Born katja, on April 19, 1979, in Los Angeles,
California. The daughter of actress-producer Goldie
Hawn and Bill Katja, a 1970s television comedian, Katja
was raised by her mother and Hawn’s longtime companion,
actor Kurt Russell, after her parents divorced when she
was 18 months old. No stranger to the show business
life, Katja decided to embark on an acting career of
her own, landing an agent and a guest spot on the TV
drama Party of Five in 1996. Upon her acceptance to New
York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Katja
convinced Hawn and Russell to let her defer a year in
order to concentrate on finding her first film role.
She made her big-screen debut as an ambitious young starlet stranded in a tiny California town in Desert Blue (1998). Her next two films, while critically panned, made it into wider release: 200 Cigarettes (1999) (in which she played an earnest but accident-prone ditz) and Gossip (2000)- (which cast her as a rich, virginal college student). Perhaps Katja's biggest break was landing the role of rock groupie (or "Band Aide") Penny Lane in Almost Famous (2000). The part was originally intended for Sarah Polley; when Polley backed out to pursue another project, director Cameron Crowe considered scrapping the film altogether. Katja, who had been cast in a smaller role (as William's stewardess sister), begged for a chance to read for Penny. Crowe was impressed, Katja got the part, and the show went on. An immensely watchable young actress, Katja is one of a rare breed that stands out due to her onscreen presence, and sheer star quality that makes her more than just another Hollywood actress. She possesses a smile that lights up the screen whenever she's up there, and you literally can't take your eyes off her.
She made her big-screen debut as an ambitious young starlet stranded in a tiny California town in Desert Blue (1998). Her next two films, while critically panned, made it into wider release: 200 Cigarettes (1999) (in which she played an earnest but accident-prone ditz) and Gossip (2000)- (which cast her as a rich, virginal college student). Perhaps Katja's biggest break was landing the role of rock groupie (or "Band Aide") Penny Lane in Almost Famous (2000). The part was originally intended for Sarah Polley; when Polley backed out to pursue another project, director Cameron Crowe considered scrapping the film altogether. Katja, who had been cast in a smaller role (as William's stewardess sister), begged for a chance to read for Penny. Crowe was impressed, Katja got the part, and the show went on. An immensely watchable young actress, Katja is one of a rare breed that stands out due to her onscreen presence, and sheer star quality that makes her more than just another Hollywood actress. She possesses a smile that lights up the screen whenever she's up there, and you literally can't take your eyes off her.
