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Gene Hackman, who never fit the mold of a Hollywood movie star but became one all the same, playing seemingly ordinary characters with deceptive subtlety, intensity and often charm in some of the most noted films of the 1970s and ’80s, has died, the authorities in New Mexico said on Thursday. He was 95.
Mr. Hackman and his wife were found dead on Wednesday afternoon at the home in Santa Fe., N.M., where they had been living, according to a statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department. The cause of death was unclear and under investigation. Sheriff’s deputies found the bodies of Mr. Hackman; his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 64; and a dog, according to the statement, which said that foul play was not suspected.
Mr. Hackman was nominated for five Academy Awards and won two during a 40-year career in which he appeared in films seen and remembered by millions, among them “Bonnie and Clyde,” “The French Connection,” “The Poseidon Adventure,” “Mississippi Burning,” “Unforgiven,” “Superman,” “Hoosiers” and “The Royal Tenenbaums.”
The familiar characterization of Mr. Hackman was th
14 Comments
2OEH8eoCRo0
Rest in peace. Three deaths (counting the dog) and no foul play. Carbon monoxide?
MrBuddyCasino
Drop your favourite Hackman movies!
Heres mine:
–= The Conversation (1979) =–
"Schizo surveillance guy gets a contract that starts to derail things" is the basic premise, but there is more going on – "it has layers".
Francis Ford Coppola filmed this in between Godfather I & II.
I believe it is less famous only because the target audience is smaller, not due to its quality.
The editing is perfect, the pacing just right and the acting mostly top notch. Gene Hackman absolutely nails it.
I found the whole thing to be mesmerising and gripping until the very end. Underrated masterpiece.
May he rest in peace.
LandR
Him, his wife and his dog found dead in the house ?
Carbon Monoxide, possibly?
Shame. I had no idea the guy was that old.
locallost
R.I.P. Just watched Mississippi Burning the other day again, what a terrific actor. One of the all time greats, so many memorable roles.
I even thought man he's really old now, but this seems to be a tragedy. What a shame.
loloquwowndueo
Third hit in this years deathlist.net pool! Though it’s a shame and a great loss.
boilerupnc
https://archive.ph/EszIB
toomuchtodo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Hackman
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000432/
Related:
Gene Hackman has died – https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43194778
Sheriff: Gene Hackman, wife found dead in Santa Fe home; no foul play suspected – https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43194324
Gene Hackman and his wife found dead at their home – https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43192605
danso
Absolutely bonkers that Hackman quit acting more than 20 years ago [0] — "Welcome to Mooseport (2004)" was his last film. But his body of work in my mind feels as timelessly relevant and fresh as Clint Eastwood's and Bill Murray's. Maybe because I love rewatching Unforgiven and Crimson Tide. I haven't even seen French Connection, which earned him his first Oscar. RIP to this legend.
[0] https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000432/
bitwize
A couple of days ago, Michelle Trachtenberg (of Buffy fame) died. Seems the liver issues she'd been clearly undergoing since over a year ago finally caught up with her. She was just 39.
canucker2016
Why Gene Hackman stopped acting.
from https://nypost.com/2025/02/27/entertainment/gene-hackman-rev…
rcleveng
He was a great actor and seemed like such a great human as well.
Never realized until today, reading his bio that he is a former marine.
Semper Fi.
Rest in peace Marine!
dbacar
It is strange that I thought he was dead long ago and was surprised to know that he was still alive. Sorry to know that now he passed away for real. Great actor. My favorite Lex Luthor.
throwaway5752
** IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR IT CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE **
Apologies for impolite formating.
https://www.target.com/p/first-alert-2pk-co400cn2-battery-po…
This is a 2 pack. There are better ones, too. If you don't have one already, don't wait another day. Hundreds of people die preventable deaths each year in the US because of this.
bbx
Sometimes I randomly think of a famous person and ask myself "Are they still alive?". I remember doing it for Burt Bacharach and Dick Van Dyke (who's still alive!). This happened last month with Gene Hackman. I had just rewatched "The Conversation" and "The Firm" (so maybe not so random). So I googled him, and apparently he'd basically quit acting 20 years ago.
It was weird to see recent pictures of him. I guess our memory of a retired actor is often skewed since we constantly see them at a younger age in their movies, but rarely (or never) in a recent context. And considering his impact in cinema history, it didn't feel like he'd left the industry at all.
I hope he went away without pain. R.I.P.