Gene Hackman, 95, and wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, found dead at home alongside pet dog
They were 95 and 61 years old.
Gene Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, alongside their pet dog.
The legendary actor was 95 years old, and his wife was 61 years old.
Local media outlet the Santa Fe New Mexican reported that County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed just after midnight Thursday the news of the couple’s death.
In an interview Wednesday evening, the sheriff said there are no immediate concerns about foul play, though he did not provide a cause of death.
A statement from the sheriff, as reported by PA, reads: ‘We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday afternoon at their residence on Sunset Trail.
‘This is an active investigation – however, at this time we do not believe that foul play was a factor.’
The pair have been married since 1991 (Picture: Alpha-Nina Prommer)He continued: ‘All I can say is that we’re in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant.’
Authorities arrived at a gated community called Old Sunset Trail on Wednesday afternoon to investigate the deaths of two elderly people and a dog. However, it’s unclear if they had been alerted that the couple was deceased or were making a welfare check.
A legendary actor, Hackman received two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globes, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and the Silver Bear throughout his six-decade career.
Betsy Arakawa was a classical pianist (Picture: Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)The couple had been married since 1991 and moved to New Mexico from Los Angeles in 2004. They were last seen out in the Santa Fe area together in February 2025.
Born in California in 1930, Hackman enlisted in the army after lying about his age at 16, serving for four-and-a-half years in the Marines before deciding to pursue a career in acting.
Hackman appeared in countless iconic roles but will perhaps be best remembered for his two Academy Award Winning parts.
The actor won two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globes, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and the Silver Bear throughout his six-decade career (Picture: Everett/Shutterstock)He won his first Oscar for the part of Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle in William Friedkin’s thriller The French Connection (1971) and the other for Best Supporting Actor for his role as ‘Little’ Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood’s Western film Unforgiven (1992).
His other Oscar-nominated roles were in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), I Never Sang for My Father (1970), and Mississippi Burning (1988).
The versatile performer played over 100 roles throughout his career, including as Lex Luthor in Superman movies in the 1970s and 1980s.
Hackman won an Oscar for his role in The French Connection (alongside Jan Fonda) at the 1972 awards (Picture: Bettmann Archive)He said his role in the 1973 film Scarecrow, alongside Al Pacino, was his favorite role of his career.
He also starred in the hit movies Runaway Jury and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conservation, which won the Palm d’Or, as well as Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums.
His last film appearance was in Welcome to Mooseport in 2004, where he played Monroe Cole.
Struggling with stress and burnout, Hackman decided to quit acting due to heart troubles in 2004, telling Empire of his decision five years later: ‘The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York. The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.’
He told Reuters in 2008 that he was sure of his decision to leave Hollywood behind: ‘I haven’t held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I’m not going to act any longer.’
Hackman also played Lex Luthor in Superman films in the 70s and 80s (Picture: Warner Bros/Dc Comics/Kobal/Shutterstock)‘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 began writing novels around this time, telling the publication: ‘I like the loneliness of it, actually. It’s similar in some ways to acting, but it’s more private and I feel like I have more control over what I’m trying to say and do.’
‘There’s always a compromise in acting and in film, you work with so many people and everyone has an opinion. … I don’t know that I like it better than acting, it’s just different. I find it relaxing and comforting.’
Between 1999 and 2013, Hackman wrote five novels that tended toward the historical fiction genre: Wake of the Perdido Star (1999),Justice for None (2004), Escape from Andersonville (2008), Payback at Morning Peak (2011), and Pursuit (2013).
Often characterised as impatient and prickly in the press, Hackman had a marked dislike for all of the attention and posturing that fame required.
Hackman had three children with first wife Faye Maltese (Picture: Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)When asked about this reputation in a 1992 interview with All About Actors, he said: ‘It’s probably accurate. The movie business is very stressful, and a lot of times people doing interviews hang around sometimes for a couple of days before they talk to you, or even after they talk to you.
‘You just forget they’re there, and you say something, or you’re impatient or tired or whatever else. Then they write that. That’s all right. I don’t care. Sure, I get frustrated and angry or upset and all that.’
He continued, explaining his dislike of the press: ‘A lot of pictures, I just do them, and then I walk away, although sometimes I do publicity for them. But most times, I try not to.’
Hackman starred in over 100 films throughout his career(Picture: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)He also often spoke about the way he felt his job as an actor was altogether separate from his job as a movie star, famously saying: ‘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.’
‘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.’
Hackman was previously married to Faye Maltese from 1956 to 1986, and the pair had three children.
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