William Louis Hudson Jr. (born October 17, 1949) is an American musician and actor. He was a vocalist in The Hudson Brothers, a band he formed in 1965 with his two younger brothers, Brett and Mark. He later had a brief acting career, appearing in supporting roles in '' Zero to Sixty'' (1978), '' Hysterical'' (1983), and '' Big Shots'' (1987). He also appeared in a recurring guest role on the series '' Doogie Howser, M.D.''.

Early life

Hudson was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, the eldest of three sons ( Brett and Mark are his two younger brothers) born to Eleanor (née Salerno) and William Louis Hudson. His mother was

Italian American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...

(his maternal grandfather came from

Carlentini Carlentini ( Sicilian: ''Carruntini'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily (Italy). It lies 45 km (28 mi) outside the provincial capital of Syracuse. The city's name has its origins in the neighboring town of ...

, Province of Syracuse, Sicily, Italy). Hudson, Bil
"2 Versions: The Other Side of Fame and Family"
/ref> He and his brothers were nephews (by marriage) of actor

Keenan Wynn Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his stock-in-trade; and though he rarely carried the lead role, he had prominent billing in mos ...

. Hudson's father left his family when Hudson was six (famously saying he was going out for a pack of cigarettes), and he stated that his mother had to depend on welfare to support her children. He and his siblings were raised in the Roman Catholic faith.

Career

The Hudson Brothers

Other ventures

As an actor, Hudson appeared in the film '' Big Shots'' (1987), and three episodes of the television series '' Doogie Howser, M.D.'' from 1989 to 1992. Hudson released his memoir, ''Two Versions: The Other Side of Fame and Family'', in December 2011.

Personal life

In 1974, Hudson dated actress Jill St. John. A year later he became involved with Goldie Hawn, and they married in 1976. Hudson filed for divorce in 1980 and it was finalized two years later. They have two children, Oliver Hudson (b. 1976) and Kate Hudson (b. 1979), who were raised by Hawn and

Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began acting on television at the age of 12 in the Westerns on television, western series ''The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (TV series), The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters'' (19 ...

. Hudson would later accuse Hawn of "willfully alienating" him from their children. Hudson next had a relationship with Ali MacGraw, which dissolved by mid-1981. Hudson married Cindy Williams in 1982 and they had two children, Emily (b. 1982) and Zachary (b. 1986) before divorcing in 2000. He also has a daughter (named Lalania) born in 2006 to ex-girlfriend Caroline Graham. In 2018, Hudson's son, Oliver, told Larry King that he and his father had begun speaking again after being estranged for many years. Hudson campaigned for Democratic politician Michael Dukakis' presidential bid in 1988.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hudson, Bill 1949 births Male actors from Portland, Oregon American male composers 21st-century American composers American male film actors American male singer-songwriters American people of English descent American people of Italian descent American male television actors American multi-instrumentalists Catholics from Oregon Cleveland High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni Living people Musicians from Portland, Oregon Hudson family (show business) Singer-songwriters from Oregon 21st-century American male musicians