Oscar winner Gene Hackman and wife found dead

Prolific Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, whose studied portraits ranged from reluctant heroes to conniving villains and made him one of the industry's most respected and honored performers, has been found dead along with his wife Betsy Arakawa at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was 95.

Police said there was no immediate indication of foul play. They did not provide a cause of death. The couple, who were married since 1991, died along with their dog.

Hackman, who had turned 95 late last month, was once voted as likely to flop in showbiz but instead went on to win two Oscar awards. Arakawa was a 63-year-old classical pianist.

Hollywood director Francis Ford Coppola mourned the loss of Hackman.

"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 on Instagram. "I mourn his loss and celebrate his existence and contribution."

Hackman, a former Marine known for his raspy voice, appeared in more than 80 films, as well as on television and the stage during a lengthy career that started in the early 1960s.

He joined the Marines at 16, lying about his age so he could get in, and later studied journalism at the University of Illinois. After a short stint as a television technician and administrator, he studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse in California alongside Dustin Hoffman.

Both actors, who were voted least likely to succeed, eventually moved to New York where they worked odd jobs, chased parts and palled around with another then-struggling actor named Robert Duvall.

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.

He won another golden statuette two decades later for best supporting actor for his portrayal of the brutal small-town sheriff "Little Bill" Daggett in the 1992 western Unforgiven.

Throughout his acting career, Hackman drew on his talents and versatility, taking on a series of gritty roles and delivering thoughtful, intelligent performances.

He earned his first Oscar nomination for best supporting actor in Bonnie and Clyde.

That landmark 1967 film, in which Hackman played Clyde's brother Buck Barrow, put him firmly on track for stardom.

Hackman notched up dozens of film credits in his career, working well into his 60s and 70s although he stayed out of the limelight, instead writing and painting.

Into the 21st century, he starred in The Heist and The Royal Tenenbaums in 2001, the latter winning him his third competitive Golden Globe, before announcing his retirement in 2008.

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