Gene Hackman, the Academy Award-winning actor who starred in popular sports films such as Hoosiers and The Replacements, was found dead at the age of 95 in New Mexico on Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
Hackman’s wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, as well the couple’s dog were also found dead at the scene. Authorities say that there were no immediate signs of foul play, according to The Santa Fe New Mexican.
While Hackman built up an iconic filmography over the course of his acting career, which included Academy Awards for his roles in 1972’s The French Connection (Best Actor) and 1993’s Unforgiven (Best Supporting Actor), he is best known to sports fans for playing 1950s Indiana high school basketball coach Norman Dale in the 1986 film Hoosiers. Loosely based on a true story, the film sees Hackman’s character lead the small-town Hickory High School team to an unlikely state championship, capturing the title with a buzzer-beater by star player Jimmy Chitwood (played by Maris Valainis).
Despite Hackman famously believing that the film would end his acting career, Hoosiers became an instant classic, earning multiple Academy Award nominations. In 2020, it was named the best sports film of all time by The Associated Press, while it also ranks as the No. 4 sports film according to the American Film Institute.
While it wasn’t nearly as heralded as Hoosiers, Hackman also endeared himself to sports fans with his role as head coach Jimmy McGinty in the 2000 comedy The Replacements. In the film, Hackman’s character coaches a fictional professional football team filled with replacement players — including quarterback Shane Falco (played by Keanu Reeves) — amid an ongoing players strike.
Hackman’s career also famously included roles in Bonnie and Clyde, the Superman series, I Never Sang For My Father, Mississippi Burning Young Frankenstein and The Royal Tenenbaums. He earned five Academy Award nominations over the course of his career, with his two victories coming 21 years apart.