Goldie Hawn, a Hollywood icon with a career spanning over five decades, began her journey to stardom right here in Montgomery County. Her name is often among the first mentioned when discussing celebrities from our area.
The Academy Award-winning actress, producer, and dancer was born in Washington DC in 1945. Goldie Jeanne Hawn was raised just across the district line in Takoma Park, MD. Her mother, Laura, ran a dance school, and her father, Rutledge Hawn, was a professional musician. This artistic environment fostered Goldie’s early passion for performance. She began taking ballet and tap dancing lessons at the age of three and, by age ten, was already performing in the chorus of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo’s “The Nutcracker.”
Hawn’s high school years cemented her love for the stage. She attended Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, graduating in 1963. It was during this time that she truly caught the acting bug, participating in Blair’s theatrical productions and famously delivering a show-stealing performance in the school’s 1963 production of “Bye Bye Birdie.”
After high school, Hawn’s connection to the local area continued. She enrolled at American University in Washington, D.C., as a drama major while simultaneously running her own ballet school. Though she eventually left college to pursue her dreams in New York City, those formative years in Montgomery County provided her with the training and discipline that would serve her throughout her illustrious career.
Even after achieving international fame on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” and starring in a string of hit films, Hawn never completely forgot her roots. She has spoken fondly of her “stomping grounds” in Downtown Silver Spring and her memories of growing up in Takoma Park, showcasing a connection that remains a proud part of her identity.
Today, while her life and work are based on the West Coast, Goldie Hawn remains one of Montgomery County’s most famous residents of all-time.
