Gene Hackman’s Hollywood career spanned decades, but his family life was much less public. His only son once considered following in his footsteps, but chose a different path. A few days after Hackman’s death, his daughters were seen together for the first time in many years.

Gene Hackman and his first wife had three children. While raising a family, Jin was simultaneously building his acting career, often spending months away from the set. This distance affected his relationship with his children, which he later admitted.

Now that his passing has made headlines, his children have briefly found themselves in the spotlight. His youngest son spoke about their last meetings, saying that they had not spoken for several months before his death.

Gene married Faye Maltese in 1956, a few years before his rise to Hollywood fame. While Gene was working to establish himself in the film industry, the couple had three children — Christopher in 1959, Elizabeth in 1962, and Leslie in 1966.

As his career progressed, the time he spent at home became more and more limited, and he spent a lot of time shooting films. In a 1989 interview, Jin admitted that the demands of his profession often overlapped with family life.

“As an actor, you get very selfish,” he said, admitting that he had difficulty turning down roles, even when they required him to be away for months. His frequent absences created tension in his marriage, and after years of difficulties, he and Faye divorced in 1986.

Although he remained the breadwinner of the family, the time spent away from home inevitably affected his relationship with his children. Despite this, Jin maintained some contact with his children, although the nature of their relationship was changing.

Christopher Hackman is Gene’s only son. Unlike his father, he mostly avoided the public eye, and little is known about his personal life. However, Gene once said that Christopher had been thinking about acting for a while.