Actor Gene Hackman and wife found dead at their home

Police say there was no foul play and the body of the couple’s dog was also found

• 

  Actor Gene Hackman signs his first novel, Wake of the Perdido Star, at a Borders book store in Chicago, in April 2000. Tim Boyle/Newsmakers

• 

  Setting out on a practice run for the Daytona 24-hour endurance race in Florida, in February 1983. AP Photo

• 

  Filming the thriller Target, in Paris in January 1985. AFP

• 

  Posing for a portrait, circa 1965. Getty Images

• 

  With Burt Reynolds in the 1975 film Lucky Lady. Getty Images

• 

  As New York City detective Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle in The French Connection, which won him a Best Actor Oscar. Getty Images

• 

  With his family in Sun Valley, Idaho. Getty Images

• 

  With Al Pacino in the 1973 film Scarecrow. Getty Images

• 

  Starring opposite Kevin Costner and Will Patton in the 1987 film, No Way Out. Getty Images

• 

  As Harry Caul in the acclaimed Francis Ford Coppola film, The Conversation. Getty Images

• 

  From left to right: Gene Hackman, Ryan O'Neal, Michael Caine, Edward Fox and Dirk Bogarde in the 1997 World War II film A Bridge Too Far. Getty Images

• 

  Gene Hackman with director, screenwriter and producer Francis Ford Coppola on the set of The Conversation. Getty Images

• 

  Although a lifelong democrat, Hackman became friends with republican US President Ronald Reagan. Getty Images

• 

  Gene Hackman holds his Best Actor Oscar for The French Connection at the 44th movie academy awards, alongside French Connection producer Philip D' Antoni and Best Actress winner Jane Fonda. Getty Images

• 

  Actor Gene Hackman in 1965. Getty Images

• 

  Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington star in the 1995 thriller Crimson Tide. Getty Images

• 

  With John Travolta in Get Shorty. Getty Images

• 

  With Leonardo DiCaprio on the set of The Quick and the Dead. Getty Images

• 

  Gene Hackman with Robin Williams and Michael Caine after he received the Cecile B. DeMille Award at the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards. AFP

• 

  As family patriarch Royal Tenenbaum alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, Jonah Meyerson, Grant Rosenmeyer and Ben Stiller in The Royal Tenenbaums. Courtesy Buena Vista Pictures

• 

  As Reverend Scott in the 1972 disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure. Getty Images

• 

  Starring as Lex Luthor in Superman II, opposite Ned Beatty.

• 

  At the premiere of the animated film ANTZ at the Toronto International Film Festival. ANW/ELD/WS

Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, have been found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The couple and their dog were dead when officers arrived and no foul play is suspected, according to a statement from the Santa Fe police department. The statement added that this is an active investigation. No cause of death has yet been released.

Hackman was a five-time Oscar nominee, winning twice, for his roles in The French Connection in 1972 and Unforgiven in 1993. His first film role was in 1961, with his big break coming several years later with 1969’s Downhill Racer. Known for playing villains, Hackman also appeared in many memorable comedy films such as Hoosiers and Get Shorty.

While Hackman was active for decades in Hollywood, he has been reclusive for the past two decades, last appearing on screen with Welcome to Mooseport in 2004.

Gene Hackman's many memorable films include Hoosiers. AP

Before acting, Hackman spent five years in the US military, reaching the rank of private first class in the US Marine Corps. He had lied about his age and enlisted at 16. During his service, he worked as a field-radio operator and was stationed in China then Hawaii and Japan.

Francis Ford Coppola, who directed Hackman in 1974's The Conversation, led tributes to the actor from across the film world. He wrote on Threads: “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.”