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Retired Actor Gene Hackman Has 3 Grown Kids: Meet Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie
With more than 100 movie titles under his belt, Gene Hackman‘s greatest role is being a father to his three children, Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie, and his grandchildren. To learn more about his kids and family life, keep reading.
Gene Hackman and late ex-wife Fay Maltese shared three children:
Gene and Faye, who died in 2017, welcomed son Christopher Allen in January 1960, daughter Elizabeth Jean in August 1962 and daughter Leslie Anne in October 1966.
The couple was married from 1956 to 1986. However, prior to their divorce being finalized, the Royal Tenenbaums actor moved on with his now-wife, Betsy Arakawa. Gene and Betsy began dating in 1984 after meeting at a fitness center in Los Angeles. The pair later married in 1991 and reside in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Although the never had any children of their own, Gene remains close with Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie. “He wishes he’d been around more for his children, but now he’s close with them and their kids,” a source previously told Closer Weekly.
Because Gene’s family remains mostly out of the spotlight, it’s unclear how many grandchildren he has.
While the Academy Award winner is close with his family now, his larger-than-life career did take him away from home a lot. “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,” Gene recalled during a 2011 interview with GQ magazine. “It was very tough for me to be gone for three months and then come home and start bossing him around.”
Save for a few interviews, Gene left Hollywood behind in 2004. “I haven’t held a press conference to announce my retirement, but yes, I’m not going to act any longer,” the Behind Enemy Lines star later explained in a 2008 interview. “I miss the actual acting part of it, as it’s what I did for almost 60 years, and I really loved that. But the business for me is very stressful.”
In the years since, Gene leads a quiet life. “His health is good, he still bicycles, does yard work and he’s a great handyman,” the insider explained to Closer Weekly. “After all the drama of Gene’s career, he loves the peaceful life he shares with the lovely Betsy.”
