Although he was a legend on the silver screen, Gene Hackman’s commitment to the glamorous Hollywood life came at quite a price.
The late actor, who admitted he fell to the ‘temptations’ of ‘money and recognition’, drifted apart from his first wife Faye Maltese and their three children, Christopher, Leslie, and Elizabeth as he carved a name for himself in Hollywood.
His hectic schedule put strain on his wife and children, leading to the end of his marriage and Hackman being somewhat absentee as his kids were ‘growing up’.
Hackman ‘lost touch’ with his eldest child and only son, openly acknowledging that he was ‘gone so much’ while Christopher at an ‘age where he needed support and guidance’. He seemingly maintained contact with Leslie and Elizabeth, who were both spotted on occasion accompanying him to film screenings and Hollywood events.
But the children had a difficult upbringing and struggled with having Hackman’s ‘success always hanging over their heads’, he revealed in an interview decades ago.
It wasn’t until the actor married his second wife Betsy Arakawa in 1991 that the family began to heal. She was keen on bringing the family back together and encouraged her husband to invite his children and grandchildren over to their Santa Fe home.
At the end of his life, Hackman was reportedly ‘close with his children and their kids’, with his eldest daughter Leslie the one family member who had the most contact with both him and his wife.
Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 64, were found dead partially mummified in their $3.3million mansion in Santa Fe on Wednesday. No cause of death has been revealed. One of their dogs also died in the tragedy.
The family issued a statement expressing their ‘great sadness’ at Hackman’s passing. His daughters were also spotted out and about a day after learning of their father’s death, with Leslie admitting she ‘hadn’t talked’ to her father in months.
Although he was a legend on the silver screen, Gene Hackman’s commitment to the glamorous Hollywood life came at quite a price. Hackman is pictured with his three children – son Christopher Allen and daughters Leslie Anne and Elizabeth Jean – at Sun Valley in 1974
Hackman drifted apart from his children as he carved a name for himself in Hollywood. His second wife Betsy Arakawa (pictured, right) is attributed with helping the family reconcile. Hackman and Arakawa are pictured in March 2024. It was the first time in two decades that the couple were seen out and about
Elizabeth Hackman and her sister Leslie were seen getting out of their gray SUV together to walk inside the all-day breakfast chain Denny’s grabbing breakfast at Denny’s in Burbank
The couple were found dead partially mummified in their Santa Fe home on Wednesday. No cause of death has been revealed. One of their dogs also died. Hackman and Arakawa are pictured with two dogs they previously adopted. It is unclear if these two pets were affected in the tragedy
Leslie Anne Hackman, 59, and her older sister Elizabeth Jean Hackman, 62, were seen walking into a Denny’s restaurant in Burbank, California together on Thursday.
The sisters, who claimed their ‘reclusive’ father had been in good shape before his death, appeared to be coping well and even managed to raise a smile as they left the diner.
Leslie said on Thursday in an interview with DailyMail.com that the family was still waiting to hear about their father’s cause of death and was still processing what had happened.
As she lives in California, Leslie admitted it’s been a ‘few months’ since she had last seen or even heard from Hackman 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, adding that she’ll be heading to New Mexico once she hears back from police.
‘We need to wait and find out whatever information from the police. We weren’t expecting to have to go out there and go through the house and all that,’ she shared.
‘So we have some work cut out for us. But yeah, we’ll be going out to New Mexico.’
Leslie Anne Hackman, 59, and her older sister Elizabeth Jean Hackman, 62, were seen walking into a Denny’s restaurant in Burbank, California together on Thursday. The sisters, who claimed their ‘reclusive’ father had been in good shape before his death, appeared to be coping well and even managed to raise a smile as they left the diner
As she lives in California, Leslie (left) admitted it’s been a ‘few months’ since she had last seen or even heard from Hackman despite them being close
The Hollywood legend, 95, and his wife, 64, were found partially mummified in two different rooms of their $3.3million mansion in Santa Fe (pictured) on Wednesday afternoon
Leslie said her father had been ‘in good health’ in the lead up to his death, revealing that ‘he liked to do Pilates and yoga, and he was continuing to do that several times a week.’ She attributed his wellness to Arakawa’s influence.
She went on to say that his death was ‘not terribly shocking because he was 95.’
Elizabeth and Christopher have not spoken to the press. The family, however, issued a statement on Thursday afternoon, saying: ‘He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career.
‘But to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.’
