Superman Star Gene Hackman Dead At 95

Hollywood is in mourning today as the Santa Fe New Mexican reports that filmmaking icon Gene Hackman has passed away. He was found dead at his Santa Fe, New Mexico, home with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 63, on February 26. He was 95. Hackman's legacy in show business was solidified a lifetime ago. His iconic turn playing Lex Luthor in the "Superman" franchise made him a recognizable face to generations of kids and adults, while Academy Award-winning roles in "The French Connection" and "Unforgiven" secured his place as filmmaking royalty. In a career that spanned six decades, the acclaimed performer racked up over a hundred on-screen credits.

Hackman was born on January 30, 1930, the first of two sons, in San Bernardino, California. After spending his childhood moving from city to city, eventually settling in Illinois, he did what countless other enthusiastic young men of his generation did and lied about his age to join the military, enlisting in the Marines when he was 16. After serving four and a half years, he was discharged and worked odd jobs throughout his 20s, eventually deciding to pursue acting and joining the Pasadena Playhouse, where he met fellow struggling actor Dustin Hoffman. 

According to an interview with the Chicago Tribune, the future Oscar, Golden Globe, SAG, and BAFTA Award-winner received "the all-time lowest score" given to a student at the establishment. "I don't know if they ever actually asked me to leave," Hackman recalled, "but I was given so little encouragement that I kind of, even in my insensitive state at that time, understood that at least the academic side of acting was not for me.”

Thankfully, Hackman didn't let his grades keep him down. By the mid-1960s, he was performing on stage regularly and starting to pick up small roles on television and in movies. In 1967, he received his first Oscar nod when he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his work in "Bonnie and Clyde." He was nominated a second time in 1970 for "I Never Sang for My Father."

The following year, Hackman's most celebrated work up to that point hit theaters with "The French Connection," in which he played Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle. Hackman received near-universal acclaim for his work in the film, winning his first Oscar on top of heaps of other accolades. The hits kept coming — in 1974, he received even more acclaim thanks to his Golden Globe-nominated part in "The Conversation," while incomprehensibly receiving no awards or nominations for his impeccably brilliant turn as Harold in Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein." Decades of unforgettable work followed. Hackman put his impishly genocidal spin on the character of Lex Luthor in three "Superman" pictures, inspired millions in "Hoosiers," and played comedic roles to perfection in "The Birdcage," "Get Shorty," and "The Royal Tenenbaums."

Following the completion of 2004's "Welcome to Mooseport," Hackman announced that he had no further plans to appear in movies, focusing instead on his work as a historical fiction novelist. He lent his voice to several documentaries over the next two decades but otherwise stayed out of the spotlight, preferring a quiet life of bicycling and writing into his 90s.

Gene Hackman was married twice: first, around 1956, to Faye Maltese, with whom he had three children. Hackman and Maltese divorced in 1986, with Hackman later placing the blame on his own success and constant absence. He was remarried in 1991 to classical pianist Betsy Arakawa. The two reportedly enjoyed a quiet life together in Santa Fe — in 2000, Hackman described his appreciation for being separated from Hollywood life to The Independent, saying that living in New Mexico allowed him to "lead [his] own life and not be bothered by the latest gossip."

On the subject of his success, Hackman was frequently humble. In a 2011 interview with GQ, he was asked where he kept his Oscars and replied, "You know, I'm not sure; I don't have any memorabilia around the house." Asked to sum up his life in a sentence, the beloved actor said, "He tried."

Hackman is survived by his children — Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie.