Goldie Hawn Biography
Goldie Hawn is an American actress who began her career on the 1960s comedy show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In." In 1970, she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film "Cactus Flower." In the 1970s, she was considered one of Hollywood's most popular actresses. Some of her most popular films include "The First Wives Club," "Private Benjamin," and "Overboard." After a long absence from the screen, she appeared in the films "The Christmas Chronicles" (2018) and "The Christmas Chronicles 2" (2020).
Childhood, Youth, Family
Goldie Jeanne Hawn was born in the fall of 1945 in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Takoma Park, Maryland. Her name means "golden-haired."Her mother, Laura Hawn (née Steinhoff), was the daughter of Hungarian immigrants who owned a jewelry store and later opened a dance school. Her father, Edward Rutledge Hawn, was an accomplished musician. Goldie grew up with her older sister Patti, who was eight years older.
Her parents raised their daughters in both Jewish and Presbyterian traditions:
Before breaking into Hollywood, Hawn was a professional dancer. At three years old, Goldie started taking ballet and tap dance lessons. By age ten, she was dancing in the Russian Ballet Monte Carlo's production of "The Nutcracker."...My mother was a Jew with strong roots. Family is an important part of the Jewish way of life. Presbyterians don't have the same sense of family, although on my father's side I have a very large and close-knit family. But it's not quite the same. It's like being Greek or Italian. It was clear that my father's belief system wasn't based on anything but his own philosophical nature. He wasn't someone who believed blindly; he was a seeker, a searcher, and a philosopher.
At sixteen, she made her stage debut in a production of "Romeo and Juliet." By nineteen, Goldie was running and teaching at a ballet school for kids after leaving college, where she'd studied dramatic arts.
Acting Career
In 1967, Goldie made her TV debut in the sitcom "Good Morning World," playing gossipy neighbor Sandy.She first broke through with her comedic roles on the sketch show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," earning two Emmy nominations. She joined the show from its pilot episode and departed after the third season. She appeared in sketches about the Farkel family, playing one of the daughters, and hosted several programs on CBS and ABC.
Her breakthrough leading role came in 1969 with Gene Saks' melodrama "Cactus Flower." Playing Toni Simmons, a young record store clerk who falls for a womanizing liar, she won both a Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
With the coveted statuette in hand, her career soared. Roles in successful comedies followed "Cactus Flower," including "$" and "Butterflies Are Free."I didn't dress up or receive the award. And I regret it. Looking back now, I think: «It would have been so wonderful to have had the chance to do that.» I forgot that the ceremony was televised that night. Then I woke up to a phone call around four in the morning. A male voice said, «Hey, congratulations, you did it.» I asked, «Did what?» And he replied, «You won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
She played Russian ballerina Oktobrina in Robert Ellis Miller's "The Girl from Petrovka" (1975), adapted from George Feifer's novel. This marked Hawn's only time playing a Russian character. Her character falls for an American journalist during the Cold War, with the KGB trying to destroy their romance. Anthony Hopkins initiated the film adaptation after reading the novel and played the lead male role.
Around the same time, Steven Spielberg's directorial debut "The Sugarland Express" hit theaters. Hawn played Lou Jean Poplin, a former convict hell-bent on getting her son back from foster care.
In 1978, she starred with Chevy Chase in the box office hit "Foul Play," and two years later, she produced and starred in one of her most memorable films, the comedy "Private Benjamin." For her role as a wealthy Jewish woman who joins the army after her first wedding night, Goldie was nominated for an Oscar.
Hawn also worked with Woody Allen in his film "Everyone Says I Love You" (1996) and with Steve Martin in "HouseSitter" and "The Out-of-Towners."
Her last film before a fifteen-year hiatus was the 2002 comedy "The Banger Sisters," where she starred alongside Susan Sarandon.
In 2005, after a trip to India, Hawn published her autobiography, "A Lotus Grows in the Mud," which sold a million copies. She included a spiritual quote from an oracle of the Nechung Monastery in India as an epigraph:
The lotus is the most beautiful flower, whose petals open one by one. But it will only grow in the mud. To grow and gain wisdom, first, you must have the mud - the obstacles of life and its suffering... The mud speaks of the common ground that humans share, no matter what our station in life... Whether we have it all or we have nothing, we all face the same obstacles: sadness, loss, illness, dying, and death. If we are to strive as human beings to gain more wisdom, more kindness, and more compassion, we must have the intention to grow as a lotus and open each petal one by one.
