Kurt Russell has been kickin’ it in Hollywood for a long time.
As a child actor, he scored his first film at age 11, starring alongside Elvis Presley, no less. Since then, he’s made his mark in Hollywood, with several major roles.
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He’s also known for his adorable long-standing relationship with Goldie Hawn.
Come learn more about Kurt with these 10+ facts.
1. He originally wanted to be a baseball player.
Since his father owned the Portland Mavericks, the love for the sport came easily .
He even played on his father’s team, but a bad shoulder injury took him out of the ball game.
2. He starred in his first movie at age 11.
This was the 1963 Elvis Presley film , It Happened At The World’s Fair . He found a lot of success from there by starring in live-action Disney films.
3. He was almost in *Star Wars*.
At the time in 1975, he auditioned for both the roles of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker.
While he got super far into the process, he also had another opportunity to star in a TV western called The Quest .
And since George Lucas couldn’t make up his mind on which role he wanted Kurt to play, he opted to do the Western.
Russell recalled Lucas as saying. “I don’t know if I like you as Han and this guy as Skywalker, or this guy as Han and you as Skywalker. I don’t know.”
Make up your mind, George!
4. He’s Kate Hudson’s stepdad.
As Goldie Hawn’s longtime partner, Kurt stepped in to raise Kate and her brother when Kate’s father, Bill Hudson, became absent in their lives.
In 2015, Bill even slammed his children to the Daily Mail , saying, “I say to them now, ‘I set you free.'”
5. Kurt and Goldie also have one biological son together named Wyatt.
Now that their kids are all grown up, their brood has gotten even bigger.
They now have six grandkids and seem to be enjoying every single moment they have with their family.
6. He believes that actors shouldn’t get involved in politics.
Ricky Gervais would be so happy!
“I’ve always been someone who felt we are court jesters,” Russell told The New York Times . “That’s what we do.”
“As far as I’m concerned, you should step away from saying anything so that you can still be seen by the audience in any character.”
7. Elvis Presley has played a huge part in his career.
The King has certainly followed him around.
His first movie was about Elvis, then he earned an Emmy nomination for playing Elvis in the TV miniseries, Elvis . He then played an Elvis impersonator in 3000 Miles to Graceland .
“He was really cool,” Russell told *GQ* about working with him. “An incredibly nice guy.”
Russell even got to kick him 15 times in the shins during their first movie.
“He had to wear a pad,” Russell said .
8. He voiced Elvis in *Forrest Gump*.
While his face wasn’t shown in the scene and his voice was uncredited, it was him.
Russell told GQ that he did it as a favor for Forrest Gump director, Robert Zemeckis.
9. He’s not married to Goldie Hawn.
Since the Hollywood couple have been together since 1983 , a lot of people assume that they’re married.
But that’s not the case since they both feel secure enough without the title. Hawn even told Loose Women that she’d be divorced now had they married.
“Marriage is an interesting psychological thing. If you need to feel bound to someone, then it’s important to be married,” she said.
She went on to say that not being married has psychologically left them both feeling freer.
“For me, I chose to stay. Kurt chose to stay, and we like the choice.”
10. He was injured while filming *Soldier*.
He had a broken ankle and a broken right foot.
But since he was getting paid $15 million, he persevered. “Come hell or high water, I wasn’t gonna let that payday go away,” he told GQ .
11. He loves motorcycles.
Goldie even got Warner Bros. to buy him a Harley Davidson for the extra work he did on Swing Shift .
So sweet! While Goldie’s daughter, Kate, was growing up, he loved to take her and Goldie on rides.
12. He’s not a fan of his generation.
The actor may be 69, but he doesn’t relate to his peers.
“I basically hate my generation. I never got along with them,” he told GQ . “They were all [expletive]….My generation couldn’t stand me, and I couldn’t stand them.”
13. He’s worked in several movies with Goldie.
While they first met in 1968, Swing Shift was the first film they did together. It was also the movie that kick-started their romance.
They were dating by the time they starred in the cult comedy, Overboard .
Since then, they’ve mixed business with pleasure by starring in the Netflix holiday film series, *The Christmas Chronicles*.
In it, they play a very fitting Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus. Kurt told Screen Rant that he was delighted to bring the character to life.
14. He feels underappreciated in Hollywood.
While he’s been up for several prestigious awards, including an Emmy and a Golden Globe, he lost most of them.
“All I can say is, I just kept working,” he told GQ . “And whatever anyone appreciates, that’s good.
“I know that didn’t come from Hollywood’s flavor of the month thing,” he said.
When it comes to being underappreciated, he knows that a lot of this has to do with him, since he doesn’t like to do a lot of publicity.
Ah, well!
