Actor Gene Hackman, 95, & wife, 63, found dead at home

Oscar-winning U.S. actor Gene Hackman has died at the age of 95.

Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, 63, were found dead in their home in the Santa Fe Summit community in New Mexico on the afternoon of Feb. 26, Santa Fe county sheriff Adan Mendoza told local newspaper Santa Fe New Mexican.

The couple's dog was also found dead with them.

Police do not suspect foul play

Hackman had lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, since the 1980s, before marrying Arakawa in 1991.

Mendoza said on Feb. 26 that it was an active investigation, but police do not suspect foul play at the moment, according to BBC and The Guardian.

He did not provide a cause of death or say when the couple might have died.

Mendoza said, "All I can say is that we're in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant."

Decorated acting career

Hollywood actor Hackman enjoyed a decorated acting career over four decades, where he appeared in nearly 80 films, according to ABC News.

He played a variety of roles from a morally conflicted surveillance expert in 1974 suspense thriller "The Conversation", billionaire villain Lex Luthor in 1978's "Superman", to a basketball coach with a checkered past in 1986 sports drama "Hoosiers".

Hackman also famously starred in 1988 civil rights drama "Mississippi Burning", 1998 thriller "Enemy of the State", and 2001 Wes Anderson comedy "The Royal Tenenbaums".

Hackman won his first Oscar for his role as police detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in 1971's "The French Connection", and his second when playing sheriff "Little Bill" Daggett in 1992's "Unforgiven".

Apart from his two Academy Awards, Hackman won two BAFTAs, three Golden Globes and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

His final film appearance was in 2004 political satire "Welcome to Mooseport".

When asked by magazine GQ in 2011 how he'd like to be remembered, Hackman replied, "As a decent actor".

Top image from Piers Morgan/X & Michael W.Freeman/X