scorecardGoldie Hawn and Kurt Russell have been together for 40 years but never married. Here's a complete timeline of their relationship.
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Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell have been together for 40 years but never married. Here's a complete timeline of their relationship.

Eve Crosbie   

Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell have been together for 40 years but never married. Here's a complete timeline of their relationship.
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell began dating in 1983 and have been by each other's sides ever since.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images
  • Goldie Hawn recently spoke about why she and her partner of 40 years, Kurt Russell, never married.
  • The couple began dating in 1983 after working together on the romance drama "Swing Shift."

Hawn and Russell met for the first time in 1966 on the set of a Disney movie. They were 21 and 16 respectively.

Hawn and Russell met for the first time in 1966 on the set of a Disney movie. They were 21 and 16 respectively.
Goldie Hawn in 1968 and Kurt Russell in 1966.      Max B. Miller/Fotos International/Getty Images

The two first became acquainted while filming "The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band" in 1966.

For Hawn, who was 21, it marked her screen debut, while Russell, then 16, had already starred in a handful of movies.

Despite their six-year age difference and the large ensemble cast in the Western musical, Russell made a strong first impression on his future partner.

Reflecting on their time working together, Hawn said in a BBC Radio 4 interview in 2012: "I thought he was adorable, but he was much too young."

"Then, years later, we met up again, and I remembered that I liked him very much when I first met him. We both said we would never go out with another actor, so it just shows you never can tell."

It would be another 15 years before the pair reconnected. In 1983, the two were cast to play love interests in "Swing Shift."

It would be another 15 years before the pair reconnected. In 1983, the two were cast to play love interests in "Swing Shift."
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell in "Swing Shift" (1984).      Warner Bros.

By that point, they had both been married and divorced. Hawn was married to director Gus Trikonis from 1969 to 1976, and to Bill Hudson — the father of Oliver and Kate Hudson — from 1976 to 1982.

Russell, meanwhile, got divorced from his "Elvis" costar Season Hubley in 1983 after a four-year marriage. The pair welcomed a son named Boston Russell in 1980.

So when they found themselves recently single and auditioning alongside each other for the 1983 romance drama "Swing Shift," the pair instantly connected.

Russell said that, for his part, he was "severely hungover" and so put his "worst foot forward" when he saw Hawn again,

"I didn't know Goldie at all outside of having worked with her many years before," he recalled to Conan O'Brien.

"I just didn't know in my mind what I was going to see. She had a great body, and so the first that came out was, 'Man, you got a great figure.' And it kind of came out quickly and it could've been wrong and she said, 'Why, thank you.'"

The pickup line surprisingly worked and Hawn and Russell went on a date together shortly after.

The couple's first date almost ended with them getting arrested, according to Russell.

The couple
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, photographed in 1983.      Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

While shooting "Swing Shift," Hawn and Russell went on their first date together, under the guise of practicing a dance scene for the movie.

Recalling the date to Harry Connick Jr. on his talk show in 2017, the actor said that the evening began with swing dancing at the Playboy Club in Los Angeles, before he and Hawn decided that "the night wasn't over yet" and made their way to Hawn's house.

The only problem was, she had recently bought and begun renovating it and so didn't have a key. Not keen to curtail their date, the pair decided to break in.

"We eventually found our way upstairs, looking around at imaginary furniture and we were in the imaginary bedroom, now, and we are realistically having sex," Russell said, per People.

It was then that "the police walked in," as someone had called them after seeing the two actors force their way into the home.

"That was our first date," the actor said. "It was a lot of fun, I'll tell you what. I can't believe it was a long time ago."

After three years of dating, Hawn and Russell welcomed their first child together, a son named Wyatt.

After three years of dating, Hawn and Russell welcomed their first child together, a son named Wyatt.
Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell appear backstage during a game between the Los Angeles Kings vs the St. Louis Blues at the LA Forum in 1995.      Al Pereira/Getty Images/Michael Ochs Archives

On July 10, 1986, Hawn gave birth to the couple's first and only child they share together: a son named Wyatt Russell, bringing their tally of children between them to four.

The following year, the pair starred opposite each other once again in the rom-com "Overboard."

The following year, the pair starred opposite each other once again in the rom-com "Overboard."
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell pose for a portrait while shooting the movie "Overboard" (1987).      Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images

In the 1987 screwball comedy, Hawn played a spoiled, wealthy socialite who loses her memory after falling from her husband's yacht. Taking the opportunity to rid himself of her, her husband skips town and leaves her in the hands of a widowed carpenter who once worked for her, played by Russell.

In 2017, Hawn said that she and Russell had sat down to rewatch the movie when they caught it airing on television one evening, and it stirred up feelings for both of them.

"You know how sometimes you forget why you fell in love? I remembered everything, and why I fell in love," she said during an appearance on "The Late Late Show With James Corden."

"It was really something to be able to watch that."

At the 1989 Academy Awards, Russell and Hawn staged an almost-proposal when they took to the stage together to present an award.

