thursday.
The sheriff’s office reportedly told NBC affiliate KOB of Albuquerque a welfare check was conducted to his home after a concerned neighbor called the police.
No foul play is suspected and a cause of death has not been revealed.
Hackman — who had three Golden Globes and the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award to his name — and Arakawa, a classical pianist, were married for 34 years.
Amongst the actor’s iconic films were 1971’s “The French Connection”, 1978 and 1980’s “Superman” and “Superman II”, and 1986’s “Hoosiers”. He won his first Oscar for his portrayal of New York policeman Popeye Doyle in “The French Connection” and his second for his role as sheriff Little Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood’s 1992 western, “Unforgiven.”
In 2013, he credited his father ditching his family and literally waving as he walked out the door with helping him become an actor, telling Vanity Fair … “I doubt I would’ve become so sensitive to human behavior if that hadn’t happened to me as a child — if I hadn’t realized how much one small gesture can mean.”
Before Hackman found a prolific acting career, he served four and a half years in the Marines, beginning at age 16. He reportedly enlisted after spending a night in jail for stealing candy and soda.
He then moved on to journalism and TV production before enrolling in the Pasadena Playhouse in California at age 27. There, he became quick friends with fellow aspiring actor Dustin Hoffman.
Recalling his fast bond with Hoffman, he told Vanity Fair … “There was something about him that — like he had a secret. You just knew he was going to do something.”
Before marrying Arakawa, the “Conversation” actor was wed to Faye Maltese for 30 years.
He graced the screen for five decades before he retired from acting in 2004, with his last credit being “Welcome to Mooseport”, in which he starred opposite Ray Romano.
He told GQ in 2011 that he’d like to be remembered as a “decent actor,” adding … “As someone who tried to portray what was given to them in an honest fashion. I don’t know, beyond that.”
Hackman was 95 at the time of his death; Arakawa was 63.
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