Updated: March 07, 2025

Gene is someone who is a very intuitive and instinctive actor ... The brilliance of Gene Hackman is that he can look at a scene and he can cut through to what is necessary, and he does it with extraordinary economy he's the quintessential movie actor. He's never showy ever, but he's always right on.

Hackman alternated between leading and supporting roles during the 1980s. He appeared opposite Barbra Streisand in All Night Long ( 1981 ) and supported Warren Beatty in Reds ( 1981 ). He played the lead in Eureka ( 1983 ) and a supporting role in Under Fire ( 1983 ). Hackman provided the voice of God in Two of a Kind ( 1983 ) and starred in Uncommon Valor ( 1983 ), Misunderstood ( 1984 ), Twice in a Lifetime ( 1985 ), Target ( 1985 ) for Arthur Penn, and Power ( 1986 ). Between 1985 and 1988, he starred in nine films, making him the busiest actor, alongside Steve Guttenberg.

Hackman played a high school basketball coach in Hoosiers ( 1986 ), which a 2008 American Film Institute poll named the fourth-greatest sports film of all time. After Superman IV: The Quest for Peace ( 1987 ) where Hackman also voiced Nuclear Man ( Who was portrayed by Mark Pillow ), Hackman was in No Way Out ( 1987 ), Split Decisions ( 1988 ), Bat*21 ( 1988 ), Full Moon in Blue Water ( 1988 ), and Another Woman ( 1988 ) from Woody Allen.

Hackman starred in Mississippi Burning ( 1988 ), for which he was nominated for a second Best Actor Oscar. After this he appeared in The Package ( 1989 ).

Hackman starred in Loose Cannons ( 1990 ) with Dan Aykroyd, and he had a supporting role in Postcards from the Edge ( 1990 ). He appeared with Anne Archer in Narrow Margin ( 1990 ), a remake of the 1952 film The Narrow Margin. After Class Action ( 1991 ) and Company Business ( 1991 ) Hackman played the sadistic sheriff "Little Bill" Daggett in the Western Unforgiven directed by Clint Eastwood and written by David Webb Peoples. Hackman had pledged to avoid violent roles, but Eastwood convinced him to take the part, which earned him a second Oscar, this time for Best Supporting Actor. The film also won Best Picture.

In 1993, he appeared in Geronimo: An American Legend as Brigadier General George Crook, and co-starred with Tom Cruise as a corrupt lawyer in The Firm, a legal thriller based on the John Grisham novel of the same name. Hackman would appear in two other films based on John Grisham novels, playing convict Sam Cayhall on death row in The Chamber (1996), and jury consultant Rankin Fitch in Runaway Jury ( 2003 ). Other notable films Hackman appeared in during the 1990s include Wyatt Earp ( 1994 ) ( As Nicholas Porter Earp, Wyatt Earp's father ), The Quick and the Dead ( 1995 ) opposite Sharon Stone, Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, and as submarine Captain Frank Ramsey alongside Denzel Washington in Crimson Tide ( 1995 ).

Hackman played film producer Harry Zimm with John Travolta in the comedy-drama Get Shorty ( 1995 ). In 1996, he took a comedic turn as conservative Senator Kevin Keeley in The Birdcage with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. He co-starred with Hugh Grant in Extreme Measures ( 1996 ) and reunited with Clint Eastwood in Absolute Power ( 1997 ). Hackman did Twilight ( 1998 ) with Paul Newman for director Robert Benton, did one of the voices for Antz ( 1998 ), and co-starred with Will Smith in Enemy of the State ( 1998 ), his character reminiscent of the one he had portrayed in The Conversation.

Hackman co-starred with Morgan Freeman in Under Suspicion ( 2000 ), Keanu Reeves in The Replacements ( 2000 ), Owen Wilson in Behind Enemy Lines ( 2001 ), Sigourney Weaver in Heartbreakers ( 2001 ), and appeared in the David Mamet crime thriller Heist ( 2001 ), as an aging professional thief of considerable skill who is forced into one final job. He made a cameo in The Mexican ( 2001 ).

