Paul Hogan Turns 87, Forty Years After ‘Crocodile Dundee’ Made A Sydney Bridge Rigger A Hollywood Star

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.

From Sydney Harbour Bridge Worker To Hollywood Star

Hogan’s unlikely entertainment career began with a prank. In 1971, while working on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, he entered the Australian talent show New Faces under the guise of a tap-dancing knife thrower. Instead of delivering the expected performance, he turned his attention to the judges, poking fun at their habit of ridiculing contestants. His cheeky routine delighted audiences and caught the attention of television personality Mike Willesee, who invited him onto A Current Affair. Those appearances eventually led to The Paul Hogan Show, the popular sketch comedy series that ran for 11 years and established him as a star in Australia.

American audiences actually knew Hogan before Crocodile Dundee thanks to a series of Australian tourism commercials. Beginning in the early 1980s, he appeared in advertisements encouraging Americans to visit his homeland, famously offering to put an extra “shrimp on the barbie” for them. The campaign became a cultural phenomenon, helping transform Australia’s image as a vacation destination. According to Tourism Australia, the advertisements helped move the country from 49th to first place on Americans’ list of most desired international destinations. Hogan was named Australian of the Year in 1985, shortly before the film that would make him internationally famous arrived in theaters.

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.

That interview offered a more personal glimpse of the actor’s later years. After photographs of Hogan using a wheelchair at Sydney Airport raised concerns among fans, he spoke with 7NEWS about his health, his family, and his desire to spend more time in Australia. Although he has lived in Los Angeles for years, Hogan expressed a strong wish to return to his homeland. The conversation also touched on his youngest son, Chance, and the intense public attention surrounding his family. It was a more reflective side of the entertainer whose relaxed humor once made him one of Australia’s biggest international stars.

Four decades after Crocodile Dundee made him an international sensation, Hogan remains one of Australia’s most recognizable entertainers. His journey from a Sydney Harbour Bridge worker to a Golden Globe-winning movie star was as improbable as any Hollywood screenplay. At 87, he can look back on a career that helped introduce the world to Australian humor, gave moviegoers an unforgettable character, and proved that sometimes a well-timed joke can change a person’s entire life.