Paul Hogan turns 87 today, and it has been 40 years since he showed America what a real knife looks like. He was born on Oct. 8, 1939, in New South Wales, Australia. Before anyone handed him a script he worked as a rigger on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. A 1971 appearance on the talent program ‘New Faces’ led to ‘The Paul Hogan Show,’ which made him a household name at home from 1973 to 1984.
Then came the hat and the easy grin. ‘Crocodile Dundee’ opened in Australia in April 1986 and reached American theaters on Sept. 26 of that year. According to Flickering Myth, the comedy cost 8.8 million Australian dollars to make and went on to earn $328 million worldwide. Hogan came up with the idea during a visit to New York, where he felt like a fish out of water and wondered how a Northern Territory bushman would cope. The role won him a Golden Globe. He co-wrote the screenplay, which was nominated for an Academy Award, and he co-hosted the Oscars that same night in 1987.
Paul Hogan And ‘Crocodile Dundee’ Are Still Drawing A Crowd
The film also changed his personal life. Hogan met his American co-star Linda Kozlowski on the set, and they were married from 1990 to 2014. Their son Chance is the youngest of his six children. The movie itself has had a second life. A remastered version called the ‘Encore Cut’ premiered in Sydney in January 2025, and Hogan made a rare public appearance to see it.
Variety Australia reported that he sat down with 7NEWS that July for a candid interview about his health and his outlook after he was photographed in a wheelchair at Sydney Airport. Four decades on, people still quote Mick Dundee back to him. Not bad for a bridge rigger from Sydney.
