SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Santa Fe’s film community is remembering Gene Hackman for his award-winning film legacy and the impact he had in the northern New Mexico community he spent more than 30 years in.
Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were not only well-known for their contributions to the arts, but also as everyday people who you might run into any day of the week.
“Of course, we know him as Gene the actor, but when he’s here in Santa Fe, he’s just known as Gene Hackman the neighbor,” said Film Commissioner with the Santa Fe Film Office Jennifer LaBar-Tapia.
LaBar-Tapia said actor Hackman was a proud New Mexican. “Gene and Betsy were just pillars of our community. We knew him as a resident of Santa Fe. He was quiet but very profound. He definitely had a presence here,” said LaBar-Tapia.
Hackman and his wife, a concert pianist, moved to the Santa Fe area in the 1980s. While they were somewhat private, local film industry leaders said the couple maintained a deep connection to the community.
Known for frequenting local restaurants and co-owning multiple businesses, Hackman was also a board member at the Georgia O’Keefe Museum in the nineties.
“The love people had for him as an actor, they got to experience that in Santa Fe anytime they’d see him. He was just one of the greatest,” said Jacques Paisner with the Santa Fe International Film Festival.
Starting in the 1960s, Hackman’s Hollywood career spanned more than 50 years. He was a five-time Oscar nominee and two-time winner for his role in “The French Connection” and the cowboy western “Unforgiven.” His work in “Wyatt Earp” in the early nineties helped highlight New Mexico’s role as a filming location.
“Everybody in Santa Fe is suffering a big loss for somebody who was a staple of this community,” said Paisner.
Hackman retired from acting in 2004. In the nineties, he told the “Architectural Digest” magazine that he was attracted to Santa Fe after filming a few movies here and said, “It had a kind of magic in it.”