Viola Davis, Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, and more mourn the sudden passing of Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman, 95, was found dead in his home in New Mexico, along with wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, and their dog. Tributes from the film world have been pouring in since, honoring the two-time Oscar-winning actor, who many considered one of the masters of his craft.

Francis Ford Coppola, the legendary director, who worked with Hackman in the 1974 film The Conversation, was one of the first to publicly mourn his friend and collaborator with an Instagram post. “Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity,” the filmmaker said, confessing that he was both mourning the loss and celebrating “his existence and contribution.”

And talk about contribution. Hackman made over 80 movies in his lifetime, and wrote five historical fiction novels after retiring in 2004. He started in 1956, at California’s Pasadena Playhouse, where he met Dustin Hoffman. The two were voted “The Least Likely To Succeed.” That’s when Hackman decided to move to New York, where he worked odd jobs to support his acting career. He would eventually work with Warren Beatty in 1964’s Lilith, which would directly result in his breakout Oscar-nominated role in 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde.

Joining the list of tributes, actress Viola Davis described Hackman as “one of the greats” and “tough yet vulnerable.” “I loved [him] in everything,” she eulogized. Antonio Banderas took to X to mark what he called a “a very sad day for the cinema’s family,” sharing a photo of the late actor with Arakawa, whom he married in 1991.

The couple was very private, relocating to New Mexico in the late ’80s to escape the intrusiveness of showbiz. They met at a California fitness center, where Arakawa worked part-time to support her classical music dreams. She was Hackman’s second wife after Faye Maltese, with whom the actor shared three children, son Christopher Allen and daughters Leslie Anne and Elizabeth Jean. Hackman and Arakawa didn’t have any children, but they did share a love for dogs, at one point parenting three German shepherds.

Director and producer Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, A Simple Favor) also shared the news to his social media profile, calling them “so awful.” He praised Hackman’s acting genius, specifically highlighting his work in The Conversation for “[changing] the way [he] looked at acting and what actors could bring to a role.” Fellow actor and author George Takei very accurately tapped into what made Hackman such a unique talent. “He could be everyone and no one, a towering presence or an everyday Joe” — the larger than life roles are usually the most attention-grabbing, but it takes a genuinely fantastic actor to breathe life into regular men.

Eddie Izzard also paid tribute. “You made a deep mark on the world of cinema. Now sleep well,” the British comedian reflected. In one of his last interviews, in 2009, Hackman said he and his wife reserved Friday nights for Comedy Channel marathons, “with particular attention paid to … Izzard.” “The speed of thought is amazing,” the actor praised. The love was reciprocated.

“One of the personal highlights of my career was bringing … Under Suspicion to life with the incredibly gifted Gene Hackman,” Morgan Freeman offered. The two also worked together in Clint Eastwood’s 1992 Western, Unforgiven, for which Hackman won his second Oscar — the first came with his iconic performance in The French Connection.

Nathan Lane, who worked with Hackman in The Birdcage, shared the sentiment: “[He] was my favorite actor as I think I told him every day we worked together.” Josh Brolin, David Axelrod, Hank Azaria, Valerie Perrine, Edgar Wright, Dara Ó Briain, and Adam Scott all shared their own tributes.

Gene Hackman’s legacy as one of the finest American actors will live on. New Mexico authorities have not revealed his cause of death at the time of writing, but there are no suspicions of foul play. May him, his wife, and their beloved dog rest peacefully.