Goldie Hawn Biography

Date of Birth: November 21, 1945

Birth name: Goldie Jean Hawn

Born the daughter of a musician in Washington, D.C., Hawn grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in suburban Maryland. At the age of three, she took her first dance lesson, and by the age of 17, she was managing a dance studio while she studied drama at Washington, D.C.'s American University.

In 1964, she danced professionally at the Texas Pavilion of the New York World's Fair, and then began appearing in chorus lines in such musicals as Kiss Me Kate, Guys and Dolls, and The Boyfriend. She eventually moved to California, where her first break came when an agent saw her dancing on The Andy Griffith Show and cast her in Good Morning World, a short-lived comedy series.

After being cast as a dancer in a late-'60s variety show, Laugh-In, she became popular. Her bikini-clad body painted with funny slogans and designs, she was given a few lines and proved herself a talented performer in a winning, air-headed way.

She played a 'giggly girl' in her first film, Disney's The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968) and soon after won Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her first featured film role, in Cactus Flower (1969). Strong performances in Butterflies Are Free (1972) and in Steven Spielberg's first theatrical feature, The Sugarland Express (1974), cemented her reputation. She took home critical kudos and seven percent of the gross for her performance in Shampoo (1975), and for Private Benjamin (1980), the comedienne had a mega-hit and another Oscar nomination (she also served as executive producer).

Hawn continued to work steadily throughout the '80s and '90s, appearing in films of widely varying quality. Comedies such as Swing Shift (1984), co-starring with Kurt Russell (whom she then began to date), Wildcats (1986) and Overboard (1987), were enjoyed by viewers but easily forgettable.

During the early '90s, she spent much of her time looking after her mother who died in 1994. She got back in the saddle again and co-starred with Diane Keaton and Bette Midler in the hit comedy, The First Wives Club (1996). She then capped off the year with a winning performance in Woody Allen's musical Everyone Says I Love You.

After starring opposite Susan Sarandon in the comedy The Banger Sisters (2002), for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination, she took a hiatus from acting. She made her return to the craft opposite Amy Schumer in the comedy Snatched (2017).

Hawn has two children by her first husband, comedian Bill Hudson, and one by her companion since 1986, actor Kurt Russell. After having to cough up a $75,000 divorce settlement to her first ex-husband, Gus Trikonis, and a $2 million Malibu home to her second ex, Bill Hudson, she and Kurt have decided to skip the marriage ceremony for now.

Filmography:

Snatched (2017)
The Banger Sisters (2002)
Town and Country (2000)
The Out-of-Towners (1999)
Everyone Says I Love You (1996)
The First Wives Club (1996)
Death Becomes Her (1992)
HouseSitter (1992)
CrissCross (1992)
Deceived (1991)
Bird on a Wire (1990)
Overboard (1987)
Wildcats (1986)
Swing Shift (1984)
Protocol (1984)
Best Friends (1982)
Private Benjamin (1980)
Seems Like Old Times (1980)
Viaggio con Anita (1979)
Foul Play (1978)
The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox (1976)
Shampoo (1975)
The Sugarland Express (1974)
The Girl from Petrovka (1974)
Butterflies Are Free (1972)
$ (1972)
There's a Girl in My Soup (1970)
Cactus Flower (1969)
The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968)