Hackman gained much critical acclaim playing against type as the head of an eccentric family in Wes Anderson's comedy film The Royal Tenenbaums ( 2001 ), for which he received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. In 2003, he also starred in another John Grisham legal drama, Runaway Jury, at long last getting to make a picture with his long-time friend Dustin Hoffman.

On July 7, 2004, Hackman gave a rare interview to Larry King, where he announced that he had no future film projects lined up and believed his acting career was over. He narrated four episodes of the NFL Films sports documentary series America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions in 2007. In 2008, while promoting his third novel, he confirmed that he had retired from acting.

When asked during a GQ magazine interview in 2011 if he would ever come out of retirement to do one more film, he said he might consider it "if I could do it in my own house, maybe, without them disturbing anything and just one or two people." He briefly came out of retirement to narrate two documentaries related to the United States Marine Corps: The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jima ( 2016 ) and We, the Marines ( 2017 ).

Together with undersea archaeologist Daniel Lenihan, Hackman wrote three historical fiction novels: Wake of the Perdido Star ( 1999 ), a sea adventure of the 19th century; Justice for None ( 2004 ), a Depression-era tale of murder based on a real-life crime in his boyhood town of Danville; and Escape from Andersonville ( 2008 ), about a prison escape during the American Civil War. His first solo effort, a story of love and revenge set in the Old West titled Payback at Morning Peak, was released in 2011. His final novel Pursuit, a police thriller, followed in 2013.

Personal Life:

In 1956, Hackman married Faye Maltese, with whom he had one son and two daughters: Christopher Allen, Elizabeth Jean, and Leslie Anne Hackman. He was often out on location making films while the children were growing up. The couple divorced in 1986, after three decades of marriage.

In 1991, Hackman married classical pianist Betsy Arakawa. They shared a Santa Fe, New Mexico, home, which Architectural Digest featured in 1990. At the time, the home blended Southwestern styles and was at the crest of a twelve-acre hilltop, with a 360-degree view that stretched to the Jemez, Sangre de Cristo and Sandia mountains. As of 2022, Hackman continued to attend Santa Fe cultural events.

Views and Interests:

Hackman was a supporter of the Democratic Party, and said he was "proud" to be included on Nixon's Enemies List. However, he spoke fondly about Republican president Ronald Reagan. In the late 1970s, Hackman competed in Sports Car Club of America races, driving an open-wheeled Formula Ford. In 1980, he won the Long Beach Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. He also drove a Dan Gurney Team Toyota in the 24 Hours of Daytona Endurance Race in 1983. Hackman was a fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars and regularly attended Jaguars games as a guest of former head coach Jack Del Rio. Their friendship went back to Del Rio's playing days at the University of Southern California.

Hackman was also interested in architecture and design. As of 1990, he had created ten homes, two of which were featured in Architectural Digest. After a period of time, he moved on to another house restoration. "I don't know what's wrong with me," he remarked, "I guess I like the process, and when it's over, it's over."

Health:

In 1990, Hackman underwent an angioplasty. In 2012, the 82-year-old Hackman was struck by a pickup truck while he was cycling in the Florida Keys. It was initially reported that he had suffered serious head trauma; however, his publicist stated that his injury was nothing more than "bumps and bruises".

Death:

Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and one of their three dogs were found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on February 26, 2025. Their bodies were found by a maintenance worker. Hackman was found in the mudroom, and Arakawa was found in a bathroom, with prescription pills scattered throughout the bathroom and a pill bottle near her body. One of their dogs was dead in a bathroom closet near her; all the bodies showed signs of decay. The couple's two other dogs were found alive on the property.

On February 27, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department said there were no significant signs of foul play, but did not initially provide a time or cause of death. Later the same day, the sheriff told news media that the couple appeared to have died at least a day before their bodies were discovered. The fire department did not find evidence of a gas or carbon monoxide leak. The sheriff's department is investigating.

