Gene Hackman death: Peter Egan delivers emotional tribute to ‘one of the best ever’ after he was found dead with wife
Actor Peter Egan has paid tribute to Gene Hackman, describing the late star as an “absolutely brilliant actor” and a “Hollywood legend”.
Speaking on GB News, Egan praised Hackman’s remarkable screen presence following news of the actor’s death at age 95.
“I first saw him in Bonnie and Clyde in the late ’60s and he kind of burned his way through the screen,” Egan said.
The veteran British actor hailed Hackman as “one of the best American actors” who brought “another dimension to his work”.
Egan noted that Hackman “wasn’t your typical Hollywood star” but rather “a common man with a great touch”.
Two-time Oscar winner Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, were found dead on Wednesday afternoon at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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The couple’s dog was also found dead at the residence, according to Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza.
No foul play is suspected in the deaths.
“We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday afternoon at their residence on Sunset Trail,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Hackman had lived in Santa Fe since the 1980s and married Arakawa, a classical pianist, in 1991.
The sheriff did not provide a cause of death or indicate when the couple might have died.
In his tribute, Egan revealed that Hackman and Dustin Hoffman were once “voted as the two actors least likely to succeed” before both went on to have extraordinary careers.
“They both broke through,” Egan remarked.
The actor highlighted Hackman’s exceptional ability to forge connections with audiences.
“He had a wonderful ability to draw you into the heart of each character he was playing,” Egan said.
This quality helped establish Hackman as one of Hollywood’s most respected performers despite not fitting the conventional star mould.
His authenticity and relatability became hallmarks of a career spanning more than six decades.
Hackman won his first Academy Award for his iconic role as Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in 1971’s “The French Connection”.
His second Oscar came for best supporting actor as Sheriff “Little Bill” Daggett in Clint Eastwood’s 1992 western “Unforgiven”.
Throughout his distinguished career, Hackman received numerous accolades including two BAFTAs, four Golden Globes and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
His memorable roles included Buck Barrow in “Bonnie and Clyde”, Lex Luthor in the “Superman” films, and appearances in “Mississippi Burning” and “The Royal Tenenbaums”.
Hackman retired from acting in 2004, with his final film being “Welcome to Mooseport”.