Gene Hackman retreated from Hollywood two decades before the legendary actor, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home on Wednesday, February 26.
“The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York,” he revealed to Empire about his retirement from acting in a 2009 interview.
The two-time Academy Award winner was one of the world’s most recognizable actors throughout his six-decade career, thanks to iconic roles such as Lex Luthor in the Superman franchise and his Best Actor-winning portrayal of hard-nosed detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in 1971’s The French Connection.
By the early 2000s, Hackman started speaking publicly about the possibility of retirement. In a 2008 interview with Reuters, Hackman mentioned that he was no longer accepting acting work.
Oscar winner Gene Hackman has died at the age of 95. Hackman, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday, February 26. Arakawa was 63. A cause of death is not yet known, though foul play is not suspected, a spokesperson for the […]
“I haven’t held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I’m not going to act any longer,” he confirmed. “I’ve been told not to say that over the last few years, in case some real wonderful part comes up, but I really don’t want to do it any longer.”
Hackman made his final screen appearance at age 74 in the 2004 political satire Welcome to Mooseport. The film bombed at the box office and was savaged by critics upon its release.
It was shortly thereafter that Hackman experienced a health scare during a routine checkup with his doctor in New York.
“The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress,” he explained to Empire in 2009.
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Hackman settled into a quiet life with his wife in Santa Fe, where they would occasionally appear at local cultural events until recent years. He also spent time writing a series of historical fiction novels with undersea archaeologist Daniel Lenihan.
While Hackman had closed the door on acting, he narrated the 2016 World War II documentary The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jima and the companion film We, the Marines in 2017.
Throughout his career, Hackman won four Golden Globes and two British Academy Films Awards, in addition to his pair of Oscar wins. After receiving the Best Actor Oscar in 1972 for The French Connection, Hackman later won Best Supporting Actor for playing corrupt Old West sheriff “Little” Bill Daggett in director Clint Eastwood‘s 1992 classic Unforgiven.
Many of Hackman’s collaborators and admirers have paid tribute to his immense contributions to the film industry, following the announcement of his and wife Arakawa’s death.
Hackman’s The Conversation director Francis Ford Coppola called his death “the loss of a great artist,” adding via Instagram: “Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity. I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution.”
Stars across the world are mourning the death of Oscar winner Gene Hackman. The Sante Fe County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Us Weekly on Thursday, February 27, that Hackman, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found dead at their home in Sante Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday, February 26. “On February 26, 2025, […]
Josh Brolin wrote via Instagram: “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.”
“A very sad day for the cinema’s family. Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have passed away. My deepest condolences to friends, family and cinema lovers. RIP,” Antonio Banderas added via X.
New Mexico officials have ruled out any signs of foul play in the Hackmans’ death, while his family reportedly suspects the couple and their dog may have died from carbon monoxide poisoning in their home.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement shared with Us: “On February 26, 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, and a dog were found deceased. Foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths at this time, however, [the] exact cause of death has not been determined.”
Hackman’s daughters and granddaughter, Elizabeth, Annie and Leslie Hackman, said in a statement: “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.”
