Gene Hackman, Oscar-Winning Star Of "The French Connection," Dies At 95

Gene Hackman, the Oscar-winning actor whose gruff but soulful performances in classics such as The French Connection, The Conversation, and Unforgiven made him one of the most respected performers in Hollywood, died Wednesday.

In a remarkable acting career that spanned six decades, Hackman established himself as one of the most distinctive and dependable film stars of his generation. I Photo: Unforgiven Facebook

He was 95, Daniel Arkin reported for NBC News. He was found dead alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 64, a classical pianist, and the couple's dog, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office said.

"Foul play is not suspected as a factor in these deaths at this time; however, the exact cause of death has not been determined. This is an active and ongoing investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office," the statement said.

In a remarkable acting career that spanned six decades, Hackman established himself as one of the most distinctive and dependable film stars of his generation.

He was part of a group of unconventional leading men who helped define the “New Hollywood” cinema of the 1970s, but he remained just as prominent throughout the '80s and '90s.

He won his first Oscar for his portrayal of the ferocious detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in William Friedkin’s The French Connection, delivering one of the most electrifying car chases in movie history.

He captivated audiences in Francis Ford Coppola’s paranoid thriller The Conversation and entertained younger viewers as the villainous Lex Luthor in Superman.

Hackman, who was drawn to projects that explored moral gray areas, earned his second Oscar for his supporting role as the brutal Sheriff Little Bill Daggett in Unforgiven, Clint Eastwood’s revisionist Western drama.

In total, Hackman won two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, one Screen Actors Guild Award, and two British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs).

He also received Oscar nominations for his roles in the seminal outlaws-on-the-run drama Bonnie & Clyde, the character study I Never Sang for My Father, and the controversial thriller Mississippi Burning.