Goldie Jeanne Hawn was born on November 21, 1945, in Washington, D.C., to Laura Hawn, who owned a dance school, and Rut Hawn, a band musician. Her mother, a Jewish woman of Hungarian descent, and her father, a Presbyterian, raised her in the Jewish religion. Hawn's family has a rich cultural background, with her mother's parents being Hungarian immigrants.
At the tender age of three, Hawn began taking ballet and tap dance lessons, which continued until she was ten. During this time, she danced in the chorus of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo production of "The Nutcracker." Her passion for dance led her to drop out of college, where she was majoring in drama, and open her own ballet school at the age of 19.
Before venturing into the film industry, Hawn worked as a professional dancer. Her feature film debut came in 1968 with a small role in "The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band." However, it was her role in 1969's "Cactus Flower," opposite Walter Matthau and Ingrid Bergman, that earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Hawn's career soared after her Oscar win, with successful comedies like "There's a Girl in My Soup" (1970) and "Shampoo" (1975),as well as more dramatic roles in "The Girl from Petrovka" (1974) and "The Sugarland Express" (1974). In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she starred in hits like "Foul Play" (1978) and "Private Benjamin" (1980),which she also produced.
Throughout the 1980s, Hawn continued to star in hit movies, including "Best Friends" (1982),"Protocol" (1984),and "Wildcats" (1986). Her career slowed down in the late 1980s, but she bounced back in the 1990s with films like "Bird on a Wire" (1990),"Death Becomes Her" (1992),and "HouseSitter" (1992).
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Hawn continued to appear in films like "The First Wives Club" (1996),"Everyone Says I Love You" (1996),and "The Out-of-Towners" (1999). She also starred in "Town & Country" (2001) with Warren Beatty and "The Banger Sisters" (2002) with Susan Sarandon.
Hawn has been married twice, first to dancer/director Gus Trikonis from 1969 to 1973, and then to musician Bill Hudson from 1976 to 1980. She has two children with Hudson, Oliver and Kate, and has been in a long-term relationship with actor Kurt Russell since 1983. The couple has a son, Wyatt, and Hawn is also a de-facto stepmother to Russell's son, Boston. She has eight grandchildren.
