Gene Hackman was a true giant in Hollywood, and his death this week has left many reflecting on his storied career.
The Hollywood legend and two-time Oscar winner was renowned for starring in films like “French Connection,” “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Hoosiers.” But he revealed in a candid interview with Empire in 2009 that his health was preventing him from continuing to work.
“The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York,” Hackman said at the time. “The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.”
Hackman also discussed his decision to step away from the limelight in a 2008 interview with Reuters, and said he had officially retired.
“I haven’t held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I’m not going to act any longer,” he told the outlet, before explaining why he hadn’t been very public with the news.
“I’ve been told not to say that over the last few years, in case some real wonderful part comes up, but I really don’t want to do it any longer,” he said.
Hackman admitted he missed acting but said he found the business “very stressful.”
“The compromises that you have to make in films are just part of the beast,” the “Superman” star said. “It had gotten to a point where I just didn’t feel like I wanted to do it anymore.”
Hackman’s last role was in the 2004 film “Welcome to Mooseport,” in which he portrayed a former U.S. president. He was 74 when the film came out.
Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found dead Wednesday at their property in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Foul play was not initially suspected. However, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adam Mendoza said Friday on the “Today” show that authorities are “not ruling that out” just yet.
Mendoza also admitted that it was “very difficult to put a timeline together” of when the couple died.
Evidence indicated that “several days, possibly even up to a couple weeks” had passed before the bodies were discovered by a maintenance worker, the sheriff said.
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Arakawa’s body exhibited “mummification in both hands and feet,” according to a search warrant obtained by The New York Times.