(1945-)

Who Is Goldie Hawn?

Goldie Hawn began her career as a dancer but switched to acting on television and then film. Hawn was a successful television actress in the 1960s, earning two Emmy Award nominations along the way. Hawn won an Academy Award for her performance in 1969’s Cactus Flower and was nominated for an Oscar after starring in and producing 1980’s Private Benjamin. Other film credits include Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, The Out-of-Towners and The Banger Sisters. Hawn’s long relationship with Kurt Russell began after working together on several films, beginning with Disney’s The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band.

Early Life and Career

Actress and producer Goldie Jeanne Hawn was born on November 21, 1945, in Washington, D.C. The daughter of a musician and an actress, Hawn is best known for her vivacious personality and comedic persona in films such as Private Benjamin (1980). Hawn began taking ballet and tap-dancing lessons at the age of 3. By age 18, she had dropped out of Washington, D.C.’s American University to start her own ballet school, and appeared frequently as a professional dancer in performances throughout New York City and abroad.

Career Highlights

In 1968, Hawn made her feature film debut as a dancer in Disney’s The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, where she met her future companion, American actor Kurt Russell. The bubbly and infectious actress won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance opposite Walter Matthau in Cactus Flower (1969). Showing her versatility as an actress, Hawn then gave a well-reviewed dramatic performance in Steven Spielberg’s 1974 film The Sugarland Express.

Hawn has also enjoyed an active television career, beginning in 1967 as the gossiping neighbor Sandy on the sitcom Good Morning, World. She became known through her comedy roles in Rowan and Martin’s TV review Laugh-In (1968-70), earning two Emmy Award nominations along the way. Additionally, Hawn has hosted several variety specials for CBS and ABC.

In 1980, Hawn produced and starred in one of her most memorable films, Private Benjamin, for which she earned an Oscar nomination. Other film credits include Bird on a Wire (1990), also starring Mel Gibson; Death Becomes Her (1992), also starring Meryl Streep; The First Wives Club (1996), also featuring Bette Midler and Diane Keaton; The Out-of-Towners (1999), also starring Steve Martin; and The Banger Sisters (2002), in which she co-starred with Susan Sarandon.

Hawn returned to the big screen 15 years later, co-starring with Amy Schumer in the 2017 mother-daughter comedy Snatched.

Personal Life

Hawn reconnected with actor Russell while filming the movie Swing Shift (1984). The pair also starred together in the romantic comedy Overboard (1987). The enduring couple has been together since 1983 and have a son, Wyatt Russell, who was born on July 10, 1986. Hawn also has two children from a previous marriage to Bill Hudson (1974-1980), actor Oliver Hudson and actress Kate Hudson, and is the stepmother of Russell’s son from a previous relationship, Boston. (Hawn’s first husband was Gus Trikonis; they were married from 1969 to 1974.).

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QUICK FACTS

• Name: Goldie Jeanne Hawn
• Birth Year: 1945
• Birth date: November 21, 1945
• Birth State: District of Columbia
• Birth City: Washington, D.C.
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Female
• Best Known For: Goldie Hawn in an Academy Award-winning actress best known for her performances in ‘Cactus Flower,’ ‘Private Benjamin,’ ‘Overboard’ and ‘First Wives Club.’
• Industries
• Film
• Television
• Astrological Sign: Scorpio
• Schools
• American University

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CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Goldie Hawn Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/goldie-hawn
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: September 11, 2020
• Original Published Date: April 3, 2014

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QUOTES

• My eyes are too big, my nose is too flat, my ears stick out, my mouth is too big and my face is too small … my body is thin as a clarinet, and my ankles are so skinny that I wear two pairs of bobby socks because I don’t want people to see how thin they are.
• I have witnessed the softening of the hardest of hearts by a simple smile.
• The only thing that will make you happy is being happy with who you are, and not who people think you are.