Hackman was married to his first wife Faye Maltese, a bank clerk, from 1956 to 1986. They shared three children together – Christopher Allen, now 65, Elizabeth Jean, 62, and Leslie Anne Hackman, 59.
Their first few years as a young family were marked by struggle – with the family living in a ‘cold water walk up’, meaning there was no hot water supply available, in New York City.
Fortunes changed when Hackman found success on the stage and screen, but the jobs he took would ‘separate [his family] for three or four months at a time’ and the spotlight made him ‘selfish’, he admitted.
‘You spend so many years wanting desperately to be recognized as having the talent and then when you’re starting to be offered these parts, it’s very tough to turn anything down,’ he confessed to the New York Times Magazine in 1989.
‘Even though I had a family, I took jobs that would separate us for three or four months at a time. The temptations in that, the money and recognition, it was too much for the poor boy in me. I wasn’t able to handle that.’
Speaking to the Irish Independent in 2000, the Bonnie and Clyde star reflected: ‘It’s tough being the son or daughter of a celebrity.’
‘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.’
Gene Hackman (right) and his son Christopher Allen Hackman attend the Fourth Annual Clint Eastwood Celebrity Tennis Tournament at the Beach and Tennis Club in Pebble Beach, California, on July 7, 1973
Gene and his children during the premiere of Superman in Washington, D.C in December 1978
In October 1996, Elizabeth and Leslie were photographed with their father at the premiere of The Chamber in Beverly Hills
Gene and daughter Elizabeth in March 1979 in Beverly Hills, California
Hackman’s dreams of grandeur caused difficulties with his children, with the actor and Christopher becoming somewhat estranged, he revealed to GQ in 2011.
He answered: ‘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.’
Hackman, who announced his retirement from acting in 2004, was often honest about how he struggled to balance both his family and an illustrious career.
He told the Larry King Live show about his transition from an ordinary life to the spotlight, admitting: ‘I didn’t handle it very well, really. I took care of my family. You know, my family’s never wanted for anything.
‘But because I was so enamored of the Hollywood of old, you know, the glamour of that, although I never involved myself in that, I was really – oh, how do you say, I was so taken with that, and the fact that I was part of that.
‘And that I was – I could be anything and anyone I wanted to be. It was a long time before I settled down, before I got to the point where I could discern what was really right for me.’
However, the actor insisted in a February 1984 interview with journalist Leta Powell Drake that he and his son, who was in his 20s at that point, ‘still hug to this day, and I thank God that we are able to do that’.
Leslie and Elizabeth have speculated that their father and stepmother (pictured together at the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003) may have been killed by inhaling toxic fumes due to a carbon monoxide leak
Gene Hackman and his daughter Leslie attend the premiere of ‘Class Action’ on March 13, 1991
Gene Hackman, is pictured with his wife Betsy, and daughters Leslie and Elizabeth at the 1996 premiere of his movie The Chamber
He also shared in a January 2020 interview with Empire magazine how his son ‘thought he wanted to be an actor at one time’.
Despite the actor wanting to keep his life relatively private, he did sometimes appear at film screenings with his children; Gene and his eldest daughter Elizabeth attended the December 1978 showing of Superman, in which he played villain Lex Luthor.
Some years later, in 1984, Gene’s youngest daughter Leslie attended the 41st Annual Golden Globe Awards with the actor.
Then in October 1996, Elizabeth and her father were photographed at the premiere of The Chamber in Beverly Hills, California, alongside her sister and her stepmother, Betsy Arakawa.
Leslie, meanwhile, also stepped out at the premiere of The Godfather Part III in December 1990 and the screening of Class Action in March 1991.
However, prior to the height of his fame, Hackman was turning to his children for help, with the actor once revealing how he ‘I used to have to borrow my daughter’s car to go to interviews in Hollywood’.
‘Just a piece-of-s*** 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,’ he told Cigar Aficionado in 2000.
‘I was just barely hanging in, taking pretty much anything that was offered to me and trying to make it work.’
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa married in 1991 after moving to their New Mexico home together in 1990. The pair are pictured together at the Mission Hills Celebrity Sports Invitational, Rancho Mirage, California, November 29, 1991
The couple had a love for German Shepherds, at one point owning three after adopting one in 1999
But towards the end of his life, Hackman managed to make amends with his children, which insiders largely attribute to the influence of Arakawa.
He and Arakawa, who was 32 years her husband’s junior, reportedly began dating in the mid-1980s after meeting at a gym in California.
