Meet Gene Hackman’s 3 Kids, Including the Daughter Who Hadn’t Heard from Him in a ‘Few Months’

Gene Hackman’s Hollywood career spanned decades, but his home life was far less public. His only son once considered following in his footsteps before choosing a different path. In the days after Hackman’s passing, his daughters were seen together for the first time in years.

Gene Hackman and his first wife had three children. While raising a family, Gene was also building his acting career, often spending months away on set. This distance shaped his relationship with his children, a reality he later acknowledged.

Now, with his passing making headlines, his children have stepped briefly into the spotlight. His youngest child has spoken about their last interactions, revealing that they had not spoken for months before his death.

A Career That Took Him Away from Family

Gene married Faye Maltese in 1956, years before his rise to Hollywood stardom. The couple welcomed three children — Christopher in 1959, Elizabeth in 1962, and Leslie in 1966 — while Gene was working to establish himself in the film industry.

As his career took off, his time at home became increasingly limited, with long stretches spent on location for film shoots. In a 1989 interview, Gene admitted that the demands of his profession often came at the expense of his family life.

“You become very selfish as an actor,” he said, acknowledging that he struggled to turn down roles, even when they required him to be away for months. His frequent absences put strain on his marriage, and after years of difficulties, he and Faye divorced in 1986.

Though he remained a provider, the time he spent away inevitably affected his bond with his children. Despite this, Gene maintained some connection with his children, though the nature of their relationships varied.

Christopher Hackman: Gene’s Eldest Child

Christopher Hackman is Gene’s only son. Unlike his father, he has largely avoided the public eye, and little is known about his personal life. However, Gene once shared that Christopher briefly considered acting.

While living in New York, he asked his father for help, and Gene wrote him a few short monologues, though Christopher ultimately chose a different path. On the rare occasions the actor discussed his relationship with his son in interviews, he spoke with profound affection.

In a 1984 interview, he spoke about the importance of maintaining physical closeness between fathers and sons. When asked if there was ever a point when he switched from hugging Christopher to simply shaking his hand, he replied, “No, we still hug to this day, and I thank God for that.”

He added that the emotional distance between fathers and sons was something he never wanted in his own family. Still, Gene later admitted that his frequent absences strained their bond. In a 2011 interview, he reflected on how difficult it was to return home after being away for months and step back into a fatherly role.

“Maybe it had to do with being gone so much,” he said. “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.”

Just as he rarely spoke about Christopher during interviews, he didn’t share much about his daughters either. However, one story he told offered a small glimpse into his relationship with them.

Elizabeth Hackman: Gene’s Private Middle Child

Elizabeth Hackman has remained largely out of the public eye, and little is known about her personal life. Gene rarely mentioned his daughters in interviews, but on one occasion, he shared a story that hinted at a period of financial difficulty in his life.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Gene struggled with debt despite his Hollywood success. He once revealed that he had to borrow his daughter’s old Toyota to attend job interviews in Hollywood. “I’d have to park it a couple of blocks [away] and walk so I wouldn’t be seen as being that needy,” he shared.

At the time, he owed millions due to failed investments and tax issues, forcing him to take any acting role he could to stay afloat. Though Elizabeth has remained far from the limelight, she and her younger sister were recently seen together.

Leslie Hackman: The Daughter Who Hadn’t Heard from Her Father in ‘A Few Months’

Like her older siblings, Leslie Hackman has maintained a private life, though Gene once mentioned her in connection to his 1984 film “Misunderstood.” During an interview in 1984, he was asked whether the movie’s themes of grief and father-child relationships resonated with him.

In response, he said it reminded him of his own experiences as a parent. He noted that Leslie had watched the film and was deeply moved by it, even recommending it to her friends. Following Gene’s recent passing, Leslie spoke publicly for the first time about her father.

She described their last interactions as normal and insisted that there were no signs of health concerns. “We were close. I hadn’t talked to them for a couple months, but everything was normal and everything was good,” she shared.

The 58-year-old also said her father had remained active, regularly practicing yoga and Pilates, and that his death was not entirely shocking given his age. A day after learning of Gene’s passing, Leslie and her sister, Elizabeth, were seen together in public for the first time in years.

The two were photographed entering a Denny’s restaurant, appearing composed as they processed the news. Leslie later stated that the family was awaiting law enforcement’s findings on their father’s cause of death. Over a week later, Leslie was seen running errands in Los Angeles, California.

The sisters speculated that Gene and his wife may have died from inhaling toxic fumes, though authorities later ruled that out. Though Leslie described her father as being in good health, the circumstances surrounding his passing told a different story.

Gene’s Final Days and the Investigation into His Passing

On February 26, 2025, authorities discovered Gene and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, deceased in their Santa Fe home. The couple had been living a reclusive life, and their bodies were found in separate rooms of the house.

Investigators determined that Betsy had passed away first, on or around February 11, followed by Gene approximately a week later. His pacemaker recorded its last abnormal rhythm on February 18, marking the likely date of his passing.

His daughters, among many others, initially speculated that their father and stepmother may have succumbed to toxic fumes, possibly from a carbon monoxide leak. However, toxicology reports ruled this out.

Betsy’s autopsy confirmed that she died from Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a rare and often fatal disease transmitted through rodent exposure. Gene’s official cause of death was hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease listed as a contributing factor.

Authorities believe Gene may not have realized Betsy had passed away due to his advanced Alzheimer’s. Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden suggested that Gene, left alone in the home, may have wandered in confusion, drinking water and eating what little food he could find before succumbing to his condition.

“It sounds like he kind of wandered around… [he] probably couldn’t cook anything but could eat bread or something if he was hungry,” Dr. Baden explained. Officials found no evidence of any communication from Gene after February 11.

There were no phone calls, emails, or other signs that he reached out for help. His wife’s last known activity was an email sent that morning, and investigators noted that numerous unread messages had accumulated on her computer.

Surveillance footage confirmed that she had returned home at 5:15 p.m. that evening and was not seen leaving again. Dr. Heather Jarrell, Chief Medical Investigator for New Mexico, later confirmed that both deaths were ruled as natural causes.

The report also confirmed that Gene suffered from severe heart disease, including prior heart attacks, significant heart damage, and kidney impairment due to chronic high blood pressure.

With the investigation closed, Gene’s children were left to process the tragedy and reflect on their father’s life and legacy.

A Complicated Legacy: Gene as a Father

Throughout his career, Gene was known for his dedication to acting, but he later admitted that his professional ambitions often came at the expense of his family life. Despite his time away, Gene ensured that his children were financially secure.

In a 2004 interview, he stated that while he didn’t always handle his success well, his family “never wanted for anything.” However, he also admitted that he was deeply enamored with the glamour of Hollywood, which made it difficult for him to focus on personal relationships.

By the time he stepped away from acting in the early 2000s, he had settled into a quieter life, though he remained largely reclusive. Leslie’s recent comments suggest that, despite the distance at times, Gene and his children maintained a bond.

While his relationship with each of his children may have been shaped by the demands of his career, his influence left a lasting impact.