Kurt Russell Became ‘Pa’ to Goldie Hawn’s Kids Whose Father Considers Them ‘Dead’

Kurt Russell has an unconventional relationship with Goldie Hawn; Her kids call him “Pa” even though he is not legally married to her. He has become a good father to them, while their real dad has refused to acknowledge their existence.

Goldie Hawn is one of the most successful actresses Hollywood has had the grace of developing; With a record filled with box office success and awards, including from the Academy, Hawn’s career can be described as an incredible one.

No doubt Goldie is a winner when it comes to entertainment; however, not many of her fans are familiar with her personal life, which has seen its fair share of drama.

Goldie Hawn, one of the stars of the American TV show, 'Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In' on a visit to England. She is acompanied by her husband, Gus Trikonis | Source: Getty Images

It all began with Gus Trikonis, a dancer who played Indio, a member of the Sharks gang in 1961’s “West Side Story.” After some time, he switched directions, delving into directing, with his first movie debut being “Five the Hard Way.”

The same year his directorial debut was released, the talented man married Hawn. The wedding ceremony was held on May 16 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Still, after a couple of years and a string of low-budget jobs such as “The Student Body” and “The Swinging Barmaids,” their love deteriorated.

They eventually separated on April 9, 1973, but the divorce proceedings were not finalized until June 1976. After that, Hawn moved on with Bill Hudson, another famous face in Hollywood.

The two first met in 1975 while Bill was a member of The Hudson Brothers band alongside Brett and Mark, his siblings. As a band, they would tour with great musicians like David Cassidy and The Osmonds, and they also had their own TV show.

By the time the two met, Goldie was also a big star, raking in more than $1 million per movie for comedies like “There’s A Girl In My Soup,” “The Sugarland Express,” and “Shampoo.”

The meeting happened on a flight from New York to Los Angeles, and Bill’s brother, Brett, had been the one who suggested that he speak to the “hot” actress.

Bill, who had been on a wine buzz, decided to give it a try, not knowing he would later come to regret it. He had found her very attractive, mainly when she served him with her throaty laugh, and the feeling was mutual, so they agreed to meet for dinner later that night.

That night he learned that Goldie was actually married to a handsome man whom she wasn’t ashamed to speak to with Bill hanging around. However, the man rudely rebuffed Bill’s attempts to join in the conversation, and after they left, Bill called him the “A” word to her face.

Until then, he had no idea the man had been Gus Trikonis, her husband, and it foreshadowed what life with her was like. However, it wasn’t enough to completely turn him away, and the two went on to begin a sizzling relationship that saw them make love on every possible surface they could manage.

HE HAD ENOUGH WARNING BUT IGNORED ALL OF THEM

Bill had ample warning about his wife’s inability to stay faithful to a single man, but he hoped that what they shared would be enough to change her.

When she got pregnant, he was even more encouraged, and he described their wedding, which happened when she was eight months in, as ‘the happiest time of my life.”

Needless to say, it cut Bill to the core, and that pain was evident in his reply to their posts.
Their very first child was named Oliver, and at the point of the delivery, Goldie feared that she would later have to leave the hospital without a child.

On an episode on the podcast “Sibling Revelry” hosted by Oliver and his sister, Kate, she revealed that she had to give birth via c-section, but after that ordeal, the doctors told her her child had a 40% chance of surviving. It was September 7, 1976.

According to Goldie, the baby Oliver had been born with meconium aspiration syndrome. He had swallowed some meconium during delivery or right before, and it had entered his lungs. It could happen to any child, and usually, the NICU is the first destination.

Fortunately, he made a good recovery, with Goldie watching, and the famous actress later admitted that her prayers had been what ensured his survival. According to her, his heart rate started going up after she prayed: a feeling she described as “phenomenal.”

The boy has since grown up to follow in his mom’s footsteps and is doing quite well for himself. Besides a promising career, he is also the father of three kids he shares with his wife, Erinn Bartlett.

Goldie has expressed pride in him countless times over the years, and she did so again during an old interview with People when she listed some of the hats her son wears before calling him “a gift.”

Goldie’s second child with Bill was a girl, and she had initially been given the name Rebecca while she was growing within her mother until one day she kicked the actress so hard, the woman chose to change her name on the spot to Kate. She was born on April 19, 1979.

While courting her, Bill Hudson saw how unfaithful his wife could be, but he still chose to bet on her. As a famous figure, she was used to everyone jumping to please her, and she expected no less from Bill.

He wanted her to stop sleeping with other men, and she was unwilling to give that up. After their son was born, they moved to Europe briefly and took a house near Regent’s Park in London.

