Gene Hackman, the two-time Academy Award-winning actor whose performances in The French Connection, Unforgiven, and The Conversation cemented his status as one of Hollywood’s most formidable talents, was found dead alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home on February 26, 2025. Authorities stated that no foul play is suspected, though the cause of death has not yet been determined. The couple’s dog was also found deceased at the scene.
Hackman, whose career spanned more than four decades, was known for portraying complex, often morally ambiguous characters. He won his first Oscar for Best Actor in The French Connection (1971), in which he played Popeye Doyle, a relentless New York City detective pursuing an international drug smuggling operation. The film, directed by William Friedkin, became a landmark of 1970s cinema, celebrated for its gritty realism and groundbreaking car chase sequences. His second Oscar came in 1992 for Unforgiven, Clint Eastwood’s revisionist Western, where he portrayed Little Bill Daggett, a ruthless sheriff whose brutal sense of justice ultimately leads to his downfall.
Hackman’s versatility extended beyond crime dramas and Westerns. In The Conversation (1974), directed by Francis Ford Coppola, he delivered a restrained yet deeply affecting performance as Harry Caul, a paranoid surveillance expert grappling with guilt and moral uncertainty. The film, which explored themes of privacy and technology, remains one of Hackman’s most critically acclaimed works.
His role as Lex Luthor in Superman (1978) and its sequels introduced him to a broader audience, as he brought a mix of intelligence, menace, and humor to the iconic villain. Other notable films include Mississippi Burning (1988), in which he played an FBI agent investigating civil rights-era murders, and Hoosiers (1986), where he portrayed a high school basketball coach leading an underdog team to victory. He also appeared in The Firm (1993) alongside Tom Cruise, Crimson Tide (1995) opposite Denzel Washington, and Enemy of the State (1998), a political thriller that saw him return to the paranoid themes of The Conversation.
Born on January 30, 1930, in San Bernardino, California, Hackman left home as a teenager to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps. He later pursued acting at the Pasadena Playhouse, where he befriended fellow aspiring actor Dustin Hoffman. His breakthrough came with Bonnie and Clyde (1967), in which he played Buck Barrow, the ill-fated brother of Warren Beatty’s Clyde, earning his first Oscar nomination.
After retiring from acting in 2004, Hackman focused on writing, publishing several historical novels. He largely avoided public appearances in his later years but remained widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of his generation.
It was reported that emergency responders were called to the Hackman residence on February 26, where the couple was found unresponsive. No additional details have been released regarding the circumstances of their deaths. Hackman is survived by three children from his first marriage.
