Los Angeles [US], February 27 (HBTV): Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found dead at their New Mexico home, authorities have confirmed.

The office of Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed their deaths to Variety. Authorities stated that there was no immediate indication of foul play, though the sheriff's office has not yet provided a cause of death.

‘All I can say is that we're in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant,’ Mendoza told the Santa Fe New Mexican. His statement came before authorities had positively identified the couple. ‘I want to assure the community and neighborhood that there's no immediate danger to anyone.’

One of the industry's most celebrated performers, Hackman, 95, was a five-time Oscar nominee who starred in dozens of films. He won two Academy Awards for The French Connection and Unforgiven and also received two BAFTA Awards and four Golden Globes.

Hackman had a career filled with unexpected hits, including The French Connection II, The Firm, and The Poseidon Adventure. His portrayal of Harry Caul in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation remains widely acclaimed, as does his role in the Michael Ritchie ski film Downhill Racer.

In 1990, around the time he and Arakawa settled in Santa Fe, Hackman underwent angioplasty due to congestive heart failure. He continued to act for 14 more years, as reported by Variety.

Hackman also wrote three novels in collaboration with undersea archaeologist Daniel Lenihan: Wake of the Perdido Star (1999), Justice for None (2004), and Escape from Andersonville (2008). His 2011 novel, Payback at Morning Peak, was a solo effort.

He was married twice and had three children. His first marriage to Faye Maltese lasted from 1956 to 1986. He married Arakawa, a classical pianist, in 1991.

(ANI)