> Name: Kate Garry Hudson
> Date of Birth: April 19th 1979
> Place of Birth: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
> Astrology sign: Aries
> Height: 5ft 6"
> Weight: 120lbs
> Eye Colour: Green
> Hair Colour: Blond
> Martial Status: Single, Divorced

> Kate Garry Hudson was born April 19, 1979, in Los Angeles California. Her biological father Bill Hudson was an American musician best known for being in the group "The Hudson Brothers". While her mother Goldie Hawn is an Academy Award winning film actress with a career spanning several decades. The couple were married for nearly five years before finally divorcing in 1980, shortly after the birth of Kate. It is well noted in several articles profiling Kate Hudson that her biological father was largely absent while she was younger. Kate refers to Kurt Russell as her "pa". Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn have been together since 1983, raising four kids: Oliver, Boston, Wyatt and of course Kate. With this aside Kate doesn't harbour any negative feelings towards her biological father, in fact she told InStyle magazine that the two have a friendly relationship and even lived within walking distance in Malibu.   "I see him [Bill Hudson] all the time; we run into each other at the market. The way I was raised has allowed me as an adult to have a good relationship with my real father. I love him to death for being him. I don't resent him for anything"

> Taking after her parents passion for acting it would only make sense for Kate Hudson to have a strong desire to be an actress herself. Since she was a little girl, acting had always fascinated Kate and growing up first hand witnessing her parents with successful film careers helped inspire Kate Hudson's dream. However, despite her strong desire for drama her parents originally wanted her to choose another career path; weary of life for a young actress growing up in Hollywood. The budding thespian starving for her first slice of acting received a ration as a stand-in for the 7-year-old actress playing Goldie Hawn's daughter in the 1986 movie Wildcats. Kurt and Goldie were determined for Kate to complete school before pursuing acting. Upon graduating from Crossroads School of Arts and Sciences, Kate was accepted to NYU's Tisch School of Drama. However, instead of taking her skills to the classes and student theatre productions, Kate zoomed straight for the real thing, Hollywood. Showing that her family was not going to be her ticket to fame. Kate got herself an agent, and began going through the audition process.

> Proof of Kate’s desire to break through the industry based on her own merit came when she had auditioned and secured the role as the presidents daughter in Escape From Los Angeles a film starring Kurt Russell. In the end Kate knew that no matter how good her performance was it would be overshadowed by talk of riding Russell's coattails, so she turned the part down.

"My mom and Kurt and I had a long talk about [whether acting was] something I wanted to do. I always knew it was something I wanted to do. But more importantly, it was about making wise decisions. Was this the role I wanted to come out playing?"

That determination would later land Kate a small role in the Fox television series Party of Five. Sadly, after one episode, her character was written off the show. Following her appearance on Party of Five, Kate decided to give the television world another try with an appearance on EZ Streets. In a gradual process of growth and a desire to steer her career in a different path Kate gravitated towards the more lucrative world of major motion pictures. In 1998 Kate appeared in two small films, Ricochet River based on Robin Cody's novel with the same title and Desert Blue which also starred Casey Affleck and Christina Ricci. Finally people took notice after the small buzz film 200 Cigarettes. Kate was cast as the eccentric virgin Cindy. Other actors attached to the project included Courtney Love, Ben Affleck and Janeane Garofalo.

> Almost Famous became Kate Hudson's star-making vehicle. Kate's performance as the free-spirited and mistreated band-aid Penny Lane in the Cameron Crowe directed film stole the show. Debuting in September 2000 at the Toronto International Film Festival, Kate and the film began to garner a lot of buzz.  Kate was determined to work with the Jerry Maguire director ever since she heard about his upcoming film. Ready to work as an extra just for the chance to be in his film, she fell in love with the script and especially the role of Penny Lane. Kate was however originally set to play Anita Miller, the stewardess sister of William Miller. Call it a twist of fate but luck was on Kate Hudson's side as the role of Penny Lane (originally offered to actress Sarah Polley) became available once the other actress backed out of the film allowing Kate to slip right into the role of a lifetime. Penny Lane was the role that made Kate the "it" girl of the moment, and everyone couldn't stop talking about her effortlessly seeming  flawless performance. The film earned much deserved acclaim during award season and gave Kate her first major award a Golden Globe win for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture. The film also won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical. Hot off the win of her Golden Globe award, Kate was nominated for an Academy Award; an actors dreams. Hudson didn't win the Oscar losing out to Marcia Gay Harden for her role in "Pollock".

