Gene Hackman’s Kids from First Marriage Excluded from Will as Actor’s Son Lawyers Up Ahead of Speculated Legal Battle for $80 Million Estate
Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s multi-million dollar estate may go to charity unless the late actor’s children fight to keep a piece of the fortune.
The wills of the 95-year-old two-time Academy Award winner and his longtime partner revealed that his three adult kids, son Christopher and daughters Elizabeth and Leslie, were not listed as beneficiaries of his $80 million estate. Hackman shares all three offspring with his first wife, Maya Maltese, to whom he was married from 1956 to 1986.
Hackman revised his will in 1995, where he directed that his second wife, Arakawa, be made the sole beneficiary of his estate. His kids were reportedly were not mentioned.
Arakawa, 65, reportedly stipulated in her will that if she predeceased her husband the “Crimson Tide” star would inherit her earthly possessions. If they died within 90 days of each other, her possessions would be donated to a charity. The couple, who did not have a prenup, were found dead inside their $3.8 million Santa Fe, New Mexico, home on February 26.
It was later determined that Arakawa likely died on Feb. 11 of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a disease spread mainly by mice.
Hackman likely died of heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease complications, the last day his pacemaker recorded any activity on Feb. 18. One of the couple’s three dogs was also found deceased inside the residence.
According to TMZ, the actor’s son, Christopher, 65, has hired California trust and estate attorney Andrew M. Katzenstein.
Hackman reportedly had a strained relationship with his firstborn at times, even after Maltese’s passing in 2017. But it is believed that he and at least two of his offspring had been on good terms in recent years. Fans, however, are divided on whether or not the three adult children should receive a portion of the $80 million estate.
Leslie, 58, the youngest of the three, admitted to the Daily Mail last month that she had not spoken to her father in several weeks. She said that his death was “not terribly shocking because he was 95” but that they “were close. I hadn’t talked to them for a couple months, but everything was normal, and everything was good.”
The nature of his relationship with Elizabeth is unclear. Still, to many online, their lack of communication with Hackman is a telltale sign.
“Tells you how ‘close’ they actually were. He obviously didn’t think much of his kids, and it seems they felt the same,” one person wrote in the comments of a New York Post article. Someone else stated, “It’s interesting that the child he got along with least is the first to consult an attorney.”
A third person on Instagram commented, “Three children and it took authorities a week to find them? It better NOT go to them.” Though on the contrary, a fourth individual suggested that “the charity would be absolutely disgusting to take that money and not give it to his children.”
The reclusive Hollywood veteran last appeared on the big screen in 2004’s “Welcome to Mooseport.” Hackman amassed more than 100 acting credits during his decades-long career.