As time passed, his wife started traveling to shoot movies. Soon after, Bill began to hear rumors of her infidelity with a castmate; when he confronted her, she vowed nothing was going on, but more rifts appeared between them, Goldie becoming more distant.

Bill walked out of the relationship after he was sent photos that caught his wife acting too familiar with French actor Yves Renier, an extra on the set of “Private Benjamin.”

This was the summer of 1980, and a couple of days later, when he returned to pick up some clothes, he met the same man she had cheated with in their home. Their divorce was finalized in 1982.

Kurt Russell and Goldie initially got acquainted on the set of “The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band” in 1966; however, nothing happened between them because she thought he was too young.

They met up again on the set of their second film, 1983’s “Swing Shift,” after which they started dating. After several dates, Goldie took Kurt to her home; It was his first time, and her kids had been asleep, but the actor still walked into the room the two kids shared and spent several minutes watching them sleep.

Actor Kurt Russell, actress Goldie Hawn, son Oliver Hudson, daughter Kate Hudson, actor Don Johnson and actress Melanie Griffith attend the 1990 Pacific Offshore Powerboat Races on April 14, 1990 | Source: Getty Images

It was a sign that he would be a great father, and that was the moment Goldie realized that she loved him. Years later, her second child, Kate, would reveal how dependable Kurt was as a father.

Three years down the line, they welcomed their only son together, Wyatt Russell, who grew up to follow in his parent’s footsteps as an actor and producer, known for “Overlord” (2018), “Everybody Wants Some!!” (2016) and “22 Jump Street’ (2014).

A year after he was born, his parents returned to showbiz to play unlikely lovers, Joanna and Dean in “Overboard.” In 2017, The talented actress stated that she and Kurt had watched the movie for the first time in some time, and it brought back precious memories.

“You know how sometimes you forget why you fell in love? I remembered everything, and why I fell in love,” she said at the time.

Just as Goldie suspected, Kurt turned out to be a great father figure for her kids, who had up until then grown up estranged from their birth father.

Kurt not only took great interest in his step-children’s lives, but he also went out of his way to teach them good values. For example, while Kate was in school, he attended her plays to cheer her on, and during Kate’s red-letter days, he remained supportive of her.

Another famous demonstration of fatherhood that made the news happened when Oliver was 16; He had gotten arrested for shooting paintballs at people with his friends, but when the time came to call his dad, the cops started fighting over who would do it.

Eventually, they reached out to Kurt, who wasn’t too happy about what he heard; however, rather than ground him, the actor forced him to shoot paintball paint at his car, which was a more lasting and perhaps fitting punishment.

Bill Hudson and Goldie did not separate on the best of terms, and after the divorce, he claimed that his former wife made seeing his kids impossible thanks to her riches.

As such, both of them grew up without his influence in their lives; a fact they have not let him forget even though they no longer communicate with him.

In 2015 while the world celebrated father’s day, Oliver mocked Bill with an old picture of him and Kate posing with a smiling Bill. In his caption, he wrote, “Happy abandonment day,” and it confirmed what Bill had always said; his children had been turned against him.

That same day, Kate also posted a photo on her Instagram celebrating her “pa,” however, Kurt had been the one in the shot, not him. It was further proof that she did not see him as her father because of his absence.

Needless to say, it cut Bill to the core, and that pain was evident in his reply to their posts; he said:

“I would ask them to stop using the Hudson name. They are no longer a part of my life. Oliver’s Instagram post was a malicious, vicious, premeditated attack. He is dead to me now. As is Kate. I am mourning their loss even though they are still walking this earth.”

Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn attend The Women's Cancer Research Fund's An Unforgettable Evening Benefit Gala at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on February 28, 2019 | Source: Getty Images

Both Kurt and Goldie had been in previous marriages before they got together, and because of how the unions ended, both parties decided they could do without saying “I do” and have stuck with it.

In an interview with TODAY, Goldie described marriage as a big business, but she and Kurt promised that they would tie the knot if their kids ever objected to their open relationship. Fortunately, neither kid wanted them married, which was perfect as it worked out for everyone in the end.

Goldie and Kurt’s love is still going strong even today, and they are now the grandparents of beautiful grandchildren, three of whom belong to Kate.

The talented actress and her mother, who was in the room for their deliveries, have opened up in the past about how things went down for Kate as a mom giving birth.

Oliver, a father of three, has praised Kurt and Goldie for being amazing grandparents. Kurt seems to be the grandpa, always picking up presents for the kids, and Goldie doesn’t slack with the care either. Oliver describes their family as a close-knitted one, and he could not have said it any better.