Hollywood giant Hackman and wife found dead at home

LOS ANGELES, United States: American cinema giant Gene Hackman was found dead on Wednesday alongside his wife, following a rich career portraying everyman characters with an edge in films including “The French Connection.”

Hackman, 95, and his classical pianist wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, died at their home in New Mexico along with their dog, with authorities telling news outlets there was no indication of foul play.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza did not provide a cause of death for the couple, who had been married since 1991. Hackman, a two-time Oscar winner, was credited for intense performances inspired by his troubled upbringing, notching up dozens of movie credits extending into his 70s.

Hollywood director Francis Ford Coppola on Thursday mourned his death. “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,” Coppola wrote in a post on Instagram.

Hackman is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the tough and vulgar New York cop Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in the 1971 crime thriller “The French Connection” -- for which he won an Oscar for best actor.