Biography
Who is Bill Hudson?
Early life and real name
William Louis Hudson Jr. Was born on October 17, 1949, in Portland, Oregon. He was the first of three sons born to Eleanor Salerno and William Louis Hudson. His mother had Italian roots, as her own father moved to the United States from Fagnano Castello in the Calabria region of Italy. When Bill was about six years old, his father left the family and did not return. This left Eleanor to raise Bill and his two younger brothers, Brett and Mark, on her own.
The family faced financial difficulties during Bill's childhood and relied on welfare for support. He grew up in a Catholic household and attended Cleveland High School in Portland. Despite the challenges of his early years, he and his brothers maintained a close connection to the entertainment world through their uncle by marriage, the actor Keenan Wynn. This background eventually led the brothers to pursue their own paths in the music and television industry.
Music and acting career highlights
Bill Hudson started his professional path in music by forming the Hudson Brothers in 1965. He served as a vocalist alongside his brothers Brett and Mark. The group became a popular musical act and eventually transitioned into television work. Outside of the band, Bill explored a career in acting during the late 1970s and 1980s. He secured supporting roles in movies such as the 1978 comedy Zero to Sixty and the 1983 film Hysterical. In 1987, he appeared in the movie Big Shots.
Bill also found work on television, above all as a recurring guest on the ABC series Doogie Howser, M.D. He appeared in three episodes of the medical drama between 1989 and 1992. His contributions to the entertainment industry extend to songwriting and composing as well. In December 2011, he shared his perspective on his professional and personal life by publishing a memoir titled Two Versions: The Other Side of Fame and Family. Beyond his creative work, he participated in political campaigning for Michael Dukakis during the 1988 presidential election.
Family and relationships
Bill Hudson has been married twice and has several children. In the mid-1970s, he dated Goldie Hawn, and the couple married in 1976. They had two children together, Oliver and Kate, who both became successful actors. Bill filed for divorce from Hawn in 1980, and the legal process was completed in 1982. During his years as a bachelor, he was also romantically linked to singer Karen Carpenter and actresses Jill St. John and Loretta Swit. Following his divorce from Hawn, he had a relationship with Ali MacGraw that ended in 1981.
In 1982, Bill married his second wife, actress Cindy Williams. They had two children during their marriage before divorcing in 2000. He later fathered a daughter with Caroline Graham in 2006. For many years, Bill was estranged from his eldest children, Oliver and Kate. This tension became public in 2015 when Oliver made a statement on Father's Day, leading Bill to claim he had been alienated from them. However, in 2018, Oliver Hudson mentioned in an interview that he and Bill had started communicating again to repair their relationship.
Birthday and age
Bill Hudson was born on October 17, 1949, which makes Bill 77 years old today. That birthday falls under the Libra sign. Bill shares the date with 53 other famous people.
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