In a chilling interview that has resurfaced following the tragic discovery of his passing, Hollywood icon Gene Hackman opened up about his fear of dying while wanting to provide for his family. The renowned actor was found deceased in his Santa Fe residence along with his wife and their beloved pet dog.
The esteemed two-time Oscar recipient, who recently celebrated his 95th birthday, was found in the company of his 64-year-old wife, Betsy Arakawa, at their home in New Mexico.
Having bid farewell to his acting career 21 years ago, Hackman, known for his roles in acclaimed movies like The French Connection and Unforgiven, had withdrawn from public life to live as a hermit. However, he would sporadically participate in rare interviews where he candidly discussed his health issues.
Mystery surrounds the circumstances of the newly-revealed tragedy with questions being asked about what might have happened.
County Sheriff’s deputies today said they ‘do not believe foul play was a factor in their deaths’ – but the ‘exact cause of death has not been determined’.
After police today announced how they had discovered the couple, many have been sharing online not only tributes but also footage of a 2004 interview with Larry King.
Hackman told the then-CNN host how he had previously undergone angioplasty, surgery intended open up narrowed or blocked arteries.
The actor told of suffering ‘heart problems’, including – 12 years before that conversation – ‘severe angina’.
When asked by King whether he worried about his health, Hackman replied: ‘I try to take care of myself. I don’t have a lot of fears. I have the normal fear of passing away – you know, I guess we all think about that, especially when you get to be a certain age.
‘I want to make sure that my wife and my family are taken care of. Other than that, I don’t have a lot of fears.’
Officers now probing the married couple’s deaths are thought likely to include the dog in their investigations to help piece together their last moments.
County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said officials were ‘in the middle of a preliminary death investigation’ and ‘waiting on approval of a search warrant’.
Hackman, who had an estimated net worth of $80million, became something of a recluse in his final years and was rarely seen in public.
The actor was known to be fond of dogs, and rescued two stray German Shepherds that wandered into a stadium in Baltimore where they were filming scenes for The Replacements in 1999.
Hackman named one of the dogs Gene and the other Keanu, after his co-star Keanu Reeves.
He later visited the animals in a shelter and adopted Gene after flying his own German Shepherds from New Mexico to see if they would get along.
Hackman retired from acting in 2004 – leaving Los Angeles for a quiet life in New Mexico.
He had not starred in a movie since 2004, when he played Monroe ‘Eagle’ Cole in the political satire Welcome to Mooseport.
He had previously undergone surgery after facing problems with his heart – having been rushed to the hospital with chest pain and needing to have a balloon catheter inserted to help open an artery that had dangerously narrowed.
In 2009 he opened up more, saying to an interviewer: ‘The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took 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 told movie magazine Empire: ‘When I’m actually on the set or on a stage, actually doing the work, I loved that process and I loved the creative process of trying to bring a character to life.
‘And then, when you’re actually shooting or performing, there is a kind of a feeling that comes over you, a confidence and kind of a wonderful, washed-over feeling of wellbeing, if you will, when it’s going well.
‘Whereas, the business part of show business is kinda wicked. You jump from trying to be a sponge, if you will – in terms of input from other actors and the director and everything that’s surrounding you.
He previously told Reuters in 2008: ‘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.’
The former US Marine had appeared in more than 80 films, as well as on television and the stage during his lengthy career that started in the early 1960s.
Hackman was first propelled into the spotlight when he starred in Bonnie and Clyde in 1967, and he went on to star in movies and TV shows such as Superman, The French Connection and Get Shorty.
He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1972 for The French Connection, then the Best Supporting Actor prize 31 years later for his performance in Unforgiven.
Hackman was married twice, most recently to 63-year-old classical pianist Arakawa, after having three children with his first wife Faye Maltese.
Last year, he and Ms Arakawa were seen out and about for the first time in two decades.
Hackman was spotted holding onto his wife’s arm for balance as the pair grabbed a bite at Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen in Santa Fe.
After leaving the spotlight, Gene had settled in Santa Fe where he took up fishing, painting and writing – and penned three historical fiction novels with undersea archaeologist Daniel Lenihan, as well as two books on his own.
In 2011, he was asked by GQ whether 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.’
He did not stay entirely away from the industry, however, as he narrated two Marine Corps documentaries – The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jima (2016) and We, The Marines (2017).
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office has today confirmed Hackman and his wife were found dead along with their dog on Wednesday afternoon in their Santa Fe home – saying they did not believe that foul play was a factor at this time.
A police statement shared with the PA news agency said: ‘On February 26 2025 at approximately 1.45pm, 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, exact cause of death has not been determined. This is an active and ongoing investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.’
As well as his two Oscars, Hackman also clinched two Baftas, four Golden Globes and a Screen Actors Guild Award in an acting career which spanned six decades.
He secured the Oscar for Best Actor in 1972 for his role as Detective Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle in The French Connection, before taking the Best Supporting Actor prize for his part in 1992 western Unforgiven.
Hackman, born in California in 1930, left home at age 16 to enlist in the marine corps and served from 1947 to 1952 as a field radio operator and then as a broadcast journalist.
He went on to study journalism and television production at the University of Illinois, but later pivoted to pursue an acting career.
Hackman had a few TV and theatre roles before breaking through with his performance in 1967’s Bonnie And Clyde, which starred Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway in the title roles.
That display as Clyde Barrow’s brother Buck landed him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
He also achieved Oscar nods for his role in 1970’s I Never Sang For My Father and 1988’s thriller Mississippi Burning.
And he portrayed supervillain Lex Luthor in the 1978 Superman film starring Christopher Reeve in the eponymous role and Marlon Brando as Jor-El, Superman’s biological father.
He reprised the role for its subsequent sequels, 1980’s Superman II and 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest For Peace.
Hackman acted opposite many Hollywood heavyweights including Al Pacino in 1973’s Scarecrow.
He also appeared alongside Gene Wilder in 1974’s Young Frankenstein – the pair also having performed together in Bonnie And Clyde – as well as Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton in 1981’s Reds.
His other notable roles included the hit movies The Poseidon Adventure from 1972, 1974’s The Conversation and Runaway Jury in 2003.
Hackman also featured in the star-studded cast of Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums in 2001, three years before his final film role.
