Born on this day in Washington D.C., radiant actress Goldie Jeanne Hawn (1945-) was a dancer by the age of three and a professional actress by the time she turned 16.

"I was named for my mother's Aunt Goldie, who died a year before I was born," Hawn explained.

Her career exploded in 1968 when she joined the comedy-variety show, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. A ditzy, giggling blonde in comedy sketches, she was an unforgettable go-go dancer, bikini-clad with her body painted with slogans.

"Once you can laugh at your own weaknesses, you can move forward. Comedy breaks down walls. It opens up people. If you're good, you can fill up those openings with something positive. Maybe you can combat some of the ugliness in the world," she once said.

The upbeat actress earned her film break in the 1969 comedy Cactus Flower, winning a Supporting Actress Oscar and the hearts of fans throughout the world. She followed that up with Shampoo (1975), Private Benjamin (1980) and Swing Shift (1984), where she met her partner, actor Kurt Russell.

"I have a light personality and a very deep-thinking brain. Those two things are very different things," said the star of The First Wives Club (1996, w/Bette Midler).

A successful director and producer, Hawn has balanced her career with raising her family and has watched with pride as her daughter, Kate Hudson has captured the screen with her own brand of charisma and talent.

Hawn observed, "I've finally stopped running away from myself. Who else is there better to be?"

Celebrate it all...