"It would have been a dream come true if I'd won, but I think it was too early"

> Following the success of Almost Famous Kate was now on the fast track to A-list status. Kate was offered the role of Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man but turned it down, instead Kate signed on for a remake of  The Four Feathers starring Heath Ledger, Wes Bentley and Djimon Hounsou. The film failed to connect with audiences and critics. Although some fans may argue that Kate’s career choices following Almost Famous have yet to live up to the potential displayed in that movie, Kate is undeniably talented and has the ability to captivate an audience. Kate rebounded her lackluster success with the monster hit in romantic comedy How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days. The film released in February 2003 grossed over $100 million domestically making it Kate’s biggest box office hits to date. In the romantic comedy Kate played Andie Anderson the resident how to girl at a popular women's magazine. Desperate for her chance to write more serious pieces she sets out to write her last how to, and ends up falling in love.

"You know something like Spider-Man will be a huge hit and that you're going to work with fantastic people. You just have to decide if it's the right time to be doing those things, and for me it wasn't."

Later that year Kate appeared in Rob Reiner directed comedy Alex & Emma. In the film Kate played Emma Dinsmore a stenographer hired to type out a novel for an author whose life depended on the completion of this novel for money to pay of a debt. The film was unable to capture the same audience as How To Lose A Guy. Kate followed up Alex & Emma with the Merchant Ivory film Le Divorce, a comedy of manners and morals based on the best-selling novel by Diane Johnson, the cast included Naomi Watts and Glenn Close.

"I make mistakes all the time, but you've got to go with your gut instinct"

> Along with her growing career, Kate's personal life had developed rather quickly. Kate had another Crowe to thank in her life: her husband Chris Robinson, the lead singer of the Black Crowes. Life seemed to imitate art as Kate and the rocker tied the knot in Aspen on New Year's Eve 2000 during an intimate ceremony. A lot of people couldn't understand the unlikely pairing but for them it was a very spiritual connection. After nearly four years of marriage Kate and Chris had their first baby; a boy Ryder Russell Robinson born January 7th 2004. Ryder was born in Los Angeles, two weeks early. Kate had gone in to be induced because of the baby's estimated size, and labor stalled. He was born by cesarean section and weighed in at 8 lbs, 11 oz. The name Ryder came from two songs that Chris's band played in concert while on tour in 2003: The Grateful Dead number "I know You Rider" and Robinson's own "Ride" which was the final song on the set list. Standing backstage Kate would find her belly bouncing around rhythmically at the end of every show.

"The baby used to always go nuts for that song. So I made a joke-why don't we call the baby 'Ride'? Then a few weeks later, I thought, hmm, Ryder. And all the other names fell by the wayside."

The loving family first appeared on 20/20 that year in a sit down interview with Barbra Walters. That summer Kate also appeared on the cover of  the June issue of  American Vogue, the 8-page piece featured photos of Kate & Chris with their new baby. 

> It wouldn't be too long after giving birth that Kate Hudson would find herself back at work. That summer Kate Hudson found herself in New Orleans filming The Skeleton Key. The film—a supernaturally thriller—had a darker tone which was a much needed departure from the string of romantic comedies Hudson had come to be known for. In the movie Kate played Caroline Ellis, a hospice worker determined to make enough money to attend nursing school, after failing to nurse her own father through his death. Caroline takes a job as a live-in caretaker for the aging owners of an isolated plantation house—a man rendered nearly lifeless by a stroke and his sister on the recommendation of the siblings' lawyer. But when Violet gives Caroline the house's skeleton key, she begins to discover things that are best left locked away. The film wasn't well received by critics but performed moderately well at the box office. After Almost Famous & How To Lose A Guy, The Skeleton Key has turned out to be a big favourite amongst fans of Kate Hudson's work.

Kate & Oliver Hudson at the Skeleton Key L.A premiere after party.

