Did Gene Hackman Disinherit His Children? I Have No Idea… and Neither Do You.
The headlines are swirling: "Hackman's children not named in actor's will.”
Is it true? I don’t know. I haven’t seen the Will.
Here’s what I do know:
Gene Hackman’s Will—along with the Will of his wife, Betsy Arakawa Hackman—was filed in the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico on March 6, 2025. Their attorney, Kurt A. Sommer, submitted the necessary petitions for informal probate, as well as the appointment of Julia L. Peters as the personal representative of both estates.
Generally, a Will is a public record. But I haven’t seen Gene Hackman’s Will. It wasn’t filed in the Santa Fe County Probate Court, where one might expect to find it. Instead, it was filed in the First Judicial District Court, where probate cases can be filed instead. If I wanted to, I could probably access it under the court’s definition of “press.” But I didn’t bother—though based on the sheer number of media reports, it seems plenty of others did.
Why doesn’t access to the Will matter?
Because even if I had Mr. Hackman’s Will in front of me, I still wouldn’t know whether he disinherited his children.
Here’s why:
A Will only governs probate assets—those that don’t pass by beneficiary, payable on death or transfer on death designations, trust, or joint ownership. I don’t know whether Mr. Hackman had any assets in his probate estate. Maybe he did. Maybe he didn’t. Some articles have suggested $80M was at stake, but I am not privy to any facts that would support that claim.
And according to some sources—who may have had access to the Will—Mr. Hackman’s estate was distributed to Ms. Hackman, as trustee of the Gene Hackman Trust. If that’s true, then she wasn’t named as an individual beneficiary, but in a fiduciary capacity. That means the trust—not the Will—governs how the assets are ultimately distributed. And trust agreements? Those aren’t public record.
Maybe Mr. Hackman set up an irrevocable trust for the benefit of his children and their descendants years ago, keeping those assets completely outside his Will and probate estate. If he did, the IRS might know, since large lifetime gifts get reported on a federal gift tax return (Form 709). His children might know. Or they might not—especially if the trust was structured as a “silent trust.”
Could a prenuptial agreement have required him to leave a specific amount to his wife? Possibly. Could there be other estate planning tools in play? Absolutely.
The point is, the public narrative is full of holes, but that hasn’t stopped the speculation.
At the heart of this story, two people—Mr. and Ms. Hackman—died within a short time of each other. Their family is grieving. And instead of giving them space, the media is spinning a tale of estrangement and scandal.
And if, for some reason, Mr. Hackman did disinherit his children? That’s not our business.
What is our business is resisting sensationalism while making space for grief and leading with more compassion.
