The last photos of Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, have been revealed, following the news of their deaths on Thursday.
The couple, who had been married since 1991, were found alongside their dog. Local media has reported that no foul play is suspected.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza did not provide a cause of death, nor did he say when the couple might have died, when asked by local media.
The reclusive actor was last seen in March 2024, when he was photographed holding onto his wife’s arm for support while they were having lunch at Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen in New Mexico.
This rare sighting of Gene and his wife, Betsy, who was known as a classical pianist, was the first time they had been spotted together in public in 21 years. The last public appearance together was at the 2003 Golden Globe Awards, where he received the Cecil B. deMille award.
It was also uncommon to see the actor himself in the public eye, as his last film role was in the 2004 comedy “Welcome To Mooseport,” where he starred alongside Ray Romano and Christine Baranski.
The last photos of Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, have been revealed, following the news of their deaths on Thursday
On July 7 of the same year, he gave a rare interview to Larry King in which he announced that he had no new film projects lined up and believed his acting career was over.
Years later, he confirmed his retirement while promoting his third novel, Escape From Andersonville in 2008.
He told Reuters at the time: ‘I haven’t held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I’m not going to act any longer.’
‘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.’
He also explained his passion for writing novels, saying ‘I like the loneliness of it, actually. It’s similar in some ways to acting, but it’s more private and I feel like I have more control over what I’m trying to say and do.’
‘There’s always a compromise in acting and in film, you work with so many people and everyone has an opinion. … I don’t know that I like it better than acting, it’s just different. I find it relaxing and comforting.’
In 2011, he was asked by GQ if he would ever come out of retirement to do one more film, to which Hackman responded: ‘If I could do it in my own house, maybe, without them disturbing anything and just one or two people.’
The actor was first propelled into the spotlight when he starred in Bonnie and Clyde in 1967, and he went on to star in a slew of beloved movies and TV shows like Superman, The French Connection and Get Shorty, to name a few.
The reculsive actor was pictured for the last time in March 2024, as the pair grabbed lunch Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen in New Mexico
The couple’s outing marked the first time they were seen together in public for 21 years
It was also a rare sighting of the star himself – his last movie role was alongside Ray Romano and Christine Baranski in the 2004 comedy Welcome To Mooseport
The couple was pictured in 2003 at the Golden Globe Awards, where Hackman won the Cecil B. deMille award
The Oscar-award winning actor actually quit acting because of the severe stress he was under, which became too much to handle after he started to have issues with his heart.
He had not stayed completely away from the industry, however, as he has narrated two Marine Corps documentaries: The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jima (2016) and We, The Marines (2017).
Hackman divorced his first wife, Faye Maltese, in 1986 after spending 30 years together and raising three children.
Five years later, he walked down the aisle with Arakawa, a retired classical pianist 30 years younger than him.
The Oscar-award winning actor quit acting because of the severe stress he was under, which became too much to handle after he started to have issues with his heart
He officially became a leading man when he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as New York City Detective Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle in The French Connection (1971)
The 1990s brought him his second Oscar as he earned Best Supporting Actor for his work as sadistic sheriff ‘Little’ Bill Daggett alongside Clint Eastwood in 1992’s Unforgiven
In an interview with Empire in 2020, the retired actor said he enjoyed watching DVDs that Arakawa rented.
‘We like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce,’ he said.
‘Friday night is set aside for a Comedy Channel marathon, with particular attention paid to Eddie Izzard. The speed of thought is amazing.’