It wouldn't be until almost a year before we saw Kate Hudson back on the big screen. Kate's follow up would be a return to comedy in the Russo brother's film You Me and Dupree. In the comedy a newly married couple finds themselves in a bit of a predicament when a close friend over does his stay at their home. The film stared Matt Dillon and Owen Wilson who was hot off  of the success from his previous films Cars and Wedding Crashers. While Dupree failed to match Wedding Crashers success the movie performed decently at the box-office, earning nearly $70 million domestically.

On August 14th 2006, a month after the release of You, Me and Dupree, Kate Hudson announced that she would be separating from her husband of nearly six years. The tabloid media went into overdrive and suddenly Kate Hudson's private life became news worthy. No confirmed reasons were given for the split despite all of the hear say and rumours. At the time it was reported that Kate had been dating her co-star Owen Wilson. 

"This [level of interest in her private life] is totally new for me! I was married, happy and oblivious to all of this. The second I became single is when it started."

That fall Kate Hudson began working on Fool's Gold a movie that saw her re-teaming with her How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days costar Matthew McConaughey. In the movie—shot in Australia and parts of the Caribbean—McConaughey and Hudson play married treasure hunters whose eight-year search for booty leaves them broke and out of gas. Just as they divorce, they stumble upon a missing clue that might lead them to a fortune. In between the time of the films completion and its release, Kate had not appeared in any other movies. Keeping herself busy Kate took on the task of directing "Cutlass" a short film for Glamour Reel Moments an award-winning short film series inspired by Glamour Magazine readers' real life moments. The series has been responsible for launching 14 directorial debuts by some of the most powerful women in Hollywood over the past few years.

Cutlass follows the story of Robin, a mother that buys an expensive new guitar for her young daughter, afterwards she begins to reminisce about the time she got her first car an Oldsmobile Cutlass. The short premiered September 2007 at Glamour Magazine's Reel Moments.

After completing Cutlass that summer Kate sunk her teeth into another project, a physical comedy. This time teaming up with Dane Cook, Jason Biggs and Alec Baldwin in the film "My Best Friend's Girl" (formerly known as Bachelor No2.) In the movie Tank (played by Dane Cook) faces the ultimate test of friendship when his best friend hires him to take his ex-girlfriend (Hudson) out on a lousy date in order to make her realize how great her former boyfriend is.

"She's really connected as a human being. With a lot of actors it's 'There's me as an actor and there's me as a person,' and I'll get t know them in that order. With Kate it was the opposite. I got to know her as a person first and found out that she draws on a lot from life."

- Howard Deutch director of My Best Friend's Girl .

After debuting Cutlass, completing My Best Friend's Girl and dealing with all of the press for Fool's Gold, Kate Hudson began promoting her next venture David Babaii for WildAid. The line is a range of natural hair products developed by Kate's longtime friend and hairdresser David Babaii. Kate first met David through her publicist Brad Cafarelli at the beginning of both of their careers. David had just graduated from Vidal Sassoon and Kate needed a blow-dry.
 

Kate told Vogue magazine that the idea came to her after a friend had developed breast cancer. Shortly after she began researching the possible connections between additives in her beauty products and the disease (a link that has never been definitively proven, but is the subject of much debate). Kate went through her own bathroom cabinets, tossing anything that used sulfates, parabens, or animal testing, all of the so-called "dirty dozen" and then began looking for alternatives. After finding only a few cosmetic lines that she liked Kate decided to make her own. She signed up for a business course online and teamed up with David in a division of labor she describes as "heavy lifting" for him and being "basically the guinea pig" for her.

In spring 2008 Kate began work on her 17th film Bride Wars. The comedy follows two best friends Liv & Emma who become rivals when they schedule their weddings on the same day. The film which was shot in Boston and New York City, also stars Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada) is the first of many projects that Kate Hudson both stars in and produces. Bride Wars is tentatively set for release sometime in 2009. Following Bride Wars Kate will begin production on a Big Eyes a drama centered on the awakening of the painter Margaret Keane, her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband, who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s.

"I still have so much time for really great, complicated characters. I don't feel rushed. If you don't take time off from your career, you become too internalized. You forget to look around. You need to be open, to disappear."

last updated: June 14, 2008