Patricia Hawn, also known as Patti Hawn, is an American entertainment publicist and author who has spent much of her career outside the spotlight. Born on March 24, 1938, she is the older sister of actress Goldie Hawn and belongs to a family that has remained closely connected to the entertainment industry for several generations.
Unlike her sister, Patricia built her professional life behind the camera, working in film publicity and contributing to a range of well-known Hollywood productions. Her career in the industry forms an important part of her story, but her life has also included experiences that she later documented in her memoir.
In 2012, Patricia Hawn published Good Girls Don’t, But I Did: Memoirs of a Texas Child, in which she discussed becoming pregnant at 19, placing her son for adoption, and eventually reconnecting with him later in life. Her family background also connects her to Kate Hudson, Oliver Hudson, and Wyatt Russell through her sister Goldie, giving her a place within one of Hollywood’s most recognizable extended families.
Patricia Hawn: Key Facts at a Glance
| Category | Details |
| Full Name | Florence Patricia “Patti” Hawn |
| Known As | Patti Hawn |
| Date of Birth | March 24, 1938 |
| Age | 88 years old as of August 2026 |
| Birthplace | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Profession | Entertainment publicist and author |
| Known For | Behind-the-scenes film publicity and her memoir Good Girls Don’t, But I Did |
| Sister | Goldie Hawn |
| Mother | Laura Hawn, née Steinhoff |
| Father | Edward Rutledge “Rut” Hawn |
| Maternal Family Connection | Aunt of Kate Hudson, Oliver Hudson, and Wyatt Russell through Goldie Hawn |
| Memoir | Good Girls Don’t, But I Did: Memoirs of a Texas Child |
| Memoir Publication | 2012 |
| Notable Film Credits | Ghost, Death Becomes Her, Escape from L.A., Scream 3, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days |
| Professional Role | Film publicist and unit publicist |
Childhood and Family Roots
Patricia Hawn was born on March 24, 1938, in Washington, D.C. She is the eldest daughter of Laura Hawn, née Steinhoff, and Edward Rutledge “Rut” Hawn. Her younger sister is actress Goldie Hawn. The family later lived in Takoma Park, Maryland, where the two sisters grew up.
Patricia Hawn’s childhood was shaped by a household connected to both music and the performing arts. Her father worked professionally in music, while her mother ran businesses associated with jewelry and dance. Those family circumstances gave Patricia and Goldie early exposure to creative and performance-oriented interests, although they eventually followed different professional paths.
A lesser-known part of the family history concerns a child born before Patricia. Laura and Edward had a son, Edward Rutledge Hawn Jr., in 1937, but he died during infancy. His death was kept private by the family, so Patricia and Goldie grew up without knowing that they had an older brother who had died before Patricia was born.
Her Parents and the Hawn Household
Patricia Hawn’s parents had established professional identities of their own before their daughters became connected with Hollywood. Edward Rutledge Hawn was a musician and conductor who played the saxophone, clarinet, and violin. He was also associated with the Arthur Godfrey Orchestra, where he worked as a conductor. He died in Los Angeles on June 7, 1982, at age 73 after suffering a ruptured aorta.
Laura Hawn combined entrepreneurship with her interest in dance. She operated a jewelry shop and a dance school, and her later connection with the entertainment business included brief appearances in Goldie Hawn’s films Swing Shift (1984) and Deceived (1991). Laura died on November 27, 1993, on her 80th birthday.
The family’s genealogy has also attracted attention because of a long-standing claim about Edward’s ancestry. Some popular accounts have identified him as a direct descendant of Edward Rutledge, the youngest signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. Later genealogical research has challenged that connection and instead traced his family line to another ancestor named Joseph Rutledge. For that reason, the claimed descent from the Declaration signer should not be treated as an established fact.
Career Behind the Camera
Patricia Hawn built her career in Hollywood as a film publicist, with many of her professional credits identifying her as a unit publicist. Unlike her sister Goldie, she worked behind the camera and developed a career within the publicity side of film production.
Patricia Hawn credits span several decades and include Overboard, Ghost, Army of Darkness, Tombstone, Blown Away, Death Becomes Her, Escape from L.A., Tank Girl, Executive Decision, Scream 3, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
Her work on Ghost is credited specifically as unit publicist. She also held the same role on Death Becomes Her, a 1992 film featuring Goldie Hawn. The American Film Institute’s catalog lists Patricia in the production’s publicity credits.
Her later work included Escape from L.A. and Scream 3, while How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days connected her professional filmography with a movie starring her niece, Kate Hudson.
Patricia Hawn Age and Birth Details
Patricia Hawn is 88 years old as of August 2026. She was born on March 24, 1938, in Washington, D.C., and is the older sister of Goldie Hawn, who was born in November 1945.
Her birth date places her more than seven years ahead of Goldie in age. Unlike her younger sister, Patricia spent most of her professional life outside the spotlight, working in film publicity rather than pursuing an acting career.
Memoir and Adoption Story
In 2012, Patricia Hawn published Good Girls Don’t, But I Did: Memoirs of a Texas Child, a memoir that brought a deeply personal part of her early life into the public record.
In the book, she wrote about becoming pregnant at age 19 in 1958. The pregnancy was kept private, and her baby boy was placed for adoption. Patricia later reconnected with her son, David, after many years apart.
