Divya Delhi:  Gene Hackman never failed. Whether starring or supporting, he was dependable like few actors in cinema history. Hackman stayed dedicated to his craft even in unsuccessful projects. Hackman, who retired at 74 in 2004, remained a giant until his death at 95. Hackman played practically every character imaginable and some unimaginable in his 35 years in the spotlight. The two-time Oscar winner was found dead alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, a 65-year-old classical pianist, and their dog at their Santa Fe home. He was a reluctant star who never courted Hollywood's gloss but commanded its respect. The authorities first ruled out foul play, but now they seem to recommend more investigation. Hackman's death, like his life and career, looks like an afterthought, a second glance that would become more crucial than expected. Hackman's talent came from his refusal to star. In Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Hollywood discovered Hackman in his thirties, the same year audiences discovered Dustin Hoffman as a new kind of leading man in The Graduate. Ironically, Hoffman was cast as Mr. Robinson, the cuckolded husband whose wife seduces Benjamin Braddock, but the director thought he was too young. Hackman gained stardom with The French Connection (1971), his first Oscar, when he was beyond 40. This delayed recognition gave him a layered gravitas beyond imitation, turning his life into narrative currency of the utmost value. Hackman was born Eugene Allen Hackman in San Bernardino, California, and raised in Danville, Illinois. His childhood was turbulent. Hackman turned to cinema after his abusive father left when he was 13. Hackman fled aged 16 and joined the Marines by lying about his age. He later studied journalism and television production on the G.I. Bill, but acting drew him to New York, where he met Dustin Hoffman and Robert Duvall, a famed struggling-actor ensemble. Young auteurs captured and redefined the zeitgeist in the 1970s, revitalizing American cinema. Hackman and Jack Nicholson best embodied the decade on screen, even though these filmmakers didn't like them as much as Robert De Niro-Martin Scorsese, Francis Coppola, Sidney Lumet, and Al Pacino. That he was a world-worn, hard-nosed presence rather than a fresh-faced matinee star made him more memorable. He was explosive as Popeye Doyle in The French Connection, bringing passion and unpredictability.