BALTIMORE – Gene Hackman, who passed away at 95, had a Baltimore “connection.” The death of Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and one of their dogs is under investigation, according to the Santa Fe, N.M. Sheriff’s Office.
Hackman won two Academy Awards over his decades-long acting career. His first was a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Popeye Doyle in the 1971 film “The French Connection.” He received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the role of “Little Bill” Daggett in the 1992 Clint Eastwood-directed picture “Unforgiven.”
Among his many film shoots, he often was in Baltimore on a movie set. He was on a set in Baltimore for the pictures “Enemy of the State,” “No Way Out,” “The Replacements” and “Absolute Power.”
But for Hackman, there were many productions in between those Oscars, as well as before and after. Hackman, whose career encompassed work on Broadway as well as TV, had a reputation for playing audience-enamoring, heroic characters whose flaws lie just below the surface.
Hackman’s roles covered a range of characters. Even in comedic parts like his cameo in “Young Frankenstein” (1974) and his Golden Globe-winning role in “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001), he brought sincerity and depth, which connected with the viewer. His career on Broadway was built on comedy and he incorporated that talent into his film work. Action-adventure fans know Hackman as the evil Lex Luther in “Superman IV: The Quest For Peace” (1987), a role which gave Hackman the chance to let loose with camp and humor.
In his retirement years, Hackman and his wife of 34 years, pianist Arakawa, 63, lived in Santa Fe, N.M., where they led a quiet life away from Hollywood. Hackman started a career as a writer and kept physically active even in his 90s.
But throughout his remarkable life and amazing accomplishments on screen and off he kept humble.
“If I start to become a star, I’ll lose contact with the normal guys I play best,” he once said.
Hackman’s daughter, Elizabeth, told news sources she believed the couple may have died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
