Key Takeaways:
- As Goldie Hawn approaches her 80th birthday, a look back at her five decades of PEOPLE magazine covers reveals her candid wisdom on life, love, and family.
- Hawn credits her lasting 40-plus-year relationship with Kurt Russell to “love, gratitude, compassion, family, fun, laughs, [and] sex.”
- The Oscar-winning actress has always prioritized family, from her first cover while pregnant with son Oliver Hudson to sharing a 2020 cover with daughter Kate Hudson and her granddaughter.
- Despite her famous “ditzy” persona, Hawn has been a sharp advocate for herself, pushing back against industry chauvinism and embracing her own brand of liberation from the start.
As Hollywood icon Goldie Hawn prepares to celebrate her 80th birthday on November 21, 2025, a look back at her life through five exclusive PEOPLE magazine covers offers a unique glimpse into her enduring secrets for happiness, family, and a legendary career.
Hawn’s Journey into Motherhood
Goldie Hawn first graced the cover of PEOPLE in May 1976, when she was pregnant with her first child, Oliver Hudson, with her then-husband, Bill Hudson. At the time, she expressed a deep desire for stability. “What I really wanted was to get settled,” she confessed. “I’ve waited a long time for the right union, the right time and the right daddy.”
Though her marriage to Hudson ended, her focus on family remained unwavering. She soon found a lifelong partner in Kurt Russell, with whom she has shared a celebrated romance since 1983.
The Secret to Lasting Love with Kurt Russell
Decades later, Hawn’s definition of happiness is intrinsically linked to her relationship with Russell. In a 2017 interview, she laid out the keys to their enduring bond: “Love, gratitude, compassion, because sometimes every man or every woman will drive their partner crazy. Family. Fun. Laughs. Sex.”
She also spoke with refreshing honesty about monogamy, describing it as a “tough order” but emphasizing the importance of elasticity and understanding in a relationship. “My relationship with Kurt is solid,” she affirmed in a 1990 cover story. “I have the best guy around.”
A Trailblazer in Hollywood
Beyond her personal life, Hawn has always been a formidable force in Hollywood. In her early career, she confronted the industry’s sexism head-on. “There’s as much chauvinism in this business as anywhere else,” she stated in 1976. “Scripts are not being written for us.”
She also pushed back against critics of her on-screen persona. Responding to claims that her “dumb blonde” image was a setback for women’s liberation, Hawn was clear: “Well, I always knew that I was smart… I was already liberated. That was my answer to them. I don’t live in a man’s world.”
A Matriarch’s Wisdom
From raising her children—Oliver, Kate Hudson, and Wyatt Russell—outside the glare of Beverly Hills to sharing candid conversations about sex with them, Hawn’s approach to parenting has been open and honest. In a 2020 cover story alongside her daughter Kate and granddaughter Rani Rose, she emphasized the importance of learning from your children.
“You should be, as a parent, available to learn, because you don’t know everything,” she advised. It’s this blend of humor, honesty, and heart that has defined Goldie Hawn’s life in the spotlight, cementing her status as a beloved Hollywood treasure.