Gene Hackman, 93, Dazes with His Appearance in Video after Finding Bliss with 31-Years-Younger 'Lovely' Wife

• 93-year-old Gene Hackman was spotted for the first time in years, doing his everyday activities.
• The retired star has been married to his 31-years-younger wife, Betsy, for 32 years.
• The spouses designed their dream home together and have a calm life there.

In 2004, Gene Hackman quit Hollywood and had his first comment about it years later. In 2021, the former actor revealed how making movies had always been emotionally and physically risky.

At the time of his rare interview - his first one in a decade - the star was 91. Gene now spent his days with his wife of 32 years, Betsy Arakawa, who was born in Hawaii on December 1, 1961.

Arakawa was 31 years younger than her husband - who was described as reclusive - as he was born on January 30, 1930. Like Gene, Arakawa was involved in the arts as a former professional classical pianist.

She became the former actor's muse when he released his first solo fiction book, "Payback at Morning Peak." The pianist and the actor initially met in Los Angeles at a fitness center, where she was employed part-time.

In 1984, the "Royal Tenenbaums" actor and Arakawa officially started dating. When their relationship began, Gene's divorce from his first wife, Faye Maltese, was still supposed to be finalized.

Maltese and the actor were married in 1956 and their divorce was finalized in 1986, before she died in 2017. With his first wife, Gene had three children, Leslie Anne, Elizabeth Jean, and Christopher Allen.

The star never had any children with Arakawa when they married, but she built a close bond with her grown stepchildren. The Academy Award-winner and the pianist ended up choosing to live a peaceful life outside of Hollywood.

Where Have Gene and Betsy Moved to for a Quiet Rustic Life?

In 1990, it was revealed that Gene lived in a rustic house in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The home, that blended Southwestern styles, was a few miles north of Santa Fe sitting on top of twelve acres of piñon-covered hilltop.

The property gave the star a scenic 360-degree view that reached as far as the Colorado mountains. Arakawa's husband explained how he became attracted to the area after working there on a few films, with him adding:

“It had a kind of magic in it."

Stephen Samuelson, of Studio Arquitectura, was enlisted to help transform the estate. He said the 1950s block building was "horrible,” and it had deteriorated and was sitting empty when he first saw it.

However, it had a foundation that was good as it had been well placed. Gene and his wife weren't keen on recreating the pueblo architecture and were more focused on having a light space, French doors, and an open floor plan.

The features they wanted weren't always easily achieved in traditional adobe construction. The home ended up hang blended styles of part colonial New Mexico, part pueblo, and part Spanish Baroque.

Samuelson said it wasn't purist, but more primitive, likening it to a barn that was changed into a huge and cozy house. Gene was on location most of the time as the house was renovated, but he stayed in touch with the architects so he knew what was happening with his home, with Samuelson stating:

“He's a deeply involved client, very artistic, very keen on details."

The architect would send the actor sketches and called Gene constantly. If Samuelson failed to communicate, he'd receive calls for the star asking if he remembered him, but Arakawa was onsite most of the time and consulted with her husband via phone.

She also sent him photos of the work's progress. The homes furnishing wasn't pure Santa Fe, with Gene explaining how he and his wife bought some things there but other items were from New York auctions, German antique shops, and from Los Angeles.

The former actor felt they had a nice combination of "hard-edged antiques" and "soft southwestern pieces." What Arakawa and her husband wanted was quiet, comfort, without having to constantly entertain guests.

Gene would take his pickup truck and drive to the mountains with his canvas and oils when he was in a painting mood. Otherwise, he spent hours listening to music in the living room or reading, and on Friday's he and his wife had what they called their "comedy day off."

On that day they watched raunchy standup comics, with both of them loving Suzy Eddie Izzard. The star said from around eight in the morning until noon he wrote, and sometimes he did some more writing in the afternoon.

Another person thought "The French Connection" star [Gene Hackman] still looked strong and good.

Morning were begun with him going over what he'd written the previous day, which Arakawa gladly typed up for him. The couple now lived a peaceful life where they enjoyed cycling and gardening, without the spotlight in their faces.

In 2022, a source revealed in 2022 that Gene's health was good and still rode bicycles. The insider said the star was great at being a handyman and did yard work, without any more drama in his life with his "lovely" wife, and after celebrating a huge milestone in 2023, he received praise from fans.

What Does Gene Look Like after Celebrating His 93rd Birthday?

On March 5, 2023, Gene was seen for the first time after a while looking fit as he did yard work at his ranch. The former actor, who celebrated his 93rd birthday in January 2023, appeared healthy as he wielded shovel.

Earlier that same day, the “Unforgiven” star was seen preparing to do work in his year by getting some breakfast through the drive-thru at the local Wendy's. The two-time Oscar Award-winner ate a chicken sandwich in the parking lot before getting some gas at a station.

Daily Mail even shared a Facebook clip showing Arakawa's outing and current look. A fan who replied to the post, noted how many sites noted how old Gene looked, but the follower believed he looked "incredible" for his age.

Another person thought "The French Connection" star still looked strong and good. A third person teased that they now knew why they looked so young, crediting eating at Wendy's, while someone else agreed Gene looked "good" for his age.

Another Facebook user thought Arakawa's husband looked "great," while some fan couldn't believe the former actor was 93 and thought it was "amazing!" A Gene fan praised him for being "93 years young," and felt "God has been good to him."

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