The $80 Million Legal Battle: Where Are Gene Hackman's Children Today?

The legacy of legendary actor Gene Hackman, a two-time Academy Award winner known for iconic roles in films like The French Connection and Unforgiven, has been thrust back into the spotlight not for his cinematic achievements, but for a shocking legal drama unfolding in the wake of his recent passing on February 26. The focus today, December 10, 2025, is squarely on his three adult children from his first marriage: Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie, who are now at the center of a high-stakes, multi-million-dollar estate controversy. The children, who have maintained intensely private lives away from the Hollywood machine, are now facing an unexpected and very public legal challenge to secure their inheritance.

The core of the current news surrounds an $80 million fortune and a decades-old will that reportedly excludes the children as beneficiaries, leading to an impending legal showdown. This article delves into the current lives and professional paths of Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie Hackman, examining their quiet careers and the sudden, dramatic turn their family life has taken following their father's death.

Gene Hackman's Children: A Complete Biographical Profile

Gene Hackman married his first wife, Faye Maltese, in 1956, a union that lasted until 1986. Together, they had three children who grew up largely out of the celebrity spotlight, establishing their own professional lives far from the glitz of Hollywood. All three are now the actor's only surviving heirs.

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• Name: Christopher Allen Hackman
• Born: Circa 1960 (Age 65, as of 2025)
• Mother: Faye Maltese
• Current Profession: Judge
• Current Residence/Location: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

• Name: Elizabeth Jean Hackman (also known as "Biz")
• Born: August 1962 (Age 63, as of 2025)
• Mother: Faye Maltese
• Current Profession: Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
• Current Residence/Location: Cleveland Heights, Ohio

• Name: Leslie Anne Hackman
• Born: Circa 1966 (Age 59, as of 2025)
• Mother: Faye Maltese
• Current Activity: Recently in the news making public statements regarding her father's passing.
• Current Residence/Location: Private

Christopher Hackman and the Impending $80 Million Estate Battle

The most explosive news concerning the Hackman children today involves the contested estate of the late actor. Gene Hackman's substantial fortune, estimated to be around $80 million, is now in legal limbo. Reports indicate that the actor’s will, which may be decades old, names his second wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, as the sole successor and excludes his three adult children.

The legal situation became immensely complicated because Betsy Arakawa also passed away shortly before or around the same time as Gene Hackman. This critical detail means the will's primary beneficiary is now deceased, creating a legal void—a potential intestacy—that could allow the children to petition for the estate.

In a clear signal of an impending legal showdown, the eldest son, Christopher Allen Hackman, has retained one of California's most prominent trust and estate attorneys, Andrew M. Katzenstein. The hiring of a high-profile lawyer suggests Christopher intends to challenge the will and assert his and his sisters' rights as the only surviving heirs to the French Connection star’s fortune. The legal battle is expected to be complex, pitting the children against the original intent of the will and potentially other beneficiaries named in a secondary capacity, though the children are reportedly not named at all.

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This controversy has dramatically pulled the intensely private Christopher, a respected Judge in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, into a very public legal dispute. His move to hire legal counsel is the definitive step toward contesting the inheritance and protecting the family's financial interests.

The Quiet Professional Lives of Elizabeth and Leslie Hackman

While the estate battle dominates the headlines, the Hackman daughters, Elizabeth and Leslie, have maintained professional careers that reflect a commitment to public service and mental health, far removed from the glamour of their father's career.

Elizabeth Jean Hackman: The Compassionate Counselor

Elizabeth Jean Hackman, often referred to as "Biz," has established a career as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the Cleveland Heights, Ohio area. Her work focuses on providing therapeutic support, a stark contrast to the dramatic, high-tension roles her father was famous for. This choice of profession highlights a desire for a grounded, meaningful life outside the celebrity bubble.

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Following her father's death, Elizabeth joined her sister Leslie and granddaughter Annie in releasing a joint statement, expressing their profound sadness. This collective public grief emphasized their unity as a family during this difficult time, even as the complex legal issues surrounding the estate began to surface.

Leslie Anne Hackman: Public Statements Amidst Controversy

Leslie Anne Hackman, the youngest of the three children, has been the most vocal of the siblings in the immediate aftermath of Gene Hackman's passing. She was recently seen in public and spoke out to the press, primarily to address and refute shocking claims made by a former employee regarding her father's final days.

Leslie defended her father's health and his marriage to Betsy Arakawa, stating that the couple had a "wonderful marriage" and crediting Betsy for keeping the actor alive and well in his later years. Her willingness to speak out publicly was a rare break from the family's long-standing tradition of privacy, suggesting a deep need to protect her father's reputation and legacy against damaging allegations.

The Future: What Happens Next in the Hackman Family Saga?

The current status of Gene Hackman's children is defined by a dichotomy: their established, private, and respectable careers as a Judge, a Counselor, and a private citizen, versus the sudden, overwhelming public spotlight cast by an $80 million legal fight. The core issue of the contested will—which reportedly leaves the substantial fortune to a deceased beneficiary—creates a legal vacuum that Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie are poised to fill.

The proceedings involving Andrew M. Katzenstein and the California courts will determine whether the children ultimately inherit the wealth accumulated from their father's legendary career, which included unforgettable performances in classics like Mississippi Burning, Hoosiers, and The Poseidon Adventure. The next few months will be crucial as the legal process unfolds, potentially revealing more about the private life and final wishes of the reclusive screen legend.

For a family that diligently guarded its privacy for decades, the coming legal battle marks an unprecedented and unavoidable entrance into the public eye, turning the Hackman children into reluctant inheritors of one of Hollywood's most surprising and high-value estate disputes of 2025.