Hollywood stars and directors paid tribute to Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, who was found dead along with his wife, the classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, and their dog at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The circumstances of the deaths remain unclear. In a statement to the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper, county sheriff Adan Mendoza said: “We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday.” PA Media said there is an “active investigation’’ into the deaths.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office said: “We do not believe foul play was a factor in their deaths; however, exact cause of death has not been determined at this time.”
Later on Thursday it emerged that while the bodies of Hackman and his wife were discovered at 1:45pm on Wednesday, identification was not possible until 12:30am on Thursday. Only one of the couple’s three dogs was found dead; two survived.
Hackman’s daughter, Elizabeth Jean Hackman told TMZ her family suspects her father, his wife and the dogs died from toxic fumes caused by a carbon monoxide leak.
As Hollywood woke up on Thursday morning, speculation about the deaths circulated online as fellow actors, co-stars and directors reacted to the news by paying tribute to the “giant” of cinema, who was 95.
Francis Ford Coppola was among the first to pay tribute to Hackman, posting a photograph to Instagram of them on the set of surveillance thriller The Conversation in 1974.
Coppola wrote: “The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity. I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution.”
Hackman broke into Hollywood when he was in his 30s, and enjoyed a 40-year career in film, including performances in The French Connection, Superman and The Royal Tenenbaums, before he retired in 2004.
His breakthrough came during the New Hollywood era, a time when risk-taking film-makers shook up the studio system.
In 1968, he earned his first Oscar nomination for his turn as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde. He won the Oscar for best actor in 1972, for his role as Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in William Friedkin’s action thriller The French Connection. In 1993, he won the Oscar for best supporting actor for the western Unforgiven, which was directed by and co-starred Clint Eastwood.
He turned down roles in Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Morgan Freeman, who starred alongside Hackman in Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-winning western Unforgiven and the thriller Under Suspicion, said in a statement that working with the actor was “one of the personal highlights of my career”.
Eastwood released a statement to praise Hackman’s abilities. “There was no finer actor than Gene,” he said. “Intense and instinctive. Never a false note.” He added: “He was also a dear friend whom I will miss very much.”
Frances Fisher, who also starred with Hackman in Unforgiven, reminisced about working together on Instagram. “It’s his humble quietude I hold in my heart,” she said.
Nathan Lane, who starred alongside Hackman in hit comedy The Birdcage, shared a statement about the “tremendous privilege” of working with him. “Simple and true, thoughtful and soulful, with just a hint of danger,” he said. “He was as brilliant in comedy as he was in drama and thankfully his film legacy will live on forever.
Tom Hanks wrote: “There has never been a ‘Gene Hackman Type.’ There has only been Gene Hackman.”
Antonio Banderas described Hackman’s death as a very “sad day for the cinema’s family”, while Viola Davis said how much she admired the actor. “Loved you in everything! The Conversation, The French Connection, The Poseidon Adventure, Unforgiven – tough yet vulnerable,” Davis wrote on Instagram. “You were one of the greats. God bless those who loved you. Rest well, sir.”
Writing on X, British director Edgar Wright remembered Hackman as “the greatest”, while George Takei called him “one of the true giants of the screen”.
Takei continued: “Gene Hackman could play anyone, and you could feel a whole life behind it. He could be everyone and no one, a towering presence or an everyday Joe. That’s how powerful an actor he was. He will be missed, but his work will live on forever.”
Josh Brolin posted a photo of Hackman and Arakawa and captioned it: “I am crushed by the sudden deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa (and their dog). Crushed. He was always one of my favorites. Not many who beat to their own drums like he did. Rest in Peace.”
Bafta said it was “saddened” to hear of the death of the two-time Bafta winner and noted his “illustrious” career.
