Gene Hackman, 94, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 62, are seen out together for first time in two decades – with reclusive star holding onto her arm as pair grab a bite at New Mexico restaurant

Gene Hackman, 94, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 62, were seen out and about in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Thursday for the first time in two decades.

The reclusive actor, who has not starred in a film for the past 20 years, was spotted holding onto his wife’s arm for balance as the pair grabbed a bite at Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen.

The legendary two-time Oscar winner and his long-time partner seemed to be in a good mood as they left the restaurant together.

Hackman, who turned 94 in January, was dressed perfectly for a casual day out, sporting a gray fleece sweater over a casual plaid shirt, outdoor green pants, and black sneakers.

His outfit was completed with a khaki baseball cap and sunglasses. His grey hair was tucked behind his ear under the headwear, and he wore his facial hair in a neat mustache. 

Before the dinner date, Hackman enjoyed a cup of coffee and some apple pie from a local Speedway store, according to the New York Post.

The couple’s outing marks the first time they were seen together in public for 21 years, with the last time being at the 2003 Golden Globe Awards, where he won the Cecil B. deMille award. 

It was also a rare sighting of the star himself – his last movie role was alongside Ray Romano and Christine Baranski in the 2004 comedy Welcome To Mooseport.

On July 7 of the same year, he gave a rare interview to Larry King in which he announced that he had no new film projects lined up and believed his acting career was over.

Years later, he confirmed his retirement while promoting his third novel, Escape From Andersonville in 2008.

He told Reuters at the time: ‘I haven’t held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I’m not going to act any longer.’

‘I’ve been told not to say that over the last few years, in case some real wonderful part comes up, but I really don’t want to do it any longer.’ 

He also explained his passion for writing novels, saying ‘I like the loneliness of it, actually. It’s similar in some ways to acting, but it’s more private and I feel like I have more control over what I’m trying to say and do.’ 

‘There’s always a compromise in acting and in film, you work with so many people and everyone has an opinion. … I don’t know that I like it better than acting, it’s just different. I find it relaxing and comforting.’

In 2011, he was asked by GQ if he would ever come out of retirement to do one more film, to which Hackman responded: ‘If I could do it in my own house, maybe, without them disturbing anything and just one or two people.’

He has not stayed completely away from the industry, however, as he has narrated two Marine Corps documentaries:  The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jima (2016) and We, The Marines (2017).

Hackman began his acting career nearly 70 years ago, joining the Pasadena Playhouse in 1956, where he befriended fellow aspiring actor Dustin Hoffman.

He eventually moved to New York in 1963 and began performing in several Off-Broadway plays and smaller TV roles.

The thespian truly made his name in the 1970s, when he was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category for the 1970 flick, I Never Sang For My Father.

The following year he officially became a leading man, winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as New York City Detective Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle in The French Connection.

He went on to have consistent work, including in disaster film The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation (1974) before landing the role of supervillain Lex Luthor in 1978’s Superman: The Movie.

In the 1980s he starred in several films including Reds (1981), Under Fire (1983), Hoosiers (1986), No Way Out (1987) and Mississippi Burning (1988).

The 1990s brought him his second Oscar as he earned the Best Supporting Actor gong for his work as sadistic sheriff ‘Little’ Bill Daggett alongside Clint Eastwood in 1992’s Unforgiven.

He rounded out that decade by also starring in  Narrow Margin (1990), Geronimo: An American Legend (1993), The Firm (1993), The Chamber (1996), Wyatt Earp (1994), The Quick And The Dead (1995), Crimson Tide (1995), Get Shorty (1995,) Absolute Power (1997), The Birdcage (1996) and Enemy Of The State (1998).

Hackman continued to be active in the early 2000s with roles in Behind Enemy Lines (2001), Heist (2001), Runaway Jury (2003), and even earned the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy for 2001’s The Royal Tenenbaums.

Hackman divorced his first wife, Faye Maltese, in 1986 after spending 30 years together and raising three children. 

Five years later, he walked down the aisle with Arakawa, a retired classical pianist 30 years younger than him. 

In an interview with Empire in 2020, the retired actor said he enjoyed watching DVDs that Arakawa rented.   

‘We like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce,’ he said. 

‘Friday night is set aside for a Comedy Channel marathon, with particular attention paid to Eddie Izzard. The speed of thought is amazing.’