The surprising reason why Gene Hackman was branded ‘ruler of Australia’ before his death

Gene Hackman will forever be known as one of the greatest actors of his generation following his tragic death aged 95 this week.

For Australian fans, however, the lauded star is known as their ‘supreme ruler’.

Among his many roles, Gene appeared as Lex Luthor in the campy 1980 film Superman II.

In the film, which was written by Godfather author Mario Puzo, the notorious comic book villain uses Australia as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the film’s ultimate bad guy General Zod, played by Terrance Stamp.

‘What do you want,’ Zod asks Luthor in the film after the latter reveals he knows the location of Superman (Christopher Reeve).

‘The world is a big place and my needs are small,’ Gene says in the scene which takes place in the Oval Office of the White House.

For Australian fans Gene Hackman will also be forever known as their ‘supreme ruler’. Gene is pictured with daughter Leslie

‘As it turns out, I have this affinity for beachfront property,’ he adds as he places his feet casually on the desk.

‘What do you want,’ Zod repeats, before Gene throws up two peace signs and replies: ‘Australia.’

Later in the film, as Superman seemingly defeats General Zod triumphantly, he  declares: ‘Lex Luthor, ruler of Australia… activate the machine.’

Gene and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, were found dead on Wednesday in separate rooms of their $3.8 million Santa Fe, New Mexico home.

A neighbor of the couple called emergency services after discovering the bodies.

One of their three dogs was found dead inside the house, while two others were found alive.

One of Gene’s three children, Leslie Anne Hackman, told DailyMail.com on Thursday that the family is waiting to hear from law enforcement regarding the cause of death as the couple’s death remains a mystery.

Leslie and her sister, Elizabeth Jean Hackman, can only speculate that their father and stepmother – along with one of their dogs – may have been killed by inhaling toxic fumes due to a carbon monoxide leak.

Among his many roles, Hackman appeared as Lex Luthor in the campy 1980 film Superman II

In the film, the notorious comic book villain uses Australia as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the film’s ultimate bad guy General Zod, played by Terrance Stamp

‘As it turns out, I have this affinity for beachfront property,’ Gene says in the movie. ‘What do you want,’ Zob asks, before Hackman throws up two peace signs and replies: ‘Australia’

Leslie, 58, said the family is still processing what happened since ‘there was no indication that there was any problem’ with her father prior to his death.

‘Despite his age, he was in very good physical condition,’ she revealed, while adding that her father did not have any major surgeries these last few months.

‘He liked to do Pilates and yoga, and he was continuing to do that several times a week. So he was in good health.’

She went on to say that his death, however, was ‘not terribly shocking because he was 95.’

Given that she lives in California, she said that it’s been a ‘few months’ since she had last seen and has even heard from her reclusive father despite them being close.

‘We were close. I hadn’t talked to them for a couple months, but everything was normal and everything was good,’ she shared.

The family is still waiting to hear from police exactly what happened and when they passed away since the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said that their bodies had been in their home for at least a day before deputies found them deceased. 

The 95-year-old actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, were found dead on Wednesday in separate rooms of their $3.8 million Santa Fe, New Mexico home

An arrest warrant obtained by DailyMail.com revealed both bodies were found with signs of decomposition.

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

The former Marine appeared in more than 80 films, as well as on television and the stage during his lengthy career that started in the early 1960s.

Tributes have started pouring in for the Hollywood legend with Star Trek star George Takei hailing him as ‘one of the true giants of the screen.

Filmmaker Frances Ford Coppola added that he was ‘great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity’. Hackman’s fans added that they are ‘devastated’ that ‘one of the all time great actors has sadly left the stage’.

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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk