In the year 2000, Hackman shared that his profession had been challenging for his children. “I couldn’t always be present at home while they were growing up, and living in California, my success loomed over them,” Hackman expressed to The Irish Independent. Continue reading to delve deeper into the lives of Gene Hackman’s three offspring: Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie.
Christopher Allen Hackman
The renowned “Superman” actor and his partner, Maltese, welcomed their son Christopher in the year 1960. In 1984, when Christopher was in his twenties, Hackman was asked if the father-son duo had replaced hugs with handshakes as a form of greeting. “No, to this day, we still embrace, and I am grateful that we can do so,” Hackman conveyed to journalist Leta Powell. “I don’t think there will ever come a time when we have to resort to handshakes.”
Christopher had once contemplated a profession in the film industry. “My son considered pursuing acting at one point and was in New York, and I penned a couple of brief monologues for him,” Hackman mentioned during a discussion with Empire magazine in 2020. In an earlier interview, Hackman unveiled that he felt uneasy offering advice to Christopher. “I lost touch with my son regarding advice early on,” Hackman shared with GQ in 2011. “Perhaps it had to do with my frequent absences, filming on location when he needed support and guidance. It was quite challenging for me to be away for three months and then return home and assume a commanding role.”
Elizabeth Jean Hackman
Hackman maintained a veil of privacy over his personal life, and there are scarce public references to Elizabeth, born in August 1962. Elizabeth accompanied her father to events during her childhood, including a 1978 screening of “Superman.” In 1996, she was captured in photographs at the premiere of Hackman’s movie “The Chamber,” alongside her sister Leslie and stepmother Arakawa.
Leslie Anne Hackman
Leslie joined her siblings Christopher and Jean in October 1996. Like her siblings, Leslie has chosen to remain out of the public eye. In 1984, Hackman disclosed that his “youngest daughter” was “moved” by his film “Misunderstood,” where Hackman portrayed a shipping magnate raising two sons after his wife’s passing. “Not because I starred in it,” he articulated during an interview with journalist Bobbie Wygand. “She appreciated it as a film and recommended it to her friends, who are planning to attend a screening this week. She was captivated by it, and I hope the older children are as well.”
This piece was originally featured on TODAY.com.
