Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa found dead in separate rooms of Santa Fe house
Gene Hackman: Death of actor and wife 'suspicious enough' for investigation, police say
(about 1 hour later)
Gene Hackman: A look back on his career
Gene Hackman: A look back on his career
Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, his wife and their dog appear to have been dead for some time when they were found in different rooms of their home in the US state of New Mexico, according to police.
Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, his wife and their dog appeared to have been dead for some time when they were found in their home in the US state of New Mexico, according to police.
Hackman, 95, was discovered dead in a side room near the kitchen of the house in Santa Fe, while Betsy Arakawa, a 63-year-old classical pianist, was found dead in a bathroom.
Hackman, 95, was discovered on Wednesday afternoon in a side room near the kitchen of the house in Santa Fe, while his wife Betsy Arakawa, a 63-year-old classical pianist, was found in a bathroom.
The county sheriff's office said there was no sign that any of them had been shot or had other types of wounds. The fire department detected no indication of a carbon monoxide leak, according to a search warrant.
The county sheriff's office said there was no sign that they had sustained any injuries. No cause of death was given, but police said the situation was "suspicious enough" to merit investigation.
In a wide-ranging career, Hackman won two Academy Awards for his work on The French Connection and Unforgiven.
In a wide-ranging career, Hackman won two Academy Awards for his work on The French Connection and Unforgiven.
Three of Hackman's children confirmed the death of their father and Ms Arakawa in a statement to the BBC.
"He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss," Elizabeth, Leslie and Annie Hackman said.
Warning: This story contains details some readers may find upsetting
Warning: This story contains details some readers may find upsetting
The Santa Fe County Sheriff's office said: "On 26 February, 2025, at approximately 1:45pm, Santa Fe County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park where Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and a dog were found deceased."
The Santa Fe County Sheriff's office shared early details of of Hackman and Ms Arakawa's deaths.
According to the search warrant, the couple's German Shepherd dog was found dead in a bathroom closet near to Ms Arakawa.
"On 26 February, 2025, at approximately 1:45pm, Santa Fe County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park where Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and a dog were found deceased," the office said.
A police detective who responded to the scene said that they believed the couple had been dead for some time because Ms Arakawa's remains showed "body decomposition" and "mummification" in the hands and feet.
A police detective who responded to the scene said that they believed the couple had been dead for some time because of Ms Arakawa's "decomposition" and "mummification" in the hands and feet.
"The male decedent also showed obvious signs of death, similar and consistent with the female decedent," said the search warrant.
"The male decedent also showed obvious signs of death, similar and consistent with the female decedent," said the search warrant.
Near Ms Arakawa's head was a portable heater, which the detective determined could have been brought down in the event that the woman abruptly fell to the ground.
Near Ms Arakawa's head was a portable heater, which the detective determined could have been brought down in the event that the woman abruptly fell to the ground.
A prescription bottle and scattered pills were found on the bathroom countertop close to her body.
A prescription bottle and scattered pills were on the bathroom countertop close to her body. The couple's German Shepherd dog was found dead in a bathroom closet near to Ms Arakawa.
Hackman was found wearing grey sweat pants, a blue long-sleeve T-shirt and brown slippers. Sunglasses and a walking cane were next to the body.
Hackman was discovered wearing grey sweat pants, a blue long-sleeve T-shirt and brown slippers. Sunglasses and a walking cane were next to the body.
The detective suspected that the actor had fallen suddenly.
The detective suspected that the actor had fallen suddenly.
Two other, healthy dogs were found roaming the property - one inside the house and one outside.
Hackman won the best actor Oscar for his role as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in William Friedkin's 1971 thriller The French Connection, and another for best supporting actor for playing Little Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood's Western film Unforgiven in 1992.
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Prince of Wales leads tributes to 'genius' Gene Hackman
A relative latecomer to Hollywood, Hackman's breathrough came in his thirties, when he was nominated for an Oscar for portraying Buck Barrow in 1967's Bonnie and Clyde - opposite Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway - and again for I Never Sang for My Father in 1970.
The circumstances of their death were "suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation", said the search warrant, because the person who called emergency services found the front door of the property open.
Both films saw him recognised in the supporting actor category. He was also nominated for best leading actor in 1988 for playing the agent in Mississippi Burning.
But nothing appeared out of place inside, according to the detective. There was no indication the home had been rummaged through, or that any items had been removed.
'Gene Hackman could play anyone'
Two other, healthy dogs were found roaming the property - one inside and one outside.
Much-celebrated actor Hackman played more than 100 roles in total, including supervillain Lex Luthor in the Christopher Reeve-starring Superman movies in the 1970s and 1980s.
The local utility responded and found no sign of a gas leak in the area. The fire department detected no indication of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning, according to the search warrant.
Hackman acted opposite many Hollywood heavyweights including Al Pacino in 1973's Scarecrow, Gene Wilder in 1974's Young Frankenstein and Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton in 1981's Reds.
The detective spoke at the scene to two maintenance workers, one of whom had called the emergency services.
He also starred in the hit movies Runaway Jury, Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums and Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation.
The two workers said they sometimes conducted routine work at the property, but rarely ever saw the couple.
Coppola led the tributes to the late star on Thursday, calling him "a great artist". In a statement posted on Instagram, the director wrote: "Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity. I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution."
