Gene Hackman’s A-List Peers Mourn Oscar Winner’s Death at 95: ‘One of the True Giants of the Screen’

After Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were found dead in their Santa Fe home on Wednesday, his celebrity peers began honoring the two-time Oscar-winning actor’s life with touching tributes early Thursday morning.

Viola Davis wrote, “Loved you in everything! ‘The Conversation,’ ‘The French Connection,’ ‘The Poseidon Adventure,’ ‘Unforgiven’ — tough yet vulnerable. You were one of the greats. God bless those who loved you. Rest well, sir.”

Francis Ford Coppola wrote, “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. I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution.”

Edgar Wright wrote, “The greatest…”

Josh Brolin wrote, “I am crushed by the sudden deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa (and their dog). Crushed. He was always one of my favorites. Not many who beat to their own drums like he did. Rest in Peace.”

George Takei wrote, “We have lost one of the true giants of the screen. Gene Hackman could play anyone, and you could feel a whole life behind it. He could be everyone and no one, a towering presence or an everyday Joe. That’s how powerful an actor he was. He will be missed, but his work will live on forever.”

Antonio Banderas wrote, “A very sad day for the cinema’s family. Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have passed away. My deepest condolences to friends, family and cinema lovers. RIP.”

The “French Connection” and “Unforgiven” Oscar-winning actor, 95, and his wife, 64, were found dead in their New Mexico home on Wednesday afternoon after a neighbor called in a welfare check, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. An investigation into their deaths is ongoing, but no foul play is suspected.

Hackman’s other notable roles included “Bonnie and Clyde,” “I Never Sang for My Father,” “Scarecrow,” “The Poseidon Adventure,” “Young Frankenstein,” “The Conversation,” “Hoosiers,” “Mississippi Burning,” “The Firm,” “Crimson Tide,” “The Quick and the Dead” and “The Birdcage.” He retired from acting in 2004.

More to come…

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