Gruff in demeanor yet much beloved, Gene Hackman was one of the finest actors of his generation.
The 95-year-old actor was found dead in his New Mexico home with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog, authorities said. An investigation was ongoing, and foul play was not suspected. No further details were released.
Hackman played villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.
His work included Oscar-winning roles in “The French Connection” and “Unforgiven,” and a breakout performance in “Bonnie and Clyde.” He was nominated five times.
He also gave memorable turns as a blind hermit in “Young Frankenstein,” as comic book villain Lex Luthor in “Superman” and as the title character in Wes Anderson’s 2001 “The Royal Tenenbaums.” He played an uptight buffoon in “Birdcage,” a college coach in “Hoosiers” and a secretive surveillance expert in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation.”
Hackman met Arakawa, a classically trained pianist, in the mid-1980s.
