SANTA FE, N.M. — Gene Hackman, 95, an Oscar-award-winning actor, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home on February 27. Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating the incident.
Hackman’s first role was as an uncredited police officer in the 1961 film, “Mad Dog Call,” but it was his award-winning performance as NYPD Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in the 1971 film “The French Connection” that made him famous. The “French Connection” is often cited as one of the best police movies ever made.
Hackman won his second Academy Award by playing Sheriff Bill ‘Little Bill’ Daggett in “Unforgiven.” He won Best Supporting Actor in this Clint Eastwood western.
Other law enforcement roles for Hackman include:
Cisco Pike: Leo Holland, a corrupt police officer who blackmails a musician to sell drugs.
French Connection II: NYPD Detective Doyle continues to investigate a French drug dealer.
Mississippi Burning: FBI Special Agent Rupert Anderson and another agent investigate the disappearance of three civil rights workers.
Loose Cannons: Hackman played a police officer who partners with a detective portrayed by Dan Akroyd.
Hackman frequently portrayed villains, starting with Buck Barrow, a member of Bonnie and Clyde’s gang. He also played Lex Luthor, Superman’s nemesis, and Nicholas Earp, the father of Wyatt Earp and his brothers.
