Inside Gene Hackman’s ‘difficult’ relationship with his...

HOLLYWOOD icon Gene Hackman was poised for A-list success when he became a father to three children. The legendary actor welcomed son Christopher and daughters Elizabeth and Leslie in the 60s, during his marriage to his first wife Faye Maltese. But with his career about to take off, Oscar winner Gene later admitted that his relationship with his children had suffered.

Image Credit: The Sun [Gene Hackman and his wife leaving a restaurant.]

Now, following the shock news that Gene, 95, has been found dead alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, in their New Mexico home, we take a look back as his life as a father. Gene and Fay Maltese's first child, Christopher Allen Hackman, was born in 1960.

Image Credit: The Sun [Gene Hackman accepting his Oscar for Best Actor.]

He was followed by sister Elizabeth Jean two years later, and baby Leslie Anne arrived in 1966. But life in the early days was tough for the family, who were living in a tiny apartment in New York. Despite his eventual fame, Gene was a struggling actor at the time and their property was a "cold water walk up" in the city.

Image Credit: The Sun [Gene Hackman skiing with his family at Sun Valley.]

This type of apartment had no hot water, shower or central heating and tenants would often need to heat water on a stove for baths. Gene eventually landed several successful stints on Broadway, which paved the way for his screen career in Hollywood. But the trappings of their new showbiz life simply had other consequences for the children.

Image Credit: The Sun [Gene Hackman with children at the Presidential Premiere of "Superman."]

In 2011, Gene said in an interview with GQ: "You spend so many years wanting desperately to be recognised as having the talent and then when you're starting to be offered these parts, it's very tough to turn anything down. "Even though I had a family, I took jobs that would separate us for three or four months at a time.

Image Credit: The Sun [Gene Hackman with his daughters at a Superman film screening.]

"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.". Gene got his big break in 1967, when landed a supporting role in Bonnie and Clyde. It was the start of a huge Hollywood film career, with him bagging parts in Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven and Superman in the 70s.

Image Credit: The Sun [Gene Hackman with his daughters at a celebrity baseball game.]

But his hectic schedule meant he was "gone too long" and his relationship with Faye, his children's mother, came under strain. The couple divorced in 1986. Now living in California, the state in which Gene was born in 1930, he had fast become a recognised A-list star.

Image Credit: The Sun [Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa.]

Living with a famous father, however came at a price. Gene described his fame as "hanging over their heads", as Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie attempted to go about daily life. Speaking to the The Irish Independent in 2000, he admitted: “It's tough being the son or daughter of a celebrity.

Image Credit: The Sun [Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa at the Berlin Wall.]

"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 even admitted that his relationship with his eldest child, son Christopher, suffered to the point where they "lost touch".

Image Credit: The Sun [Gene Hackman with his wife and two other women at a movie premiere.]

The actor also told GQ in 2011: "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.".

Gene married his second wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa in 1991. The couple set up home together and it was later reported that her presence helped to mend his relationship with his children. According to a report in the Chicago Tribune in 1994, Betsy was keen to help him rekindle things so encouraged him to start inviting Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie round to the house.

The moments were said to be "invaluable" to Gene. In 2020, four years before his retirement from acting, insiders confirmed his relationship with his grown up children - and by then, grandchildren - was firmly back on track. A source told Closer Weekly: "He wishes he'd been around more for his children, but now he's close with them and their kids.".

Towards the end of his life, his family were the few people Gene would see. Keen to reside away from the spotlight that he once craved, he would spend his days reading and writing novels instead. He told Reuters: "I like the loneliness of [writing], actually. It's similar in some ways to acting, but it's more private.".