The Oscar-winner has tragically passed away, with the actor being found dead alongside his wife Betsy and their dog. Gene Hackman and his first wife Faye welcomed three children together, but the actor always remained quiet about his personal life except for rare interviews.
Hackman and Faye Maltese were married for 30 years, between 1956 and 1986, with Gene and Faye sharing children Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie together. Five years after they split, Gene tied the know with classical pianist Betsy Arakawa.
Although the movie star typically kept his personal life out of the limelight, he did make a heartbreaking confession about his family before his death.
Hollywood star found dead at home
The legendary actor, his wife Betsy and their dog were tragically found dead in their home in New Mexico on Wednesday.
Authorities are investigating their deaths but no cause has been announced yet.
County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told the Santa Fe New Mexican there was no indication of foul play. Deputies visited the couple’s home on Wednesday afternoon, but it is not clear if they were conducting a welfare check.
Gene, who has a net worth of £63 million, turned 95 last month. He retired from acting in 2004 and became a recluse for the past 20 years after leaving Los Angeles for a quiet life in New Mexico.
In 2009, he admitted he decided to leave Tinsel Town for the stress the job had on him and for his health. He said: “The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York,’ he said of his retirement in a 2009 interview.
“The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.”
Gene Hackman found being an actor ‘tough’ with his children
The French Connection actor had a strained relationship with his kids, with Gene Hackman admitting his career affected the time he spent with his children when they were growing up.
In 2011, he spoke to GQ, detailing he missed out on key moments.
He said: “I lost touch with my son in terms of advice early on. 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.”
In 2000, in a rare occurrence, he spoke about the issue again with The Irish Independent: “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.”
But Gene also explained one of his children, son Christopher, aspired to follow in his footsteps, with Hackman helping him by writing monologues. In 2020, he told Empire Magazine: “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. I guess that’s where I started. I really enjoyed it. Ideas would just pop into my head and I would write them down.”
Christopher Allen Hackman
Christopher was Gene and Faye’s first child, born in 1960.
Although the star admitted they had their struggles, he said back in 1984, when discussing his film Misunderstood, that the duo always hugged when they greeted each other.
When asked if he would shake his son’s hand instead, he replied: “No, we still hug to this day, and I thank God that we are able to do that.”
He added: “I don’t think we’ll ever have a point where we have to shake hands. That was a real stretch for me in the film and one of the coldest things that one can do is not be aware and be insensitive to that need of a child to be wrapped in a father’s arms.”
He dabbled working as a camera operator while it’s also believed he worked in computer programming. He married Marian Ann, but it’s not much is known about Gene’s grandchildren.
Elizabeth Jean Hackman
The middle child, Elizabeth, was welcomed into the world in 1962.
Less is known about her as Gene Hackman would refrain from talking about his family and children in interviews. However, she and sister Leslie were seen sitting on their dad’s lap in a photograph from a celebrity baseball game.
She also attended events with her late father, including the 1978 screening of Superman – where Gene played villain Lex Luthor – and again in 1996 at the premiere of The Chamber.
Elizabeth chose a career in broadcast journalism and screenwriting.
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Leslie Anne Hackman
Gene Hackman did bring up his children again in a resurfaced interview from 1984, where he spoke about Leslie.
He was asked if his movie Misunderstood touched him more as a father or a son, and he admitted his daughter was affected by the flick.
The star said: “They’re almost exclusively with me to my children in terms of how I worked on it, in terms of the misunderstandings between the father and the children.
“My youngest daughter has seen the film and she was very affected by it. But I think that she was affected because it was a film, not because I was in it. She liked it as a film and she recommended it to her girlfriends and they’re going to see a screening of it this week. She was very taken with it and I hope the older children are, too.
Leslie also attended movie premieres like her older sister Elizabeth, including the 41st Annual Golden Globe Awards in 1984. She also joined him for The Godfather Part III premiere six years later and the 1991 screening of Class Action.
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