Shame
- Legendary US actor Gene Hackman and his cleaner, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead at their New Mexico home.
- The couple's death was confirmed by Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza who said no foul play is suspected.
- Hackman, a two-time Oscar winner, made his breakthrough in the industry with the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde.
Legendary US actor Gene Hackman and his cleaner, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their New Mexico home on Wednesday, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, which quoted local police.
The publication received confirmation from Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza, who said the couple died along with their dog and that there was "no immediate indication of foul play".
Mendoza did not provide a cause or time of death.
Hackman died at the age of 95.
He was born on 30 January 1930 in San Bernardino, California and is known for roles in major films such as Superman (playing villain Lex Luthor), The Royal Tenenbaums, The Conversation and more.
His acting career started as early as the 1950s and he had his breakout role as Buck Burrow in Bonnie and Clyde (1967).
During his career, Hackman earned two Oscars (for Unforgiven and The French Connection), two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes.
Hollywood director Francis Ford Coppola on Thursday mourned the loss of Hackman.
"The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity," Coppola wrote in a post on Instagram.
"I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution."
Hackman is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the tough and vulgar New York cop Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in the 1971 crime thriller The French Connection - for which he won an Oscar for best actor.
He won another golden statuette two decades later for best supporting actor for his portrayal of the brutal small-town sheriff "Little Bill" Daggett in the 1992 western Unforgiven.
Throughout his acting career, Hackman drew on his talents and versatility, taking on a series of gritty roles and delivering thoughtful, intelligent performances.
"It really costs me a lot emotionally to watch myself on screen," the actor once said.
"I think of myself, and feel like I'm quite young, and then I look at this old man with the baggy chins and the tired eyes and the receding hairline and all that."
Unlikely star
Born in Illinois during the Great Depression, Hackman came from a broken family.
His father left when he was 13, waving enigmatically as he drove away one day, and his mother later died in a fire.
Hackman later used his personal turmoil as fuel to flesh out his characters.
He was an unlikely star, coming to acting relatively late in life after dabbling in a series of jobs, and only attracting attention in his 30s.
According to Hollywood legend, after his enrollment at the Pasadena Playhouse in California in the late 1950s, he and a fellow student, one Dustin Hoffman, were voted the "least likely to succeed."
Upon graduation, Hackman earned work off-Broadway and began to turn heads.
He earned his first Oscar nomination for best supporting actor in Bonnie and Clyde.
That landmark 1967 film, in which Hackman played Clyde's brother Buck Barrow, put him firmly on track for stardom.
Hackman notched up dozens of film credits in his career, working well into his 60s and 70s although he stayed out of the limelight, instead writing and painting.
Into the 21st century, he starred in The Heist and The Royal Tenenbaums in 2001, the latter winning him his third competitive Golden Globe, before announcing his retirement in 2008.