LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Actor Kurt Russell had his long-time partner and actress Goldie Hawn almost in tears on Thursday as the couple received dual stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“Goldie to you, I owe my wonderful life,” said the 66-year-old as he paid an emotional tribute to his partner of 33 years.
“Simply put Goldie, I cherish you. And all the stars in the sky or on the boulevard don’t hold a candle to that.
“There’s no one else I’d rather be next to than Goldie Hawn.”
The celebrity couple were joined on the podium by Hawn’s actress daughter, Kate Hudson, as well as Reese Witherspoon and Quentin Tarantino, who directed Russell in a number of movies including “The Hateful Eight.”
“Can we just get married? We’ve never had a celebration like this before,” quipped the 71-year-old Hawn during the rare double ceremony in Tinseltown.
Hudson also joked that the event had a wedding-like atmosphere and said she felt honored to speak about the couple’s work.
“I was slotted in to talk about my mother, but I have two parents and they’re both here,” she said.
“I always thought I’d be talking about them at a wedding or something. But since a wedding doesn’t seem to be in our near future, ever, this may be my only opportunity.”
Witherspoon paid a tearful tribute to Hawn, calling the Academy Award winner a “legend” and “icon” who had broken all sorts of barriers for women.
Hawn, who made her acting debut in 1967, received a best supporting Oscar in 1970 for her role in “Cactus Flower” in which she portrays the suicidal girlfriend of a dentist.
She has starred in more than 30 films, the latest of which is kidnap comedy “Snatched,” which comes out in theaters next week.
Russell for his part started his acting career at age 10, appearing in some of television’s most storied shows including “Gilligan’s Island,” “Lost in Space” and “Gunsmoke.”
He has also starred in dozens of movies, the latest of which is “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2,” which opens in theaters on Friday.
The couple first met in 1968 on the set of “The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band,” but didn’t date at the time because of their age difference. She was 21 at the time and he was 16.
They reconnected years later in 1984 on the set of “Swing Shift” and have been together since, becoming one of Hollywood’s most enduring couples.