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.
Road to Stardom
After the two actors had finished filming the movie together, Goldie and Kurt each went their separate ways. One year later in 1969, Goldie won an Academy award for Supporting Actress for Cactus Flower as well as a Golden Globe Award.
Her career took off; she was gaining fans all over the world and was at the height of her career. She was nominated for another Academy award for her performance in Private Benjamin.
A Honky Tonk Woman
Goldie was an unstoppable force in the 70's. She hosted two television specials: Pure Goldie (1971) and The Goldie Hawn Special (1978). The latter was made her comeback, after she had been out of the spotlight for two years since 1976, when she played in The Dutchess and the Dirtwater Fox. During her two-year hiatus, she focused on her marriage and on the birth of her son. It seemed like everybody wanted to work with the star.
In 1972, Hawn released a solo country album for Warner Brothers. Her album Goldie was produced with the help of country sensation Dolly Parton and Buck Owens. The album, in which she covered Bob Dylan's song, received favorable reviews.
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?
Decisions, Decisions
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.