Gene Hackman's Forgotten Fling: How He Left Actress So Wowed With Bedroom Prowess She Boasted They Had 'Epic' Sex
Cloris Leachman recalled her 'epic' one night stand with Gene Hackman.
Feb. 27 2025, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
Actress Cloris Leachman divulged details of one steamy night she shared with Gene Hackman while they were staying at the same hotel in the 1970s, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
In her 2009 autobiography, Cloris, she described the palpable energy between her and The French Connection star before they had "epic" sex.
Leachman and Hackman were staying at the same San Francisco hotel while working on separate films in the 70s.
Leachman, who died in 2021 aged 94, explained she crossed paths with Hackman, who passed away aged 95 on Wednesday, February 26, while the two were filming separate movies in San Francisco in the 70s.
They just so happened to be staying at the same hotel and decided to grab dinner together one night.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show star wrote: "As we moved into the main course, it was as if a cosmic wind enveloped us. Some giant space magnet was pulling us together."
The actress described Hackman as a 'feisty lad.'
She continued: "We didn't finish the meal. We went upstairs, flew into bed and made love."
While Leachman described her rendezvous with Hackman as being "epic," the one-night fling never developed into a relationship – and the two went their separate ways hours later.
The actress recalled: "And the next morning, Gene went back to his film, and I went back to mine. I haven't seen Gene since that night, but I remember well the feisty lad he was."
Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa's bodies were found inside their Santa Fe mansion.
Although Leachman did not specify what movie she or Hackman were working on when they shared the "epic" night together, the actor filmed Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 The Conversation in San Francisco.
Hackman secured his spot in cinema history during the 1970s with hit films, including 1971's The French Connection and its sequel, The French Connection II, the following year. Other notable films he starred in during the decade included Young Frankenstein, Scarecrow and A Bridge Too Far.
He continued acting for the next several decades, making his mark once again in Wes Anderson's 2001 cult classic The Royal Tenenbaums and Mississippi Burning in 1988.
Concerned neighbors called in a welfare check on the couple.
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As RadarOnline.com reported, the bodies of Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, and one of their beloved dogs were found inside their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home on Wednesday, February 26.
Police performed a welfare check at the couple's mansion following concerns from neighbors.
While an investigation is underway, police suspect no foul play but are awaiting a warrant to search the property for more information.
Santa Fe County sheriff Adan Mendoza: "All I can say is that we're in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant."
A police statement added: "On February 26, 2025 at approximately 1:45pm, Santa Fe County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park where Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, and a dog were found deceased."
While an official cause of death has not been released, Hackman's daughter, Elizabeth Jean Hackman, told TMZ her family believes the couple could have died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
