What began as a quintessential Hollywood love story on the Australian outback set of 'Crocodile Dundee' has ended with a candid admission of growing apart. A throwback interview with American actress Linda Kozlowski has resurfaced, shedding new light on the quiet dissolution of her 24-year marriage to Aussie icon Paul Hogan.
The Fairytale Beginning and a Candid End
The pair first met in 1985 while filming the classic comedy that would make Hogan a global superstar. Kozlowski, then 27, played journalist Sue Charlton opposite Hogan's Mick Dundee. Their on-screen chemistry soon sparked a real-life romance, culminating in a wedding in Byron Bay in 1990, surrounded by intense media attention. They welcomed their son, Chance, in 1998.
However, the fairytale unraveled in 2014. In a candid interview with New Idea soon after the split, Linda Kozlowski, now 67, revealed the simple, sad truth. 'Honestly, we just naturally grew apart,' she stated. She elaborated, noting 'One of our problems was we really had nothing in common, and, over time, that happens to a lot of people.'
A Complicated Backstory and Life After Hollywood
Their romance was not without controversy. When Kozlowski signed on for Crocodile Dundee, Hogan, now 86, was technically still married to his first wife, Noelene Edwards. The pair had a long and complicated history:
- They first married young in 1958 and had five children together.
- They divorced in 1981, only to remarry less than a year later.
- They split for good in 1986, after Hogan fell for his much younger co-star, Kozlowski, on set.
Following their 2014 divorce, Kozlowski stepped away from Hollywood entirely. Her last screen role was reprising Sue Charlton for the final Crocodile Dundee film in 2001. She has since been in a long-term relationship with Moulay Hafid Baba. Their son, Chance, lives with his father in Los Angeles.
Hogan's Reflections on Love and Partnership
Paul Hogan has also spoken openly about the end of his marriages. In 2020, he told The Daily Telegraph that both relationships 'just wore out' over the decades. With characteristic bluntness, he admitted, 'I'm not much of a partner. I'm good early on, but after 20 or 30 years or so they get sick of me.'
Despite the personal upheavals, Hogan's career was defined by the film that brought them together. Crocodile Dundee was a global smash, earning him a Golden Globe for Best Actor and an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. While the romance that bloomed on set has faded, the legacy of their iconic partnership endures on screen, a bittersweet reminder of a love story that captivated the world.
