Who is Paul Hogan?

Paul Hogan was born on October 8, 1939 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is an actor, presenter, writer and comedian, best known for his work in the “Crocodile Dundee” film series. He rose to world fame after playing the titular character in the first movie released in 1986, a role that nominated him for an Academy Award.

The Wealth of Paul Hogan

As of the beginning of 2020, Paul Hogan’s net worth is estimated to be over $20 million earned through a successful career in the entertainment industry. His work as Crocodile Dundee also opened up numerous other opportunities for him in acting, and he has received numerous awards for his contribution to the entertainment industry.

Early life and career beginnings

Paul was born in Sydney, although early in his career many thought he was from Lightning Ridge as he faked his heritage to sound more interesting. After growing up and completing his education in Sydney, his first career as a painter was working on the construction of the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

He aspired to something bigger and eventually set his sights on an acting career. He first appeared in the 1971 edition of ‘New Faces’, an amateur talent program broadcast on Australian television via the Nine Network. The show was known for its judges who often demeaned or belittled the performers’ ability.

Knowing this, he claimed a fake talent and took the opportunity on stage to prank the judges before making a comedic performance. This resonated strongly with the audience and viewers, and he was invited to the show a few more times. His skill in comedy caught the attention of Nine Network’s Mike Willesee, who then offered him a regular role on the show “A Current Affair”, where he would make a joke or a humorous comment about some news of the day.

Rise to fame

During Hogan’s time on “A Current Affair”, he became close friends with producer John Cornell who would become his manager, and the two would later become partners in business as well.

After working there, he started the comedy skit “The Paul Hogan Show”, which he was responsible for most of the writing for. The show debuted in 1973 and ran for 11 years and became popular in Australia, UK and South Africa.

Also in the 1970s, he became known for his advertisements promoting Winfield cigarettes, in which he often wore a formal suit. He also regularly appeared in Australia’s tourism advertisements, which aired in the US. His next project was in 1985, in the miniseries “Anzacs‘, playing the character Pat Cleary, set in World War I and following the story of men who became part of the First Australian Imperial Force.

The film was known for many high profile actors, such as Jon Blake, Megan Williams, Andrew Clarke and Bill Kerr.

Crocodile Dundee

In 1986, Paul rose to international fame when he was cast in “Crocodile Dundee”, a film he also co-wrote. The film follows the titular character who lives in the Australian Outback. It was an attempt to produce something that would appeal to the US, but it turned out to be a global phenomenon. It became the highest-grossing film of all time in Australia and the second highest-grossing film of the year in the US. His work led him to receive nominations for multiple awards, and he even co-hosted the 59th Academy Awards.

He later reprized his role in “Crocodile Dundee II” which continued its success at the box office, although it was not as successful as the original. He was offered numerous roles in action films in the US, but turned down many of them due to their violent nature. He was very selective in his roles in the 1990s, working on “Flipper”, “Lightning Jack”, Almost an Angel”, and later reprising his famous role in “Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles”. In recent years he has been touring Australia stand up performances – biographical films, miniseries and documentaries have also been made about his life.

Former wife – Linda Kozlowski

Linda started her career in 1981 and performed in various stage productions in the US, mostly on Broadway, such as in “Death of a Salesman”, she later appeared in the film adaptation of that play in 1985. Although relatively unknown, her popularity grew . significantly when she became the lead actress in Hogan’s “Crocodile Dundee” as their on-screen relationship eventually turned into a real one. Her performance in the film was also praised and she reprized her role in the two sequels. In 200 she retired from acting and admitted that she was disappointed with many of the roles that were offered to her.

She was getting movie roles that felt like straight-forward video films to her, and that left her unsatisfied. She also planned to start a family and so decided to retire.

Private life

Paul’s first wife was Noelene Edwards whom he married in 1958. They stayed together for 23 years and then divorced, but reconciled, leading to a remarriage a year later. In 1990, they divorced again, and the proceedings were covered by the media as it was considered a very ugly affair, and involved his “Crocodile Dundee” co-star Linda Kozlowski, whom he married in 1990. parting in 2014, and he has been single ever since. He has five children with Noelene, and one with Kozlowski.

There was one big problem that hit Hogan and that was it tax evasion. In 2007, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) launched an investigation into him, but the charges were eventually dropped. However, the case was later resumed when the ATO became aware of a possible tax fraud operation by several Australian companies to hide their money offshore. This led to a long and expensive battle, but he won five million Australian dollars (AUD) in 2008. However, the government did not give up on the case, as in 2010 the tax authorities claimed that he owed AUD 37.5 million. Eventually the charges were dropped, but Hogan responded to the cases by filing one against the government, suing them for damage to his reputation. The matter was handled confidentially and in 2013 he then went on to engage in a lengthy legal battle in the US against Strachans, alleging that a bank they owned had gotten away with a huge amount of money he had saved there. He failed the claim and was unable to access his money.

, Wikipedia