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Gene Hackman, Oscar-winning star of 'The French Connection,' dies at 95
Gene Hackman, the Oscar-winning actor whose gruff but soulful turns in classics such as “The French Connection,” “The Conversation” and “Unforgiven” made him one of the most respected performers in Hollywood, died Wednesday.
He was 95.
He was found dead alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 64, a classical pianist, and the couple's dog, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.
"Foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths at this time however exact cause of death has not been determined. This is an active and ongoing investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office," the statement said.
In a remarkable acting career that spanned six decades, Hackman established himself as one of the most distinctive and dependable film stars of his generation. He was part of a group of unconventional leading men who helped define the “New Hollywood” cinema of the 1970s, but he was just as prominent across the '80s and '90s.
He won his first Oscar for his portrayal of the ferocious detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in William Friedkin’s “The French Connection,” taking the wheel for arguably the most electrifying car chase in movie history. He riveted audiences in Francis Ford Coppola’s paranoid thriller “The Conversation” and delighted younger viewers as villainous Lex Luther in “Superman.”
Hackman, who seemed drawn to projects that explored moral gray areas, earned his second Oscar for his supporting work as the brutal Sheriff Little Bill Daggett in “Unforgiven,” Clint Eastwood’s revisionist Western drama.
Gene Hackman, the Oscar-winning actor whose gruff but soulful turns in classics such as “The French Connection,” “The Conversation” and “Unforgiven” made him one of the most respected performers in Hollywood, died Wednesday.
He was 95.
He was found dead alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 64, a classical pianist, and the couple's dog, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.
"Foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths at this time however exact cause of death has not been determined. This is an active and ongoing investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office," the statement said.
In a remarkable acting career that spanned six decades, Hackman established himself as one of the most distinctive and dependable film stars of his generation. He was part of a group of unconventional leading men who helped define the “New Hollywood” cinema of the 1970s, but he was just as prominent across the '80s and '90s.
He won his first Oscar for his portrayal of the ferocious detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in William Friedkin’s “The French Connection,” taking the wheel for arguably the most electrifying car chase in movie history. He riveted audiences in Francis Ford Coppola’s paranoid thriller “The Conversation” and delighted younger viewers as villainous Lex Luther in “Superman.”
Hackman, who seemed drawn to projects that explored moral gray areas, earned his second Oscar for his supporting work as the brutal Sheriff Little Bill Daggett in “Unforgiven,” Clint Eastwood’s revisionist Western drama.
