Scarlett Johansson, Halle Berry and more to present at 2025 Oscars
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Another round of Oscars presenters has been announced.
Ahead of the 2025 Oscars, the Academy revealed on Tuesday that Halle Berry, Scarlett Johansson, Penélope Cruz and Whoopi Goldberg will take the stage to hand out trophies.
Elle Fanning, John Lithgow, Amy Poehler, June Squibb and Bowen Yang will also present.
Last year’s Academy Award winners — Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Emma Stone — were previously announced as presenters for the upcoming awards show.
More talent will be announced in the coming weeks, according to the Academy.
The 97th Oscars will take place on Sunday, March 2, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. It will be televised on ABC, streamed on Hulu and will air live in more than 200 territories worldwide.
Emmy Award-winning television host Conan O’Brien is this year’s Oscars host.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa in 2003; SGranitz/WireImage
ABC News has confirmed that Gene Hackman, 95, the prolific and versatile two-time Oscar-winning actor whose career spanned more than five decades, was found dead Wednesday in his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, along with his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, 63, who he married in 1991.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Denise Avila told ABC news that the couple was found during a welfare check after their neighbor called in, concerned about their well-being. Officials will be putting out a statement later this morning with more details.
According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, the couple was found along with their dog, and there was no indication of foul play.
Before retiring from acting in 2004, Hackman starred in 79 films and played a variety of roles, including arch-villain Lex Luthor in Superman: The Movie, a basketball coach with a spotty past in Hoosiers, the commanding officer of a nuclear warship in Crimson Tide and a take-no-prisoners FBI agent in Mississippi Burning.
In 1971, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of tough cop Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection, and two decades later, in 1992, he won a second Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a sadistic sheriff in Unforgiven. Hackman also won three Golden Globes awards and two BAFTAs.
Hackman was born Jan. 30, 1930, in San Bernardino, California, but grew up in up in Danville, Illinois. When Hackman was 13, his father abandoned the family, leaving his son, who was playing in the street, with a simple wave of his hand.
“I hadn’t realized how much one small gesture can mean,” the actor once said. “Maybe that’s why I became an actor.”
Before pursuing acting, Hackman lied about his age at 16 to enlist in the Marine Corps. He left the military at 19 and ended up in California, where he took classes at the Pasadena Playhouse with fellow student Dustin Hoffman. Together they moved to New York and got an apartment with another struggling actor, Robert Duvall.
Hackman’s big break came in 1967 with Bonnie and Clyde, for which he earned his first Oscar nomination. That was followed by I Never Sang for My Father, which earned him his second nomination, The French Connection, The Poseidon Adventure and The Conversation.
In the 1980s, he alternated between leading and supporting roles in films such as Reds, Hoosiers, No Way Out and Mississippi Burning. In the ’90s, after undergoing an angioplasty, he returned to the screen in Unforgiven, The Firm, Get Shorty and Crimson Tide.
After starring in The Royal Tenenbaums, Runaway Jury and his final film, 2004’s Welcome to Mooseport, Hackman turned full-time to writing novels, including a western, a police thriller and three historical fiction books.
Asked by GQ in 2011 how he’d like to be remembered, Hackman said, “As a decent actor. As someone who tried to portray what was given to them in an honest fashion.”
In case you missed the announcements that were made at Star Wars Celebration 2025 over the weekend, let’s catch you up on everything going on in a galaxy far, far away.
The celebration in Tokyo, Japan, ended on Sunday after three days of announcements and celebrity appearances.
One of those appearances was from Hayden Christensen, who sat on a panel about season 1 of the Disney+ live action series Ahsoka. He confirmed that he will return as Anakin Skywalker in season 2 of the show, which begins production the last week of April. Filmmakers Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau also announced the character Baylan Skoll, who was originated by the late RayStevenson, will now be played by Rory McCann.
New details about the upcoming final season of Andor were also revealed at the event. Creator Tony Gilroy took the stage with star Diego Luna and a selection of the series’ cast, who spoke about what fans can expect in the new season. Andor season 2 debuts with a three-episode premiere on Tuesday, though guests in attendance were treated to a screening of the first episode, as well as a preview of what is to come in the rest of the episodes.
Other announcements included a brand-new LEGO Star Wars animated series called LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild Galaxy – Pieces of the Past, as well as a first look at what is to come in volume 3 of the Disney+ series Star Wars: Visions. Additionally, a new StarWars: Visions Presents limited series called Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi is coming to the streaming service in 2026.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa in 2003; SGranitz/WireImage
An investigation is underway after actor Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 64, were found dead alongside a dog in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home, authorities said.
The couple was found Wednesday afternoon during a welfare check after their neighbor called and was concerned about their well-being, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.
There were no obvious signs of death. Their deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation” due to all of the “circumstances surrounding” the scene, according to the search warrant affidavit.
The Academy Award-winning actor was found on the floor in the mud room, according to the search warrant. It appeared he fell suddenly, and he and his wife “showed obvious signs of death,” the document said.
Arakawa was found lying on her side on the floor in a bathroom, with a space heater near her body, according to the search warrant.
Her body showed signs of decomposition, the document said. There was mummification to her hands and feet, the document said.
On the counter near Arakawa was an opened prescription bottle, with pills scattered, according to the search warrant.
A German shepherd was found dead about 10 to 15 feet from Arakawa, the document said.
But two other dogs were found alive. One healthy dog was near Arakawa and the other was located outside, according to the search warrant.
The Santa Fe City Fire Department found no signs of a possible carbon monoxide leak or poisoning, the document said. If there was carbon monoxide at the scene, it could have vented out of the home through the open front door before responders arrived.
New Mexico Gas Company also responded and “as of now, there are no signs or evidence indicating there were any problems associated to the pipes in and around the residence,” the document said.
A maintenance worker who initially responded to the home found the front door open, according to the search warrant affidavit. But there were no signs of forced entry and no signs items were taken or rummaged through, the document said.
Their manner and cause of death are not known, the document said.
The Sheriff’s Office said foul play is not suspected.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
