Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found dead at their New Mexico home. Authorities say no foul play is suspected.

Oscar-winning U.S. actor Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog have been found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

In a career spanning more than six decades, Hackman received two Academy Awards for his performances in The French Connection and Unforgiven.

A statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico confirmed the deaths, stating, “We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday afternoon at their residence on Sunset Trail. This is an active investigation—however, at this time we do not believe that foul play was a factor.”

Hackman was 95, while his wife was 64.

He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in William Friedkin’s 1971 thriller The French Connection and later won Best Supporting Actor for portraying Little Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood’s 1992 Western Unforgiven.

His other Oscar-nominated performances included his breakthrough role as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), his role in I Never Sang for My Father (1970), and his portrayal of an FBI agent in Mississippi Burning (1988).

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office provided additional details, saying, “On 26 February 2025, at approximately 1:45 p.m., Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park where Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, along with a dog, were found deceased.”

Hackman, a highly celebrated actor, played more than 100 roles throughout his career, including the iconic villain Lex Luthor in Superman films of the 1970s and 1980s.

His filmography also included notable performances in Runaway Jury, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation, and Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums.

Beyond his Oscar wins, Hackman collected two BAFTAs, four Golden Globe Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

His final film appearance was in 2004’s Welcome to Mooseport, where he played Monroe Cole. After that, he retired from acting and embraced a quieter life in New Mexico.

Born in California in 1930, Hackman enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 16 after lying about his age. He served for four-and-a-half years and was stationed in China, Hawai'i, and Japan before being discharged in 1951.

Following his military service, he lived and worked in New York while studying journalism and television production at the University of Illinois. He later returned to California to pursue his passion for acting.

Hackman trained at the Pasadena Playhouse, where he befriended a young Dustin Hoffman.

“I suppose I wanted to be an actor from the time I was about 10, maybe even younger than that,” Hackman once said. “Recollections of early movies that I had seen and actors that I admired, like James Cagney and Errol Flynn—those kind of romantic action guys. When I saw those actors, I felt I could do that. But I was in New York for about eight years before I had a job. I sold ladies’ shoes, polished leather furniture, drove a truck. I think that if you have it in you and you want it bad enough, you can do it.”

He reflected on his early perception of actors, saying, “I wanted to act, but I had always been convinced that actors had to be handsome. That came from the days when Errol Flynn was my idol. I’d come out of a theatre and be startled when I looked in a mirror because I didn’t look like Flynn. I felt like him.”

In 1963, Hackman returned to New York, where he performed in Off-Broadway productions and took on small television roles.

His breakthrough came in the 1970s when he became a leading man, portraying New York City detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection. His star continued to rise with performances in films such as the 1972 disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure.

Hackman was married to his first wife, Faye Maltese, for 30 years. Together, they raised three children before divorcing in 1986.

In his later years, he and his second wife, Betsy Arakawa—a classical pianist—maintained a private life, making only rare