Goldie Hawn

Born: 21 November 1945
Where: Washington, DC

By the age of 17, Goldie was managing a dance studio while studying drama at American University in Washington.

Her break came in the form of a job on the can-can line at the 1965 World's Fair, which led to a stint as a go-go dancer.

Goldie eventually made her way to LA, where she landed a spot in the TV series Good Morning World.

Although the show wasn't a success, Goldie's work was noticed by producer George Schlatter, who hired her for his comedy show, starring stand-up specialists Dan Rowan and Dick Martin.

Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In was an instant smash - as was Goldie.

She made her film debut as a dancer in The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band in 1968.

It was her role in 1969's Cactus Flower, a comedy, starring Walter Matthau and Ingrid Bergman, that won her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

Steven Spielberg, who cast her in his movie, The Sugarland Express, launched Goldie's career as a 'serious' actress.

Since then, she has demonstrated her versatility and comedic talents in such movies as Shampoo, Foul Play, Private Benjamin (which earned her a Best Actress nomination), Best Friends and Bird on a Wire in 1990.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Goldie earned a total of six Golden Globe nominations in the category of Best Motion Picture Actress in a Musical or Comedy.

As one of Hollywood's reigning female stars, Goldie has developed and produced many of her own films, and has attempted to maintain a balance between comedy and drama.

But the box office success of HouseSitter and Death Becomes Her and the failure of Deceived seem to indicate that audiences still like Goldie best in light-hearted roles.

A self-described Jewish Buddhist, Goldie credits her youthful and carefree persona to a daily practice of meditation and yoga. She has travelled to India almost every year since 1980.

Goldie has been married and divorced three times but, since 1986, she has been with actor Kurt Russell. They have one son together, Wyatt.

She also has two children by her first husband, Bill Hudson - a son, Oliver, and a daughter, Kate, now a successful actress in her own right.