The pair were found at their home along with their dog

The 95-year-old was found along with his wife, 63, at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Local police gave an interview just after midnight to confirm the details of the couple's death.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza stated that both Hackman and Arakawa had passed away, along with their dog. Mendoza added that there was no foul play, but gave no further details about the time or cause of death.

According to The Sun, Mendoza added: "All I can say is that we're in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant.

"We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday afternoon at their residence on Sunset Trail. This is an active investigation – however, at this time we do not believe that foul play was a factor.

"I want to assure the community and neighbourhood that there's no immediate danger to anyone."

The last time Hackman was seen in front of the camera for an acting role was in the 2004 comedy Welcome To Mooseport.

He filmed alongside Ray Romano and Christine Baranski for the flick, and said at the time that he had no other films scheduled and no plans to line any work up.

His confirmed his retirement in 2008 during the promotion of his third novel Escape From Andersonville. It brought an end to his career which spanned over six decades, beginning in 1956 when he joined the Pasadena Playhouse and befriended Dustin Hoffman.

Hackman has over 100 film credits to his name including blockbuster hits such as Enemy of the State, Crimson Tide, No Way Out and The French Connection.