They indicated that they communicated with them by phone and text, primarily with Ms Arakawa.
Valerie Perrine, who featured alongside Hackman in Superman (1978) as his character's on-screen girlfriend Eve Teschmacher, described the late actor as "a genius" and one of the "greatest to grace the silver screen".
The two workers said they last had contact with the couple two weeks beforehand.
She posted on X: "His performances are legendary. His talent will be missed. Goodbye my sweet Lex Till we meet again."
A recording of the 911 call obtained by the BBC shows the emotional caller telling a dispatcher how he found the two bodies.
"No, they're not moving," he says in the audio. "Just send somebody out here really quick."
The person, who made the call while standing outside the property and peering in through a window, is heard saying "damn" repeatedly.
Gene Hackman reflects on career and acting
Gene Hackman reflects on career and acting
Star Trek actor George Takei posted that "we have lost one of the true giants of the screen".
Hackman won the best actor Oscar for his role as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in William Friedkin's 1971 thriller The French Connection, and another for best supporting actor for playing Little Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood's Western film Unforgiven in 1992.
"Gene Hackman could play anyone, and you could feel a whole life behind it," he wrote. "He could be everyone and no one, a towering presence or an everyday Joe. That's how powerful an actor he was. He will be missed, but his work will live on forever."
A relative latecomer to Hollywood, Hackman's breathrough came in his thirties, when he was nominated for an Oscar for portraying Buck Barrow in 1967's Bonnie and Clyde - opposite Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway - and again for I Never Sang for My Father in 1970.
Slumdog Millionaire star Anil Kapoor also called Hackman a "genius" performer. "A true legend whose legacy will live on," he wrote.
Both films saw him recognised in the supporting actor category. He was also nominated for best leading actor in 1988 for playing the FBI agent in Mississippi Burning.
As well as his Oscar wins, Hackman also collected two Baftas, four Golden Globes and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
He played more than 100 roles during his career, including supervillain Lex Luthor in the Christopher Reeve-starring Superman movies in the 1970s and 1980s.
He took a comedic turn playing a conservative senator in 1996's The Birdcage alongside Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, who starred as a gay couple.
Hackman featured opposite many other Hollywood heavyweights including Al Pacino in 1973's Scarecrow and Gene Wilder in 1974's Young Frankenstein.
His last big-screen appearance came as Monroe Cole in Welcome to Mooseport in 2004, after which he stepped back from Hollywood for a quieter life in New Mexico.
His last big-screen appearance came as Monroe Cole in Welcome to Mooseport in 2004, after which he stepped back from Hollywood for a quieter life in New Mexico.
'Actors had to be handsome'
Born in California in 1930, Hackman's family moved frequently, and after lying about his age at 16, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps serving for four-and-a-half years.
He was stationed in China, Hawaii and Japan before being discharged in 1951.
Following his military service, Hackman lived and worked in a variety jobs in New York, and studied journalism and television production at the University of Illinois, before deciding to drop out and move back to California to pursue his childhood acting dream.
He joined the Pasadena Playhouse in California, where he befriended a young Dustin Hoffman.
"I suppose I wanted to be an actor from the time I was about 10, maybe even younger than that," Hackman once said. "Recollections of early movies that I had seen and actors that I admired like James Cagney, Errol Flynn, those kind of romantic action guys.
"When I saw those actors, I felt I could do that. But I was in New York for about eight years before I had a job. I sold ladies shoes, polished leather furniture, drove a truck.
"I think that if you have it in you and you want it bad enough, you can do it."
He added that he "wanted to act" but had "always been convinced that actors "had to be handsome".
"That came from the days when Errol Flynn was my idol. I'd come out of a theatre and be startled when I looked in a mirror because I didn't look like Flynn. I felt like him."
Hackman appeared with Jan-Michael Vincent in 1975's Bite The Bullet
Hackman moved back to New York in 1963, performing in Off-Broadway productions - including at the Music Box Theatre for the comedy Any Wednesday - and smaller TV roles.
But he began to really make his name in the 1970s, becoming a leading man as New York City detective Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle in The French Connection.
From then on he became a fixture on the big screen in the likes of 1972 disaster film The Poseidon Adventure.
He also appeared in Children From Their Games at the former Morosco Theatre, Poor Richard at Helen Hayes Theatre and The Natural Look at Longacre Theatre, before later returning in 1992 to perform Death And The Maiden at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.
Hackman and his first wife, Faye Maltese, were together for 30 years and raised three children before getting divorced in 1986.
In his later years, he and his second wife, Betsy stayed out of the spotlight, but made a rare public appearance together at the 2003 Golden Globe Awards, where he won the Cecil B. deMille award.
'Not going to act any longer'
In 2008 he told Reuters that despite the lack of any official announcement, he was "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."
He also explained he was focusing his attentions away from the big screen and towards his quieter, calmer passion for writing novels.
"I was trained to be an actor, not a star. I was trained to play roles, not to deal with fame and agents and lawyers and the press," he once said.
"It really costs me a lot emotionally to watch myself on-screen. I think of myself, and feel like I'm quite young, and then I look at this old man with the baggy chins and the tired eyes and the receding hairline and all that."
