Goldie Hawn’s short-lived first marriage was to a man you may recognize

Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell might be one of the most beloved power couples in Hollywood, and have been together for over 40 years.

The actress, 77, seems happy with Kurt now, but she went through her fair share of high-profile men before she found The One.

Her very first one, however, came just before she hit it big in Hollywood, with dancer, actor, and director Gus Trikonis.

Goldie and Gus first started dating in 1966, a couple years before she garnered attention for her appearances in the NBC sketch comedy show Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. They even shared the same birthday (November 21).

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At that time, Gus had more significant credits to his name, thanks to his turn as Indio, one of the Sharks, in the historic 1961 film adaptation of the Broadway musical West Side Story.

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He was also a dancer on the 1964 film The Unsinkable Molly Brown, performing alongside Debbie Reynolds and Grover Dale, and was part of the ensemble that danced for Elvis Presley in his 1968 comeback special on NBC, which has since become an iconic moment in TV history.

Goldie and Gus tied the knot in 1969, the same year the film Cactus Flower was released, which earned Goldie her first (and to date only) Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

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The two were married for four years, separating in 1973 when Goldie’s fame soared and Gus attempted to pivot to directing. In an interview with People in 1976, the actress explained what was going through her head at the time.

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“I had drained my bucket. I wanted to go somewhere, like the Indians, and meditate,” she’d said. However, while they had separated, they didn’t actually file for divorce at the time, nor attempt to.

“We didn’t get divorced because neither of us wanted to remarry,” Goldie explained, but that sentiment went out the window when she met musician and one-third of The Hudson Brothers, Bill Hudson.

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Goldie and Bill met by chance on a flight in the summer of 1975 and quickly struck up a romance, and eventually the topic of marriage came up.

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It was on New Year’s Eve in 1975 that Goldie filed for divorce from Gus, the same day she had gotten engaged to Bill. But, keeping with California community property law, Gus demanded $75,000 from the actress.

“I was hurt,” Goldie candidly stated in her conversation with the outlet. “He never supported me a day in his life. I don’t blame him for being unemployed – having me for a wife, it was very hard for him to build up confidence.”

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They eventually did settle, with the Overboard star going on to marry Bill in July 1976, a month after her divorce was finalized, welcoming her children Oliver and Kate Hudson with him, both of whom are now well-known actors.

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Bill eventually filed for divorce as well, and their separation was finalized in 1982, not long before she and Kurt began dating while filming 1984’s Swing Shift.

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Gus did eventually branch out into directing, helming a few exploitation and action films throughout the 70s and 80s while also directing episodes of shows like Baywatch, Quantum Leap, and Beauty and the Beast.

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He found love again as well, marrying costume designer Barbara Andrews in 1978, with whom he welcomed son Nicholas in 1981. They remained together till her death in 2012.