Christopher Allen Hackman is the son of retired American actor Gene Hackman. Gene had him with his first wife, Faye Maltese; they were together for three decades, from 1956 to 1986. Despite being seen as a “common man,” Gene kept the lives of his children away from the public. He further reiterated that being a child of a celebrity is tough. Christopher and his siblings did not see much of their father when they were young, mainly because Gene was working on a project every other time.
Early Life
Growing up, Christopher did not see much of his father. In an interview, Gene mentioned that the children of celebrities suffer, and his children suffered. However, he tried creating time to spend with his family. As Christopher was growing up, his father loved hugging him, and they continued doing so up to adulthood. While in an interview, Gene mentioned that he is happy that he can still hug his son, despite his age.
Relationship with Father
Christopher has a good relationship with his father. Despite his father not being around most of the time, Christopher grew up to become a responsible man. At one point, Christopher thought that he wanted to become an actor, and he told his father about it. Gene helped him by writing several monologues; he enjoyed writing them, but after going through the monologues, Christopher realized that he did not want to become an actor.
Personal Life
Gene Hackman kept his children away from the spotlight. Christopher has tried to maintain things as such. Therefore, little about his love life is known. Despite doing various interviews, Christopher’s father has failed to mention anything pertaining to his children’s personal life. It is unclear if Christopher is married and how many children he has since he has not put this information out to the public.
His Father
From a young age, Gene wanted to do acting. After watching his first action movie when he was 10, Christopher’s father knew that all he wanted to do was act. One of his favorite actors was Jimmy Cagney. In the mid-1950s, Gene decided to pursue an acting career by joining Pasadena Playhouse. While at the playhouse, Christopher’s father befriended Dustin Hoffman, and they were voted as the least likely to succeed.
After this, Gene was determined to make it in the acting industry and prove his doubters wrong. He moved to New York City to look for acting jobs. While in the city, Christopher’s father worked at a restaurant so that he could be able to pay his bills. While working at the restaurants, he met more doubters who told him that he would not succeed in the competitive acting industry.
Despite the negative comments, Christopher’s father was determined to make it. He began landing roles in various films such as Mad Dog Coll, The Defenders, Naked City, and Route 66. Christopher’s father went on to have a great career; he retired in 2004, returned in 2008, and officially retired in 2017.
