Gene Hackman, 94, wife Betsy Arakawa, 62, first public outing together in decades: photos

Hollywood royalty’s gotta eat.

Actor Gene Hackman was seen out on a dinner date in New Mexico on Thursday, using a cane to walk and holding the arm of his wife, Betsy Arakawa.

The couple dined at Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen in Santa Fe, where the legendary actor has lived since the 1980s.

Earlier in the day, Hackman, who turned 94 in January, was spotted grabbing a cup of coffee and an apple pie from a local Speedway store.

Ever the outdoorsman, he sported hiking pants, a checkered shirt, gray vest, a cap and shades.

Although the “Unforgiven” actor and Arakawa, a 62-year-old pianist, got married in 1991, they’re rarely seen together in public.

The pair was last photographed 21 years ago in a much more glamorous setting — on the red carpet of the 2003 Golden Globe Awards.

At that glitzy Los Angeles ceremony, Hackman received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment,” which was presented to him by Michael Caine and the late Robin Williams.

Since his retirement after 2004’s “Welcome to Mooseport,” appearances made by the reclusive Hollywood legend have been few and far between. 

Hackman was most recently seen chowing down on a chicken sandwich at a Santa Fe Wendy’s in March 2023.

He lives with his second wife on their nearby ranch, where he’s said to partake in painting and writing.

The actor enjoyed a storied, four-decade career in Hollywood, starring in a diverse array of popular films such as “Hoosiers,” “The Poseidon Adventure,” “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “The Birdcage” and in the “Superman” series as Lex Luthor.

He won two Oscars: Best Supporting Actor in 1993 for “Unforgiven” and Best Actor in 1972 for “The French Connection.”

For the 50th anniversary of the latter, a gritty cop classic directed by William Friedkin, Hackman gave The Post his first interview in a decade.

“Filmmaking has always been risky — both physically and emotionally — but I do choose to consider that film a moment in a checkered career of hits and misses,” he said of the Best Picture Oscar winner.

“[I] haven’t seen the film since the first screening in a dark, tiny viewing room in a post-production company’s facility 50 years ago,” he admitted, adding that “if the film has a legacy, I am not sure what that would be.

“At the time, it seemed to me to be a reverent story of a cop who was simply able to solve and put a stop to a major crime family’s attempt to infiltrate the New York drug scene.”

“The film certainly helped me in my career, and I am grateful for that,” he said.