Gene Hackman’s shock four word response to Liza Minelli during frosty filming resurfaces after tragic death

Gene Hackman’s shock four word response to Liza Minelli as they filmed 1975’s Lucky Lady have resurfaced in the wake of his shock death aged 95.

The mummified bodies of retired actor Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, were found in their secluded mansion in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday.

Amid speculation of their mystery cause of death, including suggestions by his family of carbon monoxide poisoning, police have ordered autopsies and toxicology tests.

Hackman, whose meltdown on Under Suspicion reemerged this week, struggled to bond with Minelli and her unique acting style when they filmed alongside Burt Reynolds.

In Reynolds’ 2015 memoir, Enough About Me, he wrote: ‘Gene Hackman is a good actor. He’s tough, and Liza [Minnelli] is so boop oopy doop, it didn’t sit well with him. 

‘Every once in a while he’d go, “Liza, shut the f**k up!” We’d all have to walk off the set until he cooled off. Gene’s not a bad guy, but he allowed Liza to distract him. Gene wasn’t the easiest to work with either. You’d do the rehearsal one way, and when you got to the take, he’d say, “You’re not gonna do it that way are you?”

Gene Hackman’s shock four word response to Liza Minelli as they filmed 1975’s Lucky Lady have resurfaced in the wake of his shock death aged 95 – pictured in the film

‘He’d do that to Liza, and she’d fall apart. I didn’t let it bother me, and Gene and I parted on good terms.’

Reynolds added that Hackman and younger co-star Robby Benson, now 69, also butted heads, writing: ‘Robby is an athlete, and when we played pickup basketball between takes, he ran circles around Hackman, who got pissed off and tried to rough him up. But Robby kept his cool.’

Lucky Lady, directed by Stanley Donen follows a trio of rum-runners during prohibition in the 1930s, who engage in a menage-a-trois after business hours.

The film was panned by critics with director Donen saying Lucky Lady ‘hurt him’ professionally. 

Investigators searched Hackman’s $3.8 million home on Thursday and found thyroid medication and Diltiazem inside, along with Tylenol.

Arakawa was found dead on the floor of the couple’s bathroom. An open bottle of prescription pills was found partially scattered on a countertop nearby.

Autopsies were completed early on Thursday morning, authorities are still waiting on the full results, along with a toxicology report.

Both Diltiazem and common thyroid medications can cause death if too much is ingested, as they interfere with heart function – but extremely few fatalities have been recorded even when dozens were swallowed in suicide attempts.

In Burt Reynolds’ memoir Enough About Me, he wrote: ‘ Gene’s tough, and Liza [Minnelli] is so boop oopy doop, it didn’t sit well with him. Every once in a while he’d go, “Liza, shut the f**k up! – pictured 1975

Reynolds wrote: ‘He’d do that to Liza, and she’d fall apart. I didn’t let it bother me, and Gene and I parted on good terms’ – Reynolds and Hackman pictured in the film

Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead Thursday – pictured together in Santa Fe in March 2024

One of Gene’s three children, Leslie Anne Hackman, earlier told DailyMail.com she and her sister Elizabeth Jean speculated that they may have been killed by inhaling toxic fumes due to a carbon monoxide leak.

But Santa Fe City Fire personnel and the New Mexico Gas Company tested the couple’s home for carbon monoxide and other foreign elements after their bodies were found, and concluded the area was safe.

‘New Mexico Gas Company responded to the residence and was conducting active testing on the gas line in and around the residence,’ an affidavit stated.

‘As of now there are no signs or evidence indicating there were any problems associated to the pipes in and around the residence.’

Sheriff Adan Mendoza said in a statement Thursday afternoon that ‘initial findings noted no external trauma to either individual’.

‘There were no apparent signs of foul play. The manner and cause of death has not been determined.

‘The official results of the autopsy and toxicology reports are pending. This remains an open investigation.’

Hackman was found dead a mud room just off the couple’s kitchen. His sunglasses and cane were on the floor next to him, sparking speculation he may have died from a fall.

Hackman and his wife are believed to have lay dead for up to two weeks and were found partially-mummified. The skin and tissue of their bodies had been preserved, likely by the cool dry winter climate that Santa Fe enjoys.

But the 911 call contradicts the search warrant affidavit, which states a maintenance worker reported the home’s front door was open when he arrived to do routine work.

An explanation for this discrepancy has not yet been shared by investigators.

A dead German shepherd was found in a bathroom closet
near Arakawa, police said. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said during an unrelated news conference on Thursday that the dog was found in a kennel.

Two healthy dogs were found on the property — one inside and one outside.

‘There was no indication of a struggle,’ Mendoza said. ‘There was no indication of anything that was missing from the home or disturbed, you know, that would be indication that there was a crime that had occurred.’

Gene and Betsy got married in 1991 and were married for 34 years before their tragic deaths.

‘They had a wonderful marriage. And I give credit to his wife, Betsy, for keeping him alive,’ Leslie said.

Hackman was one of Hollywood’s most famous and prolific actors and enjoyed a lengthy Tinseltown career.

He won a best actor Oscar in 1972 playing a hard-bitten cop in iconic thriller The French Connection.

Hackman was one of Hollywood’s most famous and prolific actors – pictured at the 1993 Oscars with Unforgiven co-star Clint Eastwood where he won Best Supporting Actor

Hackman went on to win a best supporting actor Oscar in 1993 for Western classic Unforgiven.

He stared in dozens of memorable movies including Bonnie and Clyde, The Poseidon Adventure, Superman, Mississippi Burning, Postcards from the Edge, The Firm, Get Shorty, The Birdcage and The Royal Tenenbaums.

His last film was the 2004 political comedy Welcome to Mooseport and this time his retirement was permanent.