Her decision to discuss the experience provided a personal account of a period in her life that had remained private for decades. The memoir therefore adds an important dimension to her biography beyond her career in film publicity and her connection to the Hawn family.
Relationship With Goldie Hawn
Patricia Hawn and Goldie Hawn grew up together as sisters in Takoma Park, Maryland, after being raised by Laura and Edward Rutledge Hawn. Patricia, born in 1938, was the elder of the two, while Goldie was born in 1945.
Although Goldie eventually became the more publicly recognized member of the family, the sisters shared the same early family environment and upbringing. Their childhood was shaped by parents with strong connections to music, dance, and creative pursuits, experiences that formed part of the family background before either sister established a career in entertainment.
Patricia’s relationship with Goldie also places her within the older generation of a family that later expanded through Goldie’s children and grandchildren. Her connection to that family is separate from her own professional record, which developed through her work in film publicity.
Connection to Kate Hudson
Patricia Hawn is the maternal aunt of actress Kate Hudson through her older sister, Goldie Hawn. This makes Patricia part of the family line connecting Laura Hawn’s daughters with the next generation of performers.
Kate Hudson established her acting career with films including Almost Famous and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. The latter has a direct professional connection to Patricia, who is credited with unit publicity on the film.
The film provides a notable example of their professional paths crossing within the same production. Kate appeared in a leading role, while Patricia worked in publicity behind the scenes.
Her Place in the Hawn-Hudson Family
Patricia Hawn belongs to the older generation of the extended Hawn-Hudson family. Her sister Goldie Hawn has three children: Kate and Oliver Hudson with musician Bill Hudson, and Wyatt Russell with actor Kurt Russell.
Through Kate Hudson, Patricia is also the great-aunt of Ryder Robinson, Bingham Bellamy, and Rani Rose Fujikawa. This places her within several generations of a family whose members have established careers in acting and entertainment.
Edward Rutledge Hawn and His Children
The relationship between edward rutledge hawn patricia hawn was that of father and daughter. Patricia was the eldest surviving daughter of Edward Rutledge “Rut” Hawn and Laura Hawn, followed by her younger sister, Goldie Hawn. The family lived in Takoma Park, Maryland, where the sisters spent their childhood.
Patricia Hawn’s place in the family was also shaped by the loss of her parents’ first child. Edward Rutledge Hawn Jr. was born in 1937 and died during infancy, before Patricia’s birth. Because Laura and Edward kept the loss private, Patricia and Goldie did not grow up knowing about their deceased older brother.
Edward’s family life later became part of the wider Hawn lineage through his daughters. Patricia pursued a career in film publicity, while Goldie entered acting and eventually became one of Hollywood’s best-known performers. Their different careers created separate paths for the sisters while keeping them connected through the same family background.
Personal Life and Public Profile
Publicly available records list marriages to Andrew Birznieks, Joseph McKenna, and Stephen Mitteldorf. These details are part of the publicly documented biographical record, although information about her day-to-day personal life is comparatively limited.
Her decision to write about her past in Good Girls Don’t, But I Did: Memoirs of a Texas Child provides one of the clearest public accounts of her personal experiences. Beyond the information she has shared through her memoir and professional records, relatively little has been documented about her private life in major public sources.
Conclusion
Patricia Hawn’s story offers a different perspective on a family widely associated with Hollywood fame. Her professional life was connected to the film industry, but she built her identity away from the attention that surrounded some of her relatives.
Her memoir and documented career add depth to a life that has remained relatively outside the public spotlight. Together, these aspects place her within the broader history of the Hawn family while also showing that her own story developed along a distinct path.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is Patricia Hawn?
Patricia Hawn, also known as Patti Hawn, is an American entertainment publicist and author best known as Goldie Hawn’s older sister and for her behind-the-scenes work in Hollywood.
2. When was she born?
Patricia Hawn was born on March 24, 1938, in Washington, D.C. She later grew up with her younger sister Goldie Hawn in Takoma Park, Maryland.
3. How old is she?
As of August 2026, Patricia Hawn is 88 years old. Her birth date is March 24, 1938, making her more than seven years older than Goldie Hawn.
4. What did she do for a living?
She built her career as a film publicist and unit publicist, with credits on productions such as Ghost, Death Becomes Her, Scream 3, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
5. Is she related to Kate Hudson?
Yes. Patricia Hawn is Kate Hudson’s maternal aunt because Kate’s mother, Goldie Hawn, is her younger sister. They also share a professional connection through How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
6. Who were her parents?
Her parents were Laura Hawn, née Steinhoff, and musician and conductor Edward Rutledge “Rut” Hawn. They raised their daughters in the Takoma Park area of Maryland.
7. Did she publish a memoir?
Yes. She published Good Girls Don’t, But I Did: Memoirs of a Texas Child in 2012, covering personal experiences from her youth, including pregnancy, adoption, and a later family reunion.
8. Who is her son?
Her memoir recounts that she had a son named David, whom she placed for adoption after becoming pregnant at 19 in 1958. She later reunited with him as an adult.
9. What movies did she work on?
Her film-publicity credits include Overboard, Ghost, Army of Darkness, Tombstone, Blown Away, Death Becomes Her, Escape from L.A., Executive Decision, and Scream 3.
10. What is known about her family background?
Patricia comes from a family with strong connections to music, dance, and entertainment. Her sister Goldie and several younger family members later established careers in Hollywood.
