Actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead at their home in Santa Fe Summit on Feb. 26

Gene Hackman & wife Betsy Arakawa during the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards. Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

Two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman was found dead at his Santa Fe home on Feb. 26, along with his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog.

Hackman and Arakawa were reported dead by the Santa Fe New Mexican, citing County Sheriff Adan Mendoza. He said that there was no indication of foul play in the deaths, per the outlet.

Though Hackman was famed for iconic roles in The French Connection and Superman, little is known about the woman with whom he shared his life.

While the two reportedly began dating in the mid-’80s, Hackman made it clear to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that he did not abandon his first wife, Faye Maltese, to whom he was wed from 1956 to 1986, for Arakawa.

Discussing his similarities to his character Harry Mackenzie in 1985’s Twice in a Lifetime, he said: “By the way, I did not leave my real-life wife for a younger woman. We just drifted apart. We lost sight of each other. When you work in this business, marriage takes a great deal of work and love.”

By 1990, Hackman and Arakawa were sharing a home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. That same year, he underwent angioplasty due to congestive heart failure — something that convinced him in part to retire from making films, per AARP The Magazine.

“I haven’t held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I’m not going to act any longer,” he told Reuters in 2008. “I really don’t want to do it any longer.”

He pivoted to writing, publishing his first book, Wake of the Perdido Star, in 1999, and has since written at least four others, including Payback at Morning Peak — a Western set in and inspired by his life in Santa Fe.

In 2014, Hackman told the podcast Writer’s Bone that Arakawa, whom he married in 1991, helped him to hone his writing. “If in fact I have a style, it came from repeated edits, friends’ suggestions, and my wife’s unwavering, specific read-throughs,” he said.

So, who was Gene Hackman’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Betsy Arakawa and her relationship with the actor.

 

She met Hackman at the gym

Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa pose for a portrait in 1986. Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

According to The New York Times, the actor met his future bride at a gym in California, where Arakawa worked part-time while pursuing a career in classical music. Arakawa was reportedly born in Hawaii in the early ’60s.

 

She was a stepmom to Hackman’s three children

Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Hackman. Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty

Though Hackman and Arakawa don’t have children together, she is a stepmom to the Heartbreakers star’s three kids from his previous marriage to Maltese: son Christopher Allen and daughters Leslie Anne and Elizabeth Jean.

While speaking to the Irish Independent in 2000, the actor said of his kids, “It’s tough being the son or daughter of a celebrity. 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.”

 

She was a classical pianist

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa during PCC Celebrity Art Show on September 11, 1991. Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty

In addition to having worked at a fitness center, Arakawa is a skilled musician who is a classically trained pianist, according to the New York Post.

 

She helped Hackman design their Santa Fe home

Hackman and Arakawa’s Santa Fe home was featured in Architectural Digest in April 1990. Though the home had rough beginnings (“The house was horrible,” architect Stephen Samuelson said of the formerly abandoned 1950s block building), the couple worked to make their space “light and soaring” with an open floor plan and a blend of the pueblo and colonial New Mexico and Spanish Baroque styles.

Involved with “every aspect of the house,” Hackman determined the floor plan, mixed paint colors and specified details — but not without the help of his spouse.

When Hackman was away filming, Arakawa took charge, consulting with her partner over the phone and sending him photos. The couple procured their furniture locally and from boutiques around the world, including in New York, California and Germany.

 

She was extremely private

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa. Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty

With no known social media and no interviews about herself or her love life, Arakawa appeared to be an extremely private individual — something that Hackman told the Irish Independent was largely by design.

“Where we live, in Santa Fe, you can lead your own life and not be bothered by the latest gossip,” he said.

 

They shared two German shepherds

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty

According to Hackman’s bio with Simon & Schuster, he and Arakawa shared their home with two German shepherds. They previously had three: In 1999, the couple adopted a third, according to The Baltimore Sun.

While Hackman was filming The Replacements in Baltimore, two strays wandered onto the set. The actor had them brought to a local shelter, which named the dogs Gene and Keanu, after Hackman and his costar Keanu Reeves. The couple adopted the one named Gene.

 

They had date night every Friday

Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

In 2020, Hackman gave fans a glimpse into his private life with Arakawa in an interview with Empire. As he told the outlet, the two regularly watched DVDs that Arakawa rents. “We like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce,” he said.

He also shared their weekend ritual. “Friday night is set aside for a Comedy Channel marathon, with particular attention paid to Eddie Izzard,” the outlet reported. “The speed of thought is amazing,” Hackman said.

 

They died at home on Feb. 26, 2025

Hackman and Arakawa were found dead in their Santa Fe home on Feb. 26. The Santa Fe New Mexican first broke the news, citing County Sheriff Mendoza.

The sheriff added that their dog was also found dead and did not provide a cause of death or say when the couple might have passed.