Personal Life of Goldie Hawn
For over forty years, the actress has been happily partnered with fellow actor Kurt Russell. They first met on set in 1968. Kurt was 16, Goldie was 22, and neither paid much attention to the other.But when they reconnected at an audition for the romantic drama "Swing Shift," Kurt immediately noticed the charming blonde and blurted out the first thing that came to his hungover mind:
The couple has been together since 1983 and has a son, Wyatt Russell, who was born in 1986.I didn't know Goldie at all, except for working with her many years ago. I just didn't expect what I saw. She had a great body, so the first thing I said was, 'Man, you've got a great figure.' It sounded weird and was wrong, but she said, 'Thank you.'
Hawn also has two children from her previous marriage to musician Bill Hudson – Oliver and Kate, who both became actors. Goldie became close to Boston, Kurt Russell's son from his first marriage. Russell also earned the respect of Goldie's children, and they celebrate Father's Day with him – something that has often upset Hudson, who won the family home in their divorce.
When the actress grew close to Russell, she was still married to Hudson, though they'd stopped considering themselves a couple by 1980. The last straw was Goldie's affair with an extra from the movie "Private Benjamin," a young Frenchman. Hudson hated talking about his ex-wife and was irritated by her perfect public image:
Goldie's first husband was actor-director Gus Trikonis, with whom she was married for five years. During their divorce, she paid him $75,000 since they split everything equally, and Gus earned much less than his already-famous wife.I'm sick of her showing the world this spotless image when the reality of her life is completely different. She is manipulative, cruel, and selfish.
Now, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell are happy grandparents of seven grandchildren. Their family says that despite their age, the couple still looks completely in love and constantly plans activities for their big family.I've been married and divorced twice. Kurt and I have been together for many years and haven't divorced because we never married. My 'cage' is open and I can leave anytime, but I don't. Maybe it's because the cage is open. I think promising to be with the same person for the rest of your life is wonderful. But I also know many people cheat and don't admit it. I've never asked Kurt if he's cheated on me. I don't want to rock the boat. The thing is, a woman's relationship with a man is different from a man's relationship with a woman – a woman takes it more personally and emotionally. Unlike men, she's driven by emotions, not testosterone. They say men die earlier than women because of this hormone suppressing their immunity.
Goldie Hawn Now
In 2017, the actress made her comeback after a 15-year hiatus. She starred in the action comedy "Snatched," then played Mrs. Claus in the holiday fantasy "The Christmas Chronicles" and its sequel.In 2020, Goldie took another break from acting. The pandemic delayed filming of "Family Jewels," which would have reunited Hawn, Keaton, and Midler—the brilliant trio from "The First Wives Club."
The actresses signed on for the Christmas comedy, but no release date has been announced—though anticipation for the movie remains high. In a 2020 interview, Goldie said:
I just got a new version of the script—you know how important it is to perfect the script before filming begins. Plus, no one's making films like this now, and we need to understand that we won't be able to shoot scenes in New York for a while. Let's just say this film wasn't designed for COVID-19. We're currently developing scripts for projects that wouldn't need a huge cast and crew but would still be funny enough to be worth making. We live in interesting times, don't we?
Interesting Facts
- Colleagues and friends often note that Goldie Hawn has an incredible ability to enjoy life. Diane Keaton once said:
Every morning she drinks a cappuccino, and each time it's the most delicious coffee in the world to her... The most amazing thing about Goldie is that she doesn't seem to work at her role. She just shows up, sits in the makeup chair, learns her lines, then goes on set and becomes her character.
- Hawn considers herself a devoted mother but also recognizes that all her children are individuals. In one interview, the actress admitted:
I always tried to put my children first. But sometimes, work came first. What I regret most is that I didn't take my children to all my shoots. When my youngest son got seriously into hockey, we moved to Vancouver. He recently got a scholarship to college, where he now plays for the team. I'm so happy for him but also worry about the dangers of professional sports. One time, he was a second away from scoring when another player tripped him. I screamed, 'I hate this game!' But my son was back on the ice the day after he got out of the hospital.
- While working on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," Goldie admitted feeling guilty about her parents and relatives—no one in their hardworking family made as much money as she did. She sang with Cher, knew Elvis Presley, President Richard Nixon, and other celebrities, while her parents only saw them on TV.
- Goldie Hawn founded a charity focused on children's holistic development and helping parents with child-rearing. She brought together neurologists, psychologists, scientists, and researchers to develop the "MindUP" program. The actress, who has studied Buddhism, Christianity, and other religions across different countries, wrote "10 Mindful Minutes," which became a bestseller.