Prince William has said that he is 'so sad' to hear from the death of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, who were found dead next to their dog in their mansion Santa Fe.
In a message signed with a 'w', after his shared X account with the princess of Wales, he said: “So sad to hear the news about the death of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy.
“Hackman was a real genius of film that brought every character to life with strength, authenticity and star quality.”
The Oscar-winning actor, 95, and his 64-year-old woman were partially found mummied with pills littered in their bathroom, the police in the US said today.
The identity of the couple was not released for almost 12 hours, with details about how the couple now offered a possible explanation for the delay.
Hackman received two Oscars, two Baftas, Four Golden Globes and a Screen Actors Guild Award in an acting career that included six decades.
Bafta belonged to them to pay tribute to Hackman and described him as a 'much celebrated actor' who had an 'illustrious career'.
He assured the best actor Oscar and Bafta for his role as detective Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle in 1971 Action Thriller the French connection.
In a message signed with a 'w', according to his shared X account with the princess of Wales, William said: “So sad to hear the news about the death of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy”
William and Katherine shown yesterday during a visit to Meadow Street Community Garden and Woodland in Pontypridd, Wales
Hackman landed a further Academy Award and Bafta in the best supporting actor category for his share in 1992 Western Unforgiven, directed by Clint Eastwood.
Hackman was born in California in 1930 and left the house at the age of 16 -to be hired in the Marine Corps and served as a cyclists from 1947 to 1952 and then as a temporary employment journalist.
He studied journalism and television production at the University of Illinois, but later turned to pursue an acting career.
Hackman had a few TV and theater roles before he was broken with his performance in Bonnie and Clyde from 1967, who played Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway in the titular roles, and left him an Oscar nomination for the best supporting role.
He also picked up Oscar -nodding for his role in the 1970s, I never sang for my father and the thriller Mississippi of 1988.
The actor insured a new cohort of fans for his representation of Supervillain Lex Luthor in the 1978 Superman film with Christopher Reeve in the role of the same name and Marlon Brando as Jor-El, Superman's biological father.
He repeated the role for his subsequent sequel, Superman II from 1980 and Superman IV from 1987: The Quest for Peace.
The best moment of the actor was his role as Detective Jimmy Doyle in the 1971 film The French Connection
Gene Hackman, seen here with Estelle Parsons in 1967, was a double Oscar winner and had just turned 95 at the end of January
Valerie Perrine, who figured out his love interest on the screen in the Superman films, described the deceased actor as a 'genius' and 'one of the largest to adorn the silver screen'.
She added: 'I had the honor to work with him on Superman. His versions are legendary. His talent will be missed. '
Perrine signed her tribute and wrote: 'Goodbye my dear Lex until we meet again. Valerie. '
Hackman traded against many Hollywood -heavy weights in his time, including Al Pacino in 1973's Scarecrow, Gene Wilder in the young Frankenstein and Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton in 1974 in the Reds Reds.
His other remarkable roles were the hit films The Poseidon Adventure from 1972, The Conversation and Runaway Jury from 1974 in 2003.
He took a comic turn and played a conservative senator in the 1996 The Birdcage alongside Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, who shine like a gay pair.
Hackman also played in the stars -lined cast of Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums, with Welcome to Moosport in 2004 who marked his last performance of a large screen.
He played an astronaut in Zeegehoren
The actor found his feet on stage in the early days of his career in the sixties and performed in various Broadway theaters, including in the Music Box Theater for the Comedy every Wednesday.
He also appeared in children from their matches in the former Morosco Theater, Poor Richard in Helen Hayes Theater and the natural look at Longacre Theater, before he returned later in 1992 to perform death and the girl in the Brooks Atkinson Theater.
Hackman and his wife Arakawa had been married since 1991.