Arakawa, who was been born in Hawaii, was pursuing a career in classical music at the time while working shifts in the gym when they par met in 1986. Five years later, they exchanged vows and began their ‘peaceful life’ in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The pianist was keen on helping Hackman reconnect with his family and encouraged him to regularly invite them to their home.
These moments were ‘invaluable’ to Hackman and, despite past regrets, helped him become clos with his children and grandchildren.
‘He wishes he’d been around more for his children, but now he’s close with them and their kids,’ and insider told Closer in 2020.
In his later years, Hackman became somewhat of a recluse and remained out of the public eye for years on end.
Friends occasionally shared glimpses of his post-acting life, including social media shots of fishing expeditions – while paying tribute to his silver screen triumphs. He would also occasionally be spotted pedaling around Santa Fe on a bicycle.
Last year, Hackman and Arakawa were seen out and about for the first time in two decades.
At the end of his life, Hackman is understood to have only really socialized with Arakawa and his family.
Hackman played Buck Barrow in the 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde while Warren Beatty played his brother Clyde and Faye Dunaway was Bonnie Parker
Hackman won an Oscar for his portrayal of Detective Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle in The French Connection
Philip D’Antoni (left) and Gene Hackman, producer and star, respectively, of The French Connection, hold Oscars they won at the 44th movie Academy Awards
Leslie, who was allegedly the family member who had the most contact with Hackman and Arakawa, broke the news of his passing to the extended family.
Hackman’s nephew, Tim Hackman, 51, told DailyMail.com that he and his family found out about the tragedy on Wednesday night and says he was saddened to learn that Hackman didn’t have a natural death.
‘I mean, he was old. I’m sure he had some [health] concerns, but nothing that was shared,’ he replied when asked if his uncle had any major health concerns.
Tim’s mom Barbara Hackman was married to Richard Hackman, the Hollywood legend’s brother. Richard, who was a stuntman of Hackman’s, passed away 11 years ago. The last time Tim saw Hackman was at his father’s funeral, he revealed.
‘Eleven years ago was the last time I physically saw him. He only came to California during the warm weathers, and then he just stayed in New Mexico.’
Although it’s been over a decade, Tim said that he wouldn’t say that Hackman was ‘estranged’ from his family.
‘He liked New Mexico. He loved it. It’s a beautiful place,’ he told DailyMail.com.
Most of Tim’s communication to his uncle was through Arakawa, who he would talk to ‘every once in a while’ since Hackman was ‘at the age where he wasn’t really communicative a lot with the family.’
Santa Fe County deputies were photographed outside of Betsy Arakawa and Gene Hackman’s home in Santa Fe on Thursday as they continue to investigate the cause of death
Locals in Santa Fe have shared photos of Gene Hackman who moved there in the 1980s. Hackman is pictured in January 2018 after purchasing an e-bicycle from a shop in his local community. Despite his reclusive lifestyle, Hackman was occasionally spotted cycling around the Santa Fe area
Hackman (center) is pictured attending a local comedy show in 2022. The gig was also attended by former Saturday Night Live star Ana Gasteyer (right) and Sirius XM Radio host Seth Rudetsk (left)
He continued, ‘I was just basically giving her updates on my kids and how they were doing and how I was doing because our major connection was the military background, but that was it really.
‘She’d just always say, “Oh, [Gene’s] doing good.” I mean, he was moving around a lot for 95.’
Arakawa was ultimately the one who ‘took care of him.’
‘I truly believe he made it as long as he did because of her,’ Tim insisted.
Given Arakawa and Hackman’s 31-year age difference, the family had ‘prepared’ that the actor would pass away first and that his wife would take over funeral arrangements.
After the couple’s shocking death, Tim said that the plan has obviously changed.
‘So the preparedness of it was that he would go first and that we would probably, maybe, depending on whatever it was [Arakawa] had set up, would go down there and pay our condolences and everything.
‘Now with this, it significantly changes things. I have no idea what – I’m assuming one of his kids will probably take over – and [plan]. I don’t know. It’s still very, very early.’
Gene Hackman accepts his Oscar for best actor at the 44th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on April 10, 1972
The Hollywood legend, 95, and his wife, 64, were found partially mummified in two different rooms of their $3.3million mansion in Santa Fe on Wednesday afternoon.
No cause of death has been revealed but a new theory suggests Hackman may have had a sudden fall as his sunglasses and walking cane were found next to his body.
Authorities have concluded autopsies on each of the couple’s bodies and revealed no external trauma was seen on either.
While the autopsies were completed early on Thursday morning, authorities are still waiting on the full results, along with a toxicology report, and no further details have been released.
