Giant of cinema, Gene Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 63, have died. The married couple were found dead at their home in New Mexico, US, alongside their dog.
Hackman was one of the luminaries of the film world. Playing a character in Bonnie and Clyde (1967) catapulted him into the spotlight —but it was his role as Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in 1973’s The French Connection, the celebrated American thriller, that minted his stardom, and won him his first Academy Award and BAFTA, for Best Actor.
In the following decade, Hackman was prolific, anchoring blockbusters such as The Poseidon Adventure and neo-noirs like Night Moves. In 1973, he starred alongside Al Pacino in Scarecrow, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. The next year, he repeated the feat with Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation.
Other parts included the villainous Lex Luthor in the Superman films, while in 1986’s Mississippi Burning — though contentious for its whitewashing of civil rights struggle— Hackman was acclaimed. But it was a supporting role in Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven (1992) which won him his second Oscar and second BAFTA. Hackman retired from acting in 2004, citing medical advice. One of his final roles was as the lead in Wes Anderson’s Royal Tenembaums — which earned him another Golden Globe.
Arakawa was a classically-trained pianist. She married Hackman in 1991. The couple were intensely private. Details are yet to emerge about the circumstances surrounding their passing.
“GeneHackmanJun08” by Christopher Michael Little at http://thisischrislittle.com is licensed under CC BY 2.0.