Oscar Winner Gene Hackman and Wife Betsy Found Dead at Home: Sheriff
Two-time Academy Award winner Gene Hackman and his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, have died, according to Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza. The legendary actor was 95.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that the actor and his wife, along with their dog, were found dead Wednesday, Feb. 26, in their home in the Santa Fe Summit community.
Per the publication, Mendoza said there was no immediate indication of foul play. A cause of death was not provided. Parade has reached out to Hackman's representative.
Born Jan. 30, 1930, when his teachers and classmates didn't believe he could succeed as an actor, Hackman decided to prove them wrong, moving to New York City to seriously pursue his acting career. His classmate Dustin Hoffman joined him in the city.
Hackman received his first film and TV roles in 1961; he played a policeman in Mad Dog Coll and a small role as character Joe Lawson in an episode of Tallahassee 7000. Two years later, he made his Broadway debut in Children From Their Games.
It wasn't until 1964 that he received his big break with the Broadway play Any Wednesday. This led to his first major film in Lilith, alongside Jean Seberg and Warren Beatty. In 1967, he received his first Academy Award nomination for his supporting role as Buck Barrow in classic Bonnie and Clyde. He earned his second Oscar nomination for I Never Sang for My Father in 1970.
It wasn't until a year later that he won his first Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in The French Connection. His career continued to be successful for the rest of the decade, with starring roles in Prime Cut, The Poseidon Adventure, Cisco Pike and Night Moves.
His star power grew further when he was cast as villain Lex Luthor in 1978's Superman. He reprised the role in sequels Superman II and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.
Hackman later won his second Oscar for his work in Clint Eastwood's critically-acclaimed Western flick, Unforgiven. He took home the prize for Best Supporting Actor.
Some of Hackman's most memorable roles late in his career were in The Royal Tenenbaums, The Birdcage and Get Shorty. His final movie was 2004's Welcome to Mooseport, starring alongside Ray Romano. He announced his retirement from acting in 2008.
Hackman married twice. His first wife was Faye Maltese, with whom he had three children: Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie. They divorced in 1986. The actor married pianist Betsy in 1991. They shared a home in Santa Fe, N.M.
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