Fay Maltese rose to prominence as the ex-wife of retired American actor Gene Hackman. Her ex-husband, Gene Hackman, is best known for his role as Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in the 1971 critically acclaimed thriller The French Connection.
Birthday of Fay Maltese
Fay Maltese was born in New York and raised there. Her birthday was January 1, 1928, but she was reportedly 89 years old when she died. Faye Philippa Maltese is her full name. Maltese had American nationality and was of mixed ethnicity, descended from an Italian family.
Her ex-husband Gene Hackman was born in San Bernardino, California on January 30, 1930. There is very little information about her childhood available on the internet.
Death of Fay Maltese
Fay Maltese died on April 26, 2017, at the age of 89. She could have died naturally, with no illnesses or accidents reported. Her death devastated her family and admirers.
Fay Maltese’s Professional Career
Fay Maltese was a chemical bank secretary at the New York Bank. She used to support her family because her ex-husband Gene had only recently begun his professional career.
Maltese supported her family while working at a bank when her ex-husband Gene was just starting out.
Married Life of Fay Maltese
Fay ran into her ex-husband. Gene was not well-liked. According to reports, he joined the military at the age of 25. She met her ex-husband Hackman at a Y.M.C.A. in New York in 1955. They clicked right away on their first date and began dating right away. The wedding had been in a romantic relationship for almost a year before they married.
Fay eventually married her husband Gene in 1956 in a private wedding ceremony attended by close friends and family members. They had three children during their marriage: a son, Christopher Allen Hackman, born in 1960, and two daughters, Leslie Anne Hackman, born in October 1966, and Elizabeth Jean Hackman, born in August 1962.
Fay Maltese Divorce with Husband, Gene Heckman
Maltese and her husband Heckman decided to divorce after 30 years of marriage. They married when Gene was struggling to make it as an actor. He left his military job to pursue a career in acting.
He may have devoted all of his time to achieving success because he desired recognition and money at the time. Gene said;
“You become very selfish as an actor. Even though I had a family, I took jobs that would separate us for three or four months at a time. The temptations in that, the money and recognition, it was too much for the poor boy in me. I wasn’t able to handle that.”
Hackman caused their relationship to end because he did not prioritize his wife and family. Fay and Gene, on the other hand, managed to stay with him for 30 years but couldn’t hold on any longer. Regardless, the couple divorced in 1986 and made no statement about the reason for their split.
Faye Remarried After her Divorce
There was no word of Faye Maltese getting engaged after her breakup with her ex-partner. She essentially vanished from view until her death in 2017.
Her ex-husband, on the other hand, later married Betsy Arakawa, his second wife, who is 30 years younger than her husband Gene. They married in 1991 and currently reside in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She and Gene Hackman are still married.
Net Worth of Fay Maltese
Fay Maltese must have made a good living and amassed a good net worth back then. Similarly, until her death, she had led a comfortable life. Gene Hackman, Maltese’s ex-husband, has an estimated net worth of $80 million from his professional career.