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The tough yet cherished Hackman was one of the greatest actors of his era, portraying a range of characters from villains to heroes and antiheroes in numerous dramas, comedies, and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s. A five-time Oscar nominee, he won the prestigious award for “The French Connection” in 1972 and again for “Unforgiven” two decades later. His passing occurs just four days before this year’s awards ceremony.
Hackman first encountered Arakawa, a classically trained pianist from Hawaii, while she was working part-time at a gym in California during the mid-1980s, as reported by the New York Times in 1989. The couple quickly moved in together and by the decade’s end, they relocated to Santa Fe.
Their ranch-style home, located on Old Sunset Trail, is perched on a hill within a gated community, offering stunning views of the Rocky Mountains. Spanning 2,300 square feet on one acre (0.4 hectares), the house was built in 2000 and has an estimated market value of just over $1 million, according to property tax records from Santa Fe County. This is relatively modest compared to the expansive estate next door, valued at $7.9 million.
Hackman has co-authored three novels, beginning with the adventurous tale, “Wake of the Perdido Star,” alongside Daniel Lenihan in 1999, as noted by publisher Simon & Schuster. He later wrote two novels on his own, concluding with “Pursuit” in 2013, which follows a female police officer on the hunt for a predator.
In his initial years in New Mexico, Gene Hackman frequently frequented the historic state capital, known as a hub for artists, a tourist hotspot, and a retreat for celebrities. He was a board member of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum during the 1990s, as reported by the local newspaper, The New Mexican.
In more recent years, he became less visible, yet even his most ordinary outings garnered media attention. The Independent covered his attendance at a show at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in 2018, while The New York Post reported on his activities, such as pumping gas, tending to his yard, and grabbing a chicken sandwich at Wendy’s in 2023.
Aside from his appearances at awards shows, he was seldom seen in Hollywood’s social scene and had retired from acting about two decades ago, marking a rare case of a Hollywood retirement that truly lasted. Hackman had three children from a previous marriage, but he and his partner, Arakawa, did not have any children together. They were known for being proud owners of German shepherds.
In a 2020 interview with the film magazine Empire, Hackman mentioned that he and Arakawa enjoyed watching DVDs she rented, saying, “We like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce.”
An email sent to his publicist early Thursday did not receive an immediate response.
