GENE Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were both found dead in their Santa Fe home.
Regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time, Gene was also a father to three children – here’s all you need to know.
Who are Gene Hackman’s children?
After more than six decades in Hollywood, Eugene “Gene” Allen Hackman retired from acting in 2008.
He previously admitted that it must have been tough for his children, now all adults, to grow up with a famous father, especially one who wasn’t always there for them, physically or emotionally.
“I couldn’t always be home with them when they were growing up and then, living in California, they’ve had my success always hanging over their heads,” he said, in an August 2000 interview with The Irish Independent.
Hackman had three children, all from his first marriage to Faye Maltese.
Hackman’s children include his son, Christopher Allen, and his two daughters, Leslie Anne and Elizabeth Jean.
Christopher
Christopher Allen Hackman is Gene Hackman’s first child and only son.
Christopher was born in January 1960.
In a January 2020 interview with Empire magazine, Hackman shared that his son, at one point, did dream of being an actor.
“My son thought he wanted to be an actor at one time and was in New York and I wrote him a couple of little monologues,” he said.
“I guess that’s where I started. I really enjoyed it. Ideas would just pop into my head and I would write them down,” he said, reflecting on his passion for writing.
Hackman often spent time away from his children, shooting films on location, which he admits in a 2011 GQ interview.
“I lost touch with my son in terms of advice early on,” he replied when asked about what advice he would give his son.
“Maybe it had to do with being gone so much, doing location films when he was at an age where he needed support and guidance.”
“It was very tough for me to be gone for three months and then come home and start bossing him around,” he added.
Christopher has previously worked as a camera assistant and camera operator.
He was also reportedly a computer programmer, writing software programs.
Christopher is married to Marian Ann Hackman, and while the duo reportedly have children, their names and ages are unknown.
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Jean Hackman is Gene Hackman’s second child and oldest daughter.
Elizabeth was born in August 1962.
She was often photographed attending events with her famous father in her youth, including a December 1978 screening of Superman, where Hackman played Lex Luthor.
In 1996, she was also spotted attending a movie premiere for Hackman’s film, The Chamber, alongside her stepmother and little sister.
Little is known about Elizabeth’s career, relationships, and private life, as she tends to stay away from the spotlight.
She has reportedly dabbled in broadcast journalism and screenwriting.
Leslie
Leslie Anne is Gene Hackman’s third and youngest child, and also his second daughter.
Leslie was born in October 1966.
In an interview with Cigar Aficionado, Hackman recalls a troubled time in his life, when he was deep in debt, and even forced to rely on his children for help.
“I used to have to borrow my daughter’s car to go to interviews in Hollywood,” he said.
“Just a piece-of-shit Toyota and I’d have to park it a couple of blocks [away] and walk so I wouldn’t be seen as being that needy.”
“Yeah, I was in trouble in those days…I was six, seven million bucks in debt; I had spent too much and I had a lot of tax shelters that didn’t work.”
“I owed the government four million dollars. I was just barely hanging in, taking pretty much anything that was offered to me and trying to make it work.”
Like her older sister, Leslie has also been spotted attending movie premieres with her father in the 1980s and 1990s.
She attended the 41st annual Golden Globe Awards with Hackman in 1984 and accompanied him to a screening of The Godfather Part III in December 1990.
In line with her siblings, Leslie shies away from the spotlight, preferring to keep her life private.
How did Gene and Betsy die?
The couple and their dog were found dead at their New Mexico home by police on February 26, 2025.
The actor was 95 and his wife was 63.
Police have not revealed a cause of death but said there were no signs of foul play, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.
“All I can say is that we’re in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant,” Adan Mendoza, the Santa Fe County sheriff said.
Who was Betsy Arakawa?
Gene Hackman has been married twice in his life.
His three children, Leslie, Elizabeth, and Christopher are from his first marriage, to Faye Maltese.
In 1991, Hackman remarried, tying the knot with classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, who was 32 years his junior.
He began dating Arakawa in 1984, while still married to Maltese.
The duo reportedly met at a fitness center in Los Angeles.
The couple have kept a relatively low profile over the years, and live in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
They were married for 34 years.
On March 28, 2024, the happy couple was even spotted having dinner at Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen, their first (photographed) public outing in decades.
Hackman was previously spotted grabbing coffee in March 2023, his first photographed public outing in two years.
When did Gene and Faye Maltese divorce?
Hackman married Maltese on January 1, 1956, just one year after the duo met at a YMCA dance in New York City.
Maltese was a bank secretary at the time, while Hackman was renting a room at the YMCA, trying to make a name for himself as an actor in the entertainment industry.
Hackman and Maltese were both relatively young when they married, as they were each just 25 and 26 years old, respectively.
Little is known about their relationship, though Hackman himself has admitted he spent a considerable time away from his wife, children, and the couple’s home due to his career.
In 1972, Hackman won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as the New York City detective, Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in the 1971 film, The French Connection.
He thanked Maltese – and only Maltese – in his speech, saying: “I want to thank Faye Maltese for bringing me uptown.”
Still, despite having a lot of love for each other, the duo ultimately separated.
Hackman and Maltese divorced in 1986, after three decades of marriage.
Maltese, born in 1929, passed away on April 26, 2017, at 88 years old.