At the 1989 Academy Awards, Russell and Hawn staged an almost-proposal when they took to the stage together to present an award.
Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn during the 61st Annual Academy Awards in 1989.      Barry King/WireImage/Getty Images

The couple had been dating for six years when they teased audiences at the 1989 Oscars by pretending to discuss marriage on stage.

"We fit in completely to the theme of the show. Because we're costars, we're compadres, we're companions and we're a couple," Hawn said.

"There's only one thing we're not," Russell replied. "Married."

As the crowd whooped, Hawn leaned in to ask her partner: "Is that a proposal?"

"You're putting me on the spot. I guess now is as good a time as any to answer that," the "Escape From New York" actor began. But just as it appeared that he was going to pop the question, Russell looked over Hawn's shoulder,

"Oh, they want us to speed things up. Listen, we'll talk about it later tonight," he said as Hawn set the audience off into fits of laughter by pulling a face.

In 2003, the pair became grandparents for the first time after Hawn's daughter, Kate Hudson, welcomed her first child.

In 2003, the pair became grandparents for the first time after Hawn
Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, Kate Hudson, and Oliver Hudson at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California.      Lee Celano/WireImage/Getty Images

Of the four children in their blended family, Hudson, who followed in her mom's footsteps and became an actor, was the first to become a parent herself.

The "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" star welcomed a son with her then-husband, Chris Robinson, in 2003.

Hudson later welcomed a second son with her ex-fiancé Matt Bellamy in 2011, and a daughter with her current fiancé Danny Fujikawa in 2018, per People.

Her brother Oliver Hudson also has three children, born between 2007 and 2013, with Erinn Bartlett.

Meanwhile, Wyatt Russell welcomed a son with actor Meredith Hagner in 2021. It's not known if Boston Russell has any children.

By 2007, the couple had spent 20 years together and found themselves faced with questions over the fact that they had chosen not to marry.

By 2007, the couple had spent 20 years together and found themselves faced with questions over the fact that they had chosen not to marry.
Kurt Russell gives Goldie Hawn a sweet kiss on the cheek in 2017.      Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Speaking to Woman's Day, Hawn defended their decision not to tie the knot.

"We have done just perfectly without marrying. I already feel devoted and isn't that what marriage is supposed to do? So as long as my emotional state is in a state of devotion, honesty, caring and loving, then we're fine," she said.

Hawn added that the couple are "both independently well-off" and have raised their children "brilliantly" without a marriage certificate.

"We did a great job there and we didn't have to get married to do that. I like waking up every day and seeing that he is there and knowing that I have a choice," she continued. "There is really no reason to marry."

In 2017, the couple received side-by-side stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 2017, the couple received side-by-side stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell are honored with a double star ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017.      Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Hawn and Russell were honored in a double ceremony and their stars were placed near to one another on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017, a tradition that is often reserved for actors who work together or are romantically involved.

According to ABC News, Hawn's daughter Kate Hudson was met with laughter when she gave a speech, which she began with: "I always thought I'd be talking about them at a wedding or something but since a wedding doesn't seem to be in our near future — ever — this may be my only opportunity."

In his own speech, Russell honored his longtime partner, saying: "To you, I owe my wonderful life. Simply put Goldie, I cherish you. All the stars in the sky or on the boulevard can't hold a candle to that."

"There's no one else I'd rather be next to for all of that than Goldie Hawn," he said.

In 2018, the couple starred together for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Claus in the film "The Christmas Chronicles."

In 2018, the couple starred together for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Claus in the film "The Christmas Chronicles."
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell in "The Christmas Chronicles 2" (2022).      Netflix

Hawn and Russell starred opposite each other for the third time in Netflix's holiday film "The Christmas Chronicles," in which Russell gave his own take on Saint Nick. While Hawn's cameo as Mrs. Claus was brief, her casting was warmly met by longtime fans of the couple.

The pair reprised their roles for the film's sequel two years later, which featured Hawn a lot more.

Speaking about their decision to work together on the film, Russell told the New York Times that he and Hawn "are pretty choosy."

"Generally, Goldie Hawn movies and movies that Kurt Russell is in are pretty different things," he said. "It's not mandatory just because you live with someone, you love someone and you enjoy working together that you should do 10 or 15 movies together."

In 2023, Hawn said she and Russell never tied the knot after they both experienced how difficult divorce can be.

In 2023, Hawn said she and Russell never tied the knot after they both experienced how difficult divorce can be.
Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn pose together in 2018.      Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Netflix

Hawn opened up during a conversation with CNN's Chris Wallace, who asked why she and Russell aren't married.

"Why should we be? Isn't that a better question?" Hawn responded. "When it doesn't work out, it ends up to be big business. It's always ugly."

"Somebody actually has to take a look and say, 'How many divorces actually are fun? How many divorces actually don't cost money? How many divorces actually make you hate the person more than you did before? How many divorces have hurt children?'"

When Wallace pointed out that the two have been together for 40 years, Hawn explained, "I like the idea that I can wake up in the morning and make decisions every day if I want to be here."

She also noted that "staying independent with independent thinking is important."

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