Gene Hackman: From Bonnie and Clyde to ‘ruler of Australia’, a life in pictures
Between 1961 and 2004 Gene Hackman, who has died alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa at the age of 95, was one of the most recognisable faces in Hollywood.
The news was confirmed on Wednesday by Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Foul play is not suspected and authorities say there is no ongoing threat to the community.
No cause of death has been announced, and authorities have not said when the couple might have died.
“All I can say is that we’re in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant,” the sheriff told the publication.
The couple had been married since 1991.
Hackman won Best Supporting Actor Oscars in 1971 and 1992, and was nominated on another three occasions. Here are just a few of his famous roles.
Hackman (far left) first came to prominence as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Picture: Supplied
Hackman won the first of his two Oscars for his role as a detective in 1971’s The French Connection. Picture: Bettmann/Bettmann Archive
Hackman and daughters Elizabeth and Leslie Hackman attend a screening of Superman in 1978. He played Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor on three occasions, including in 1980’s sequel when he was briefly, and bizarrely, described as the “ruler of Australia”. Picture: Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Hackman’s final bow alongside Christopher Reeve — 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Picture: CD HMB/AP
Clint Eastwood’s revival western Unforgiven swept the 1993 Oscars, including a second Best Supporting Actor award for Hackman. Picture: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
Hackman was part of an all-star cast including Robin Williams in The Birdcage (1996). Picture: Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty Images
