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, 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,” the sheriff’s office told Us in a statement.
“Foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths at this time, however, [the] exact cause of death has not been determined. This is an active and ongoing investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office,” the statement continued. (Their deaths were later labeled as “suspicious” in a sheriff’s department affidavit obtained by TMZ).
Gene Hackman and Wife Betsy Arakawa’s Relationship Timeline
Hackman’s family confirmed the news on Thursday, February 27. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy,” Elizabeth, Leslie and Annie Hackman said in a statement to Us. “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.”
Hackman was a celebrated actor who won two Oscars in his lifetime. He earned a Best Actor prize for his role as Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in the 1971 thriller The French Connection, and a Best Supporting Actor role for playing Sheriff “Little” Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood’s 1992 movie, Unforgiven.
Hackman was also well-regarded for his role as Lex Luthor in the Superman movies starring the late Christopher Reeve.
As news broke of Hackman’s death Thursday, tributes have poured in from some of Hollywood’s biggest names.
Keep scrolling to see how Hollywood stars are paying tribute to and remembering Hackman:
Francis Ford Coppola
“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,” Coppola, who directed Hackman in 1974’s The Conversation, shared via Instagram alongside a photo of him and Hackman on set.
George Takei
“We have lost one of the true giants of the screen,” the Star Trek icon shared via X. “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.”
Edgar Wright
The Baby Driver director retweeted an X post about Hackman’s death and simply wrote, “The greatest…”
Paul Feig
The Another Simple Favor director shared via X, “So awful. Gene was such an inspiration to so many of us who love movies. So many brilliant roles. His performance in The Conversation alone changed the way I looked at acting and what actors could bring to a role. Such an amazing career. RIP Mr. Hackman.”
Josh Brolin
“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,” the actor wrote via Instagram alongside a photo of Hackman and his wife. “Not many who beat to their own drums like he did. Rest in Peace.”
Viola Davis
“Loved you in everything! The Conversation, The French Connection, The Poseidon Adventure, Unforgiven—tough yet vulnerable,” the Oscar winner wrote via Instagram. “You were one of the greats. God bless those who loved you. Rest well, sir. 
”
Bill Murray
“He was a tough nut, Gene Hackman. But he was really good,” Murray told the Associated Press of working with Hackman on The Royal Tenenbaums. “And he was really difficult, we can say it now, but he was a tough guy. Older, great actors do not give young directors much of a chance. They’re really rough on them, and Gene was really rough on Wes [Anderson]. I used to kind of step in there and just try to defend my friend.”
Murray went on to recall watching Hackman nail a take “25 times” only for the other actor in the scene to blow it “every single time.” He said, “I was watching it going, ‘No wonder this guy wants to throttle people.’ And then he sort of gave an ordinary performance and the other actor got it right and I thought Gene was going to throw the actor off the ledge of the building. So, he was a great one. He was a great actor.”
Dustin Hoffman
“I met Gene in acting school, at the Pasadena Playhouse, when he was 27 and I was 19. We used to play congas together on the roof, trying to be like our hero Marlon Brando,” Hoffman said in a statement to Deadline. “And Gene was like Brando, in that he brought something unprecedented to our craft, something people didn’t immediately understand as genius.”
Hoffman noted that Hackman was “expelled from our school after three months for ‘not having talent,’” marking the first time the school did so. “He was that good. Powerful, subtle, brilliant,” Hoffman added. “A giant among actors. I miss him already.”
Mel Brooks
In an X tribute, the director said he was “privileged to know Gene Hackman because he played tennis with another Gene — Gene Wilder.” Brooks said it was Wilder who helped Hackman get the role of the Blind Hermit in his 1974 film Young Frankenstein.
“He said, ‘Do you think Mel would let me play it? I’ve always wanted to do a comedy,’” Brooks wrote. “Needless to say, I was over the moon and he was perfect.”
