Kurt Russell had to choose between two things he loved – would he chase a career as an actor or become a professional baseball player? He joined the minor leagues after being inspired by his father who was also a professional baseball player.
He made it to class AA in the California Angels in 1973, where he played second base. He had a pretty good average of .563 which got him to the league but he decided to pursue an acting career instead.
The Action Hero
In the meantime, Russell's career was on a standstill. He held minor roles in TV shows and films until landing the leading role in the TV movie, Elvis. The movie earned him an Emmy nomination. His recognition continued to grow when he played Snake Plissken in a dystopian action movie, Escape from New York and the sequel Escape from Los Angeles.
Russell would once again unite with Escape director John Carpenter to work on the horror movie The Thing.
Last Written Words
Apparently, Walt Disney's last written words were "Kurt Russell," shortly before his death in 1966. This mystery still hasn't been made sense of. Kurt was a child actor for Walt Disney Studios before attaining world-wide fame.
He was also on 10-year contract with the studio to work in their films and was the studio's biggest star in the 1970s. Did Disney write this message in prediction that Kurt Russell was soon to become a huge star?
Two Separate Lives
Similar to their differing professional lives, their personal lives were also developing in contrast to one another. Goldie married dancer Gus Trikonis in 1969 in Hawaii. The pair were together for seven years.
Shortly after the divorce, Hawn married musician Bill Hudson of the Hudson Brothers and they had two children together – Oliver and Kate. Russell, meanwhile, tied the knot with Season Hubley with whom he starred in Elvis and had a son with her named Boston.
Matrimony No More
Kurt and Hubley's marriage lasted for four years. They divorced in 1983. Hawn, meanwhile, divorced Hudson in 1980. She and Bill had met while she was still married to Trikonis.
Both Hawn and Russell's marriages failed around the same time and they were both conveniently single again during the same years. However, the two would never have expected that they would end up together.