(January 30, 1930 – February 18, 2025)
Hackman's two Academy Award wins were for Best Actor for his role as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in William Friedkin's action thriller The French Connection (1971) and for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a villainous Sheriff in Clint Eastwood's Western film Unforgiven (1992). He was also Oscar-nominated for three other roles: that of Buck Barrow in the crime drama Bonnie and Clyde (1967); a college professor in the drama I Never Sang for My Father (1970); and an FBI agent in the historical drama Mississippi Burning (1988).
Hackman gained further fame for his portrayal of Lex Luthor in Superman (1978) and its sequels Superman II (1980) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). He also acted in: The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Scarecrow (1973), The Conversation (1974), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Under Fire (1983), Power (1986), Loose Cannons (1990), The Firm (1993), The Quick and the Dead (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Enemy of the State (1998), Behind Enemy Lines (2001), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and Runaway Jury (2003). He retired from acting after starring in Welcome to Mooseport (2004).
UPDATE (03/07/2025):At a press conference in Santa Fe on March 7, police and the chief medical examiner revealed that Hackman died on February 18 from severe heart disease complicated by advanced Alzheimer's and kidney disease. Arakawa likely died a week earlier, on February 11, from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, with Hackman possibly not realizing what had happened due to his Alzheimer's. Hackman's pacemaker recorded an abnormal rhythm on February 18, which likely marked the time of his death. Furthermore, his stomach had been completely empty, indicating he had not eaten for days, likely due to his mental condition. The scattered pills found near Arakawa's body had been prescribed to her for a thyroid condition and did not contribute to her death.
