Gene Hackman was married twice and had special relationships with both his wives. His first marriage, to Faye Maltese, began in 1956 when he was just a struggling actor with big dreams. They had met at a Y.M.C.A. dance in New York City the year before, when Hackman was 25, and Faye, a secretary at Rockefeller Center, was immediately drawn to his charm. Their early years were defined by financial struggle, living in a modest, cold-water walk-up apartment. They built a life together, welcoming their first child, Christopher Allen Hackman, in 1960. He was followed by Elizabeth Jean in August 1962 and Leslie Anne in October 1966.
As Hackman’s career took off in the late 1960s with films like Bonnie and Clyde and The French Connection, his marriage to his first wife Faye Maltese began to strain under the weight of Hollywood’s demands. By his own admission, he became increasingly absorbed in his work, often spending months on location and leaving Faye to manage the household alone. The temptations of fame, the money, and the recognition were overwhelming.
In a candid 1989 interview with The New York Times, Gene Hackman reflected on his choices, admitting he was “too selfish” to turn down roles, even if it meant leaving his family behind. By the time their marriage ended in divorce in 1986, after 30 years together, they had long been living separate lives.
Gene Hackman’s relationship with his children was also impacted by his relentless career. His son, Christopher, once expressed interest in acting, but never pursued it seriously. Hackman later admitted in a 2011 GQ interview that he had lost touch with his son when he was young, saying, “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.”
Gene Hackman’s Wife, Betsy Arakawa: All About Their Married Life
By the mid-1980s, Gene Hackman had moved on romantically. He met his second wife Betsy Arakawa, a classically trained pianist, at a gym in California where she worked part-time while pursuing music. They began dating while he was still legally married to Faye, but Hackman later emphasized that his first marriage didn’t end because of Arakawa.
“We just drifted apart. We lost sight of each other,” he explained in a 1985 interview. By 1990, Hackman and Arakawa had settled into a quiet life in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where they designed their home together. They married in 1991, and though they never had children, Arakawa became a stepmother to Hackman’s three kids.
Unlike his first marriage, Hackman’s life with Arakawa was marked by peace and stability. After retiring from acting in 2004 due to health concerns—including undergoing angioplasty in 1990—Hackman turned to writing, publishing historical fiction novels. Arakawa played a crucial role in his new creative pursuit, often providing detailed feedback on his drafts. He praised her “unwavering, specific read-throughs” of his work in a 2014 interview.
The couple lived a reclusive but fulfilling life in Santa Fe, raising German shepherds and enjoying Friday night comedy marathons, particularly admiring Eddie Izzard’s stand-up routines. Hackman, who once thrived on the adrenaline of Hollywood, found comfort in the simplicity of his later years with Arakawa by his side.
On February 26, 2025, tragedy struck when Gene Hackman, at 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, were found dead in their Santa Fe home, along with their beloved dog. Authorities ruled out foul play, but the cause of death remains undetermined. Their passing marked the end of a remarkable life journey—one that saw Hackman rise from obscurity to stardom, endure the personal costs of fame, and finally, find solace in a love that lasted until the very end.
