(1960 - 1975) (her death) (3 children)
Charles Evans married his first wife, Frances, a documentary filmmaker, in 1960. The couple had three children: Charles Jr. (1963), Melissa (1965), and Elizabeth (1966). The couple separated in 1967. In 1975, Frances and her two daughters were asphyxiated by toxic fumes during a fire in their apartment building on East 80th Street in New York City. The fire was caused by ashes falling out of their fireplace. Charles Jr., sleeping in another room, was rescued by firefighters and uninjured. After the disaster, Charles Evans founded the Crusade for Fire Detection. The nonprofit educated the public about the life-saving nature of smoke detectors, and lobbied cities and states to enact fire codes requiring them in all buildings.
In the aftermath of the deadly fire, Charles Jr. began taking illegal narcotics and developed a serious addiction. Charles Jr. attended the University of California, Berkeley and then the USC School of Cinematic Arts. His father was ambivalent about the decision. "I certainly didn't give him any encouragement. I think it's a stinking business. But he's wanted to do it since he was in grade school. He wanted to either write, direct or produce." After writing his first screenplay for Robert Evans at Paramount Pictures, Charles Jr. entered drug rehabilitation.
three children: Charles Jr. (1963 - 1975), Melissa (1965 - 1975), and Elizabeth (1966).