Hawks was married three times: to actress Athole Shearer, sister of Norma Shearer, from 1928-40; to socialite Slim Keith from 1941-49; and to actress Dee Hartford from 1953-60.
Hawks died on December 26, 1977, at the age of 81, from complications arising from a fall when he tripped over his dog several weeks earlier at his home in Palm Springs, California.