Tributes and Legacy:

Numerous members of the film industry have paid tribute to Hackman since his death. Clint Eastwood wrote in a statement, "There was no finer actor than Gene. Intense and instinctive. Never a false note. He was also a dear friend whom I will miss very much". Francis Ford Coppola wrote, "Gene Hackman was a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity ... I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution." Others who paid tribute include Mel Brooks, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks, Viola Davis, Bill Murray, Alec Baldwin, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Brolin, Nathan Lane, James Woods, Antonio Banderas, Dan Aykroyd, and Hank Azaria. BAFTA President Prince William also released a statement, which read in part, "Hackman was a true genius of film who brought each and every character to life with power, authenticity and star quality". The Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw wrote that Hackman's death "marks the end of one of the greatest periods of U.S. cinema: the American New Wave ... He was the character actor who was really a star; in fact the star of every scene he was in that tough, wised-up, intelligent, but unhandsome face perpetually on the verge of coolly unconcerned derision, or creased in a heartbreakingly fatherly, pained smile."1980 to 1999: Established career and acclaim Gene is someone who is a very intuitive and instinctive actor ... The brilliance of Gene Hackman is that he can look at a scene and he can cut through to what is necessary, and he does it with extraordinary economy he's the quintessential movie actor. He's never showy ever, but he's always right on.

Hackman alternated between leading and supporting roles during the 1980s. He appeared opposite Barbra Streisand in All Night Long ( 1981 ) and supported Warren Beatty in Reds ( 1981 ). He played the lead in Eureka ( 1983 ) and a supporting role in Under Fire ( 1983 ). Hackman provided the voice of God in Two of a Kind ( 1983 ) and starred in Uncommon Valor ( 1983 ), Misunderstood ( 1984 ), Twice in a Lifetime ( 1985 ), Target ( 1985 ) for Arthur Penn, and Power ( 1986 ). Between 1985 and 1988, he starred in nine films, making him the busiest actor, alongside Steve Guttenberg.

Hackman played a high school basketball coach in Hoosiers ( 1986 ), which a 2008 American Film Institute poll named the fourth-greatest sports film of all time. After Superman IV: The Quest for Peace ( 1987 ) where Hackman also voiced Nuclear Man ( Who was portrayed by Mark Pillow ), Hackman was in No Way Out ( 1987 ), Split Decisions ( 1988 ), Bat*21 ( 1988 ), Full Moon in Blue Water ( 1988 ), and Another Woman ( 1988 ) from Woody Allen. Hackman starred in Mississippi Burning ( 1988 ), for which he was nominated for a second Best Actor Oscar. After this he appeared in The Package ( 1989 ).

Hackman starred in Loose Cannons ( 1990 ) with Dan Aykroyd, and he had a supporting role in Postcards from the Edge ( 1990 ). He appeared with Anne Archer in Narrow Margin ( 1990 ), a remake of the 1952 film The Narrow Margin. After Class Action ( 1991 ) and Company Business ( 1991 ) Hackman played the sadistic sheriff "Little Bill" Daggett in the Western Unforgiven directed by Clint Eastwood and written by David Webb Peoples. Hackman had pledged to avoid violent roles, but Eastwood convinced him to take the part, which earned him a second Oscar, this time for Best Supporting Actor. The film also won Best Picture.

In 1993, he appeared in Geronimo: An American Legend as Brigadier General George Crook, and co-starred with Tom Cruise as a corrupt lawyer in The Firm, a legal thriller based on the John Grisham novel of the same name. Hackman would appear in two other films based on John Grisham novels, playing convict Sam Cayhall on death row in The Chamber ( 1996 ), and jury consultant Rankin Fitch in Runaway Jury ( 2003 ). Other notable films Hackman appeared in during the 1990s include Wyatt Earp ( 1994 ) ( As Nicholas Porter Earp, Wyatt Earp's father ) , The Quick and the Dead ( 1995 ) opposite Sharon Stone, Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, and as submarine Captain Frank Ramsey alongside Denzel Washington in Crimson Tide ( 1995 ).

Hackman played film producer Harry Zimm with John Travolta in the comedy-drama Get Shorty ( 1995 ). In 1996, he took a comedic turn as conservative Senator Kevin Keeley in The Birdcage with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. He co-starred with Hugh Grant in Extreme Measures ( 1996 ) and reunited with Clint Eastwood in Absolute Power ( 1997 ). Hackman did Twilight ( 1998 ) with Paul Newman for director Robert Benton, did one of the voices for Antz ( 1998 ), and co-starred with Will Smith in Enemy of the State ( 1998 ), his character reminiscent of the one he had portrayed in The Conversation.