Kate Hudson American Actress Known for Almost Famous

Early life

Kate Garry Hudson was born on 19 April 1979 in Los Angeles. Her parents are the musician and actor Bill Hudson and the actress Goldie Hawn, and she grew up in Snowmass, Colorado, and Pacific Palisades, California. She attended the Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences, graduating in 1997. Although she had been accepted to New York University, she chose to pursue acting rather than start a degree.

Career

Hudson made her film debut in the drama Desert Blue in 1998 and appeared in the ensemble comedy 200 Cigarettes the following year. In 2000 she took parts in Dr. T & the Women and About Adam, among other titles. Her breakthrough was Almost Famous, Cameron Crowe's 2000 film, in which she played the character Penny Lane. The role earned her the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and a nomination for the Academy Award in the same category.

In 2002 she appeared in The Four Feathers, as Ethne Eustace, opposite Heath Ledger. During the following years she became closely associated with romantic comedies. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) paired her with Matthew McConaughey, and the two worked together again on Fool's Gold in 2008. Other films from this stretch include Le Divorce and Alex & Emma in 2003, Raising Helen in 2004, the thriller The Skeleton Key in 2005 and You, Me and Dupree in 2006. In 2007 she wrote and directed the short film Cutlass. Bride Wars followed in 2009, the same year as the musical Nine, directed by Rob Marshall.

Her work in the 2010s was varied. She appeared in The Killer Inside Me (2010), A Little Bit of Heaven and Something Borrowed (both 2011), Wish I Was Here (2014) and Rock the Kasbah (2015). She voiced a character in Kung Fu Panda 3 in 2016, took the role of Felicia Williams in Deepwater Horizon that year, and was cast in Mother's Day and Marshall. On television she had a recurring part in the series Glee beginning in 2012.

The 2020s brought Music (2021), directed by Sia, and the role of Birdie Jay in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). In 2024 she signed with Virgin Music Group and released her debut album, Glorious, in May. Song Sung Blue (2025) gave her a lead role opposite Hugh Jackman as Claire Sardina. By the end of 2025 her recorded credits totalled 36 films and a television series.

Hudson also works in business and publishing. In 2013 she co-founded the activewear brand Fabletics with TechStyle Fashion Group, and she is the author of two books: Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body (2016) and Pretty Fun: Creating and Celebrating a Lifetime of Tradition (2017).

Recognition

Her Golden Globe win for Almost Famous, at the 2001 ceremony, together with the Oscar nomination for the same performance, remains the best known of her honours. She has since been nominated for a Golden Globe for Music and for Song Sung Blue, and her performance in Song Sung Blue brought a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 2026 she was named to the Time 100 list. Overall, two wins and two nominations are on record.

Personal life

Hudson married the singer Chris Robinson, lead vocalist of The Black Crowes, on 31 December 2000 in Aspen, Colorado. The marriage ended in divorce, finalised in 2007. She has three children.