Gene Hackman – who was found dead at the age of 95 alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, and their pet in their New Mexico home on Wednesday (26.02.25) – previously revealed the reason he had to quit Hollywood more than 20 years ago.
Gene Hackman had to quit Hollywood over “stress”.
The Academy Award-winning actor was found dead at the age of 95 alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, and their pet in their New Mexico home on Wednesday (26.02.25) but had been retired for more than 20 years at that point and previously revealed that he gave up his career after a doctor was concerned about his heart.
In 2009, he told Empire: “The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York.
“The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.”
Over the course of his six-decade career, Gene received two BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globes, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and the Silver Bear.
In 1973, he was awarded an Oscar for his role in ‘The French Connection’ and then received the accolade again in the early 1990s after he starred in ‘Unforgiven’ alongside Clint Eastwood.
In 1978, he achieved global fame as he took on the role of Lex Luthor in ‘Superman’, and reprised the part for the sequels that followed in the 1980s.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Gene worked consistently and starred in the likes of ‘The Birdcage’, ‘Absolute Power’ and ‘Heist’ before bowing out of the movie business altogether following his appearance in the 2004 comedy ‘Welcome to Mooseport’.
Despite his shock deaths, officials noted that the incident is that “no foul play” is suspected.
Adan Mendoza, the Santa Fe County told the Santa Fe New Mexican: “All I can say is that we’re in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant.”
Late Hollywood icon Gene Hackman quit acting because…
