Bill Hudson Biography

Bill Hudson was born William Louis Hudson Jr., on October 17, 1949, in Portland, Oregon, US, to Eleanor and William Louis Hudson. He grew up with his 2 younger brothers, Brett and Mark. While he had English and remote Dutch roots from his father’s side, he had Italian ancestry from his mother’s side of the family.

When Hudson was 6, he and his siblings were abandoned by their father. Following this, the family depended on welfare.

Bill Hudson was musically inclined since childhood, and his brothers were equally gifted. In the early 60s, the Hudson brothers started a trio named My Sirs, as teenagers. Their mother, Eleanor, who was a singer, inspired their music in their early years.

The trio won many local Battle of the Bands contests and eventually started recording at a local recording studio. Soon, they came to be known as The New Yorkers.

The 1967 single When I’m Gone was the brothers’ first hit. The group then released tracks such as Show Me the Way to Love and Mr. Kirby.

By then, the brothers had also begun touring with well-known acts such as Buffalo Springfield, Johnny Nash, and The Supremes. The band later changed their name to Everyday Hudson and released the single Love Is the World. In 1971, they released their new track, Love Nobody, as Hudson.

In 1972, Bill Hudson and his brothers Brett and Mark Hudson introduced themselves on TV as The Hudson Brothers. Throughout the 1970s, the teen idols ruled the music charts with their hit tracks such as So You Are a Star, Help Wanted, Lonely School Year, Coochie Coochie Coo, and Rendezvous.

Of these, there were two Top 40 hits, So You Are a Star, which reached number 21 in 1974, and Rendezvous, which made it to number 26 in 1975.

During this time, the brothers also toured with David Cassidy and the Osmonds. The Hudson Brothers also contributed to the back-up vocals for David Cassidy on his LPs The Higher They Climb and Home Is Where the Heart Is. They also signed to Elton John’s record label The Rocket Record Company.

In 1974, they made a guest appearance on the Sonny and Cher Show. The band also had a CBS variety show, The Hudson Brothers Show. The success of the show led to their own half-hour comedy sketch series called The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show. The show was aired on CBS from September 1974 to August 1975.

The Hudson Brothers continued releasing hit studio albums, such as Hollywood Situation, Totally Out of Control, and Damn Those Kids. Though the band disbanded in 1981, the brothers continued to make music long after that.

Bill Hudson has a few acting credits under his belt, too. Hudson has been seen in supporting roles in films such as the 1978 comedy Zero to Sixty (with his brothers), the 1983 comedy Hysterical, and the 1987 adventure comedy Big Shots. He was also seen in the recurring guest role of Michael Plenn in the medical sitcom series Doogie Howser, M.D.

Hudson also appeared in the TV film Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park (1978), the romantic comedy-drama series The Love Boat (1980), and the anthology series Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1986).

In 1988, Bill Hudson campaigned for the presidential bid of Democratic politician Michael Dukakis. In 2011, Hudson published his memoir, Two Versions: The Other Side of Fame and Family.

In 1974, Bill Hudson was reportedly in a relationship with actor Jill St. John. In 1975, he started dating actor Goldie Hawn. The couple had apparently first met on a flight from New York to Los Angeles. Hudson invited Hawn to dinner that night, and they soon fell in love.

They married on July 3, 1976, shortly after Hawn became pregnant with their first child. Hawn was previously married to actor-dancer Gus Trikonis.

Hudson and Hawn had 2 children, their son, Oliver (born in September 1976), and their daughter, Kate (born in April 1979). However, soon, the couple had problems in their marriage, apparently because of Hawn’s free-spirited nature and multiple boyfriends.

Hawn reportedly cheated on her husband with actors Warren Beatty and Yves Renier, apart from other men. In 1980, Hudson filed for divorce. The divorce was eventually finalized in March 1982.

On May 1, 1982, Hudson married another American actor, Cindy Williams. They had two children: daughter Emily (born in November 1982) and son Zachary (born in April 1986). The couple split in December 2000, after an 18-year long marriage.

In 2006, Hudson had a daughter, Lalania, with his long-time girlfriend, Caroline Graham. Hudson had apparently also dated Ali MacGraw, Karen Carpenter, and Loretta Swit.

Meanwhile, Oliver and Kate, Hudson’s children with Goldie Hawn, were raised by Hawn and her partner, Kurt Russell. In fact, both Oliver and Kate had a strained relationship with Hudson.

In 2015, on Father’s Day, Oliver posted an old picture of him and his sister with Hudson on social media, with the caption “Happy Abandonment Day.” However, Hudson has often stated that Hawn did not let him be a part of their children’s lives. Oliver and Kate reportedly mended their relationship with Hudson later.