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Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, have been found dead at their home, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office says.
He said Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 63 and a classical pianist, were found dead on Wednesday afternoon (Thursday AEDT) at their home in Santa Fe Summit north-east of the New Mexican city.
Legendary actor Gene Hackman’s life in pictures
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Denise Avila said deputies responded to a request to do a welfare check at the home on Wednesday about 1.45pm (7.45am Friday AEDT) and found the bodies.
Mendoza did not provide a cause of death for the actor, one of the industry’s most respected and honoured performers, or Arakawa, his wife of more than 30 years.
Hackman won an Academy Award for The French Connection in 1971 and another for Unforgiven in 1992.
He received Oscar nominations for Mississippi Burning, I Never Sang For My Father and Bonnie and Clyde.
Hackman and Arakawa had lived in Santa Fe since they married in 1991.
The popular leading man known for his versatility and rugged appearance was born in San Bernardino, California, and left home at 16, enlisting in the Marines and working as a journalist before getting into theatre and then movies.
His first Broadway role in 1964’s Any Wednesday sparked the attention of Hollywood agents, leading to a role in Lillith alongside Warren Beatty.
Beatty was also by his side in 1967 when Hackman’s turn as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde earned him his first Oscar nomination, for best supporting actor.
Four years later, a towering performance as maverick detective Popeye Doyle in The French Connection cemented Hackman as a star.
William Friedkin’s cop drama about NYPD detectives investigating a heroin-smuggling ring in Marseilles was a massive commercial and critical success and earned Hackman the Oscar for best leading actor.
A string of big roles in dramas and lighter films followed, including playing Lex Luthor in 1978’s Superman.
In 1988 he returned to the awards spotlight as Little Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven, picking up the award for best supporting actor
