Morgan Freeman Shares Dear Tribute to Gene Hackman at the Oscars

At the 2025 Oscars on March 2, Morgan Freeman began the in-memoriam segment of the show by taking a moment to honor legendary actor Gene Hackman.

“Well, this week, our community lost a giant, and I lost a dear friend, Gene Hackman. I had the pleasure of working alongside Gene on two films, Unforgiven and Under Suspicion,” Freeman said. “And like everyone who ever shared a scene with him, I learned he was a generous performer and a man whose gifts elevated everyone’s work. He received two Oscars, but more importantly, he won the hearts of film lovers all over the world.”

“Gene always said, “I don’t think about legacy. I just hope people remember me as someone who tried to do good work,” Freeman continued. “So I think I speak for us all when I say, ‘Gene, you’ll be remembered for that, and for so much more.’ Rest in peace my friend.”

Hackman, 95, his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, and their dog were found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home on February 26. He has three kids with his ex-wife Faye Maltese –  a son Christopher and daughters Elizabeth and Leslie. The two were married in 1956 but divorced in 1986. He and Arakawa married in 1991.

Morgan Freeman Posted An Emotional Tribute Following Gene Hackman’s Death

Freeman also took a moment to pen a tribute to Hackman on his Instagram following the news of his death.

“One of the personal highlights of my career was bringing the French Film Gardé a Vue (Under Suspicion) to life with the incredibly gifted Gene Hackman. And of course… Unforgiven. Rest in peace, my friend,” Freeman wrote.

Gene Hackman Won 2 Academy Awards

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Hackman and Freeman worked together in Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven, which earned Hackman an Oscar in 1993 for Best Supporting Actor. This was his second Oscar victory.

He won his first Oscar  in 1972 for Best Actor in “The French Connection.

Hackman was nominated for this prestigious award five times, winning twice. He was first nominated in 1968 for “Bonnie & Clyde” as Best Supporting Actor and received that same nomination for “I Never Sang for My Father” in 1971. He was nominated for Best Actor once again in 1989 for “Mississippi Burning.” And then of course, the two nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor which he won.