Legendary Hollywood star Kurt Russell turned 75 today, marking just another milestone in his storied life and career.
The son of actor Bing and dancer Louise Russell made his acting debut way back in 1963 at the age of 12, kicking Elvis Presley in the leg for It Happened at the World's Fair. And since then, he's appeared in cult classics, Golden Globe winners, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and much more.
© Getty ImagesBut throughout his decades as an actor, he's proudly also showcased his decades spent as a dad to his four children, including his son Boston Russell with ex-wife Season Hubley, his son Wyatt Russell with longtime partner Goldie Hawn, and Goldie's two kids from her previous marriage, actors Kate and Oliver Hudson.
As the most public of his kids, Kate and Oliver have been very vocal about their close relationship with Kurt, especially given their complicated history with their biological dad Bill Hudson. Here's all you need to know about the loving relationship Kurt shares with Kate and Oliver…
Kurt Russell, aka "Pa"
Kurt and Goldie began dating in 1983, years after they first met while on the set of a movie in the '60s. Both Oliver and Kate were children then, and they've spoken frequently about growing up acknowledging Kurt as their dad, especially after Bill left following his divorce from Goldie.
During an episode of his and Kate's podcast Sibling Revelry, the Nashville star recalled: "Kurt came into my life when I was six, five or six and essentially he raised me. I'm the man I am today because of him, right? There was a moment when he asked us, myself and Kate, if we wanted to be adopted, and we said no."
He explained, though, that it came from a place of not needing the official certification to finalize it, the same way Kurt and Goldie haven't walked down the aisle during their 43 years together.
© Getty Images"Not that we were — you know, very aware of probably what it even [expletive] meant. We were six and 12 or however, I don't remember the age, but we just said, 'Well, we don't need it. The love is right there.'"
Kate and Oliver's tense relationship with Bill
The siblings' closeness with Kurt was compounded especially by their fraught relationship for years with their dad Bill. After his divorce from Goldie in 1982, his contact with his children became limited.
In 2015, in fact, Bill gave an interview to the Daily Mail, saying: "Goldie wanted to create this myth of a perfect family with Kurt and she wanted me out." Of his own children, he stated: "I say to them now, 'I set you free'. I had five birth children but I now consider myself a father of three. I no longer recognize Oliver and Kate as my own."
© Getty Images"I would ask them to stop using the Hudson name. They are no longer a part of my life," adding Oliver "is dead to me now. As is Kate. I am mourning their loss even though they are still walking this earth."
Healing and coming together
In recent years, though, Oliver and Kate have started rebuilding their relationship with their biological father, particularly with Kurt's support. During that same podcast episode, Oliver noted: "...my dad — he was around for a little bit, then he bailed. We have a good relationship now, but it took a long, long, long, long time, but we're there."
© InstagramKate's relationship with Bill, on the other hand, is still rocky, although it has been improving. During an appearance on CBS Mornings in 2024, she admitted that while she still "doesn't have" a relationship with him, it is "warming up."
It seems they do share a good relationship with their extended family members now, with Oliver and Kate's uncle Mark Hudson, who was in the Hudson Brothers band with Bill, cheering his niece on ahead of the 98th Academy Awards on March 15 (which Kurt attended with Kate and Goldie).
© Getty Images"Saying a prayer that my beautiful niece [wins] the Oscar tonight for sure… She deserves it," he gushed alongside a recent photo of theirs on Instagram. Kate and Oliver both follow Mark, and Kurt liked the photo as well.
