Key Points
- Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have been found dead.
- The couple had apparently been dead for some time before their bodies were discovered.
- Hackman and Arakawa had been married for more than 30 years.
Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, his wife and one of their dogs were apparently dead for some time before a maintenance worker discovered their bodies at the couple’s Santa Fe home, according to investigators.
Hackman, 95, was found dead on Wednesday in a mudroom and his 63-year-old wife, Betsy Arakawa, was found in a bathroom next to a space heater, Santa Fe county sheriff’s office detectives wrote in a search warrant.
There was an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on a countertop near Arakawa.
Denise Avila, a sheriff’s office spokesperson, said there was no indication they had been shot or had any wounds.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa were married for more than 30 years. Source: Getty / Donaldson Collection
The New Mexico Gas Co tested the gas lines in and around the home after the bodies were discovered, according to the warrant.
At the time, it didn’t find any signs of problems and the fire department found no signs of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning.
A sheriff’s detective wrote there were no obvious signs of a gas leak, but he noted people exposed to gas leaks or carbon monoxide might not show signs of poisoning.
“He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss,” his daughters and granddaughter said in a statement on Thursday.
Denise Avila, a sheriff’s office spokesperson, said there was no indication Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa had been shot or had any wounds. Source: AAP / Roberto Rosales/AP
A maintenance worker reported the home’s front door was open when he arrived to do routine work on Wednesday, and he called police after finding the bodies, investigators said.
He and another worker said they rarely saw the homeowners and their last contact with them had been about two weeks earlier.
Hackman appeared to have fallen, a deputy observed. He was wearing a blue t-shirt, grey sweatpants and slippers. A pair of sunglasses and a cane were nearby.
A dead German Shepherd was found in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, police said. Two healthy dogs were found on the property — one inside and one outside.
Gene Hackman won a best actor Oscar in 1972 for his role in The French Connection. Source: AAP / Rights Managed / Mary Evans
Hackman’s acting career
Hackman received two Oscars during his lengthy acting career.
He secured the best actor Oscar in 1972 for his role as Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection.
Hackman landed a further Academy Award in the best supporting actor category for his part in 1992 western Unforgiven, directed by Clint Eastwood.
Born in California in 1930, Hackman left home at age 16 to enlist in the Marine Corps and served from 1947 to 1952 as a field radio operator and then as a broadcast journalist.
He went on to study journalism and television production at the University of Illinois, but later pivoted to pursue an acting career.
Hackman had a few TV and theatre roles before breaking through with his performance in 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde, which starred Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway in the titular roles, which landed him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.
He also picked up Oscar nods for his role in 1970’s I Never Sang for My Father and 1988’s thriller Mississippi Burning.
The actor secured a new cohort of fans for his portrayal of supervillain Lex Luthor in the 1978 Superman film starring Christopher Reeve in the eponymous role and Marlon Brando as Jor-El, Superman’s biological father.
He reprised the role for its subsequent sequels, 1980’s Superman II and 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest For Peace.
Gene Hackman won two Oscars during his lengthy acting career. Source: AAP / AP
Hackman also starred as a vagabond with Al Pacino in Scarecrow (1973), a surveillance expert in The Conversation (1974), an admiral in Enemy of the State (1987) and an eccentric patriarch in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001).
Hackman retired in his 70s, saying the parts he was offered were too grandfatherly. His last substantial role was in the 2004 comedy Welcome to Mooseport.
Aside from appearances at awards shows, he was rarely seen in the Hollywood social circuit.
