The 80s were a time when comedies were phenomenal, and in 1986, there was one film that broke the box office. If you liked action, crocodiles, and Australian accents, then Crocodile Dundee was your favorite movie that year. Based on Rod Ansell’s real-life survival in the Australian Northern Territory, the movie moved Paul Hogan to leading man status and brought newbie actress Linda Kozlowski instant stardom. Did Linda use her newfound celebrity to create a long-lasting acting career? Let’s find out what happened after Kozlowski starred in the record-breaking film.
Background info
In Fairfield, Connecticut, to parents Helen (Helena Parniawska) and Stanley (Stanislaw) Kozlowski, Linda Kozlowski was born on January 7th, 1958. For high school, she attended Andrew Warde High School and went on to Julliard, where Linda graduated with a Degree in Drama in 1981.
Linda’s acting career started off-Broadway, with the 1981 to 1982 production of How It All Began. She moved over to regular Broadway, starring as Miss Forsythe in Death of a Salesman in 1984. Her first time on the actual screen was in an episode of Nurse in 1982, but her movie debut was to reprise her role of Miss Forsythe for the film version of Death of a Salesman in 1985.
Her next role would find her fame – and her future husband.
Crocodile Dundee
In 1985 Linda landed her career-defining role when she portrayed Sue Charlton in the comedic action-adventure film Crocodile Dundee. The movie followed the title character, played by Paul Hogan, on his journey from Australia to New York with a reporter, played by Kozlowski. Her role in the movie earned Kozlowski a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Initially made as a low-budget film to appeal to Australians and Americans, it quickly grew into an absolute box office hit, going on to be Australia’s highest-grossing movie of all time up until then, and Australia’s highest-grossing worldwide release. It also claimed the number two spot (losing only to Top Gun) for highest-grossing film in the United States for 1986.
What did she do after Crocodile Dundee?
What came next for Linda? Well, a sequel, of course. Due to the extreme popularity and critical acclaim of the original, it’s no surprise that a second film shortly followed. In 1988, Crocodile Dundee II took the leads from New York back to Australia, where Colombian drug lords become a problem. Though it didn’t come near the heights of the first one, the sequel still settled at number six of highest-grossing movies in the U.S. and was the U.K.’s biggest cinematic opening at the time. Overall, not bad.
Linda then acted alongside then-husband Paul Hogan in the 1990 fantasy dramedy Almost an Angel. She stayed busy for the whole of the 90s, appearing in the thriller The Neighbor in 1993, and the crime drama Backstreet Justice and biographical drama Zorn, both in 1994.
The following year Linda starred with Christopher Reeves and Kirstie Alley in John Carpenter’s sci-fi horror film Village of the Damned in 1995.
What is Linda Kozlowski doing now?
Linda’s last appearance on screen was in the third and final installment of the movie that made her famous. In 2001, Linda and Paul came back for Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles. The movie was unfortunately a flop, leaving critics and fans to wonder why it was made.
Whether or not it was the way the public reacted to the film, it would mark Linda’s last time on screen. Kozlowski hasn’t acted in anything since, stating that part of the reason was the “schlocky films” she was being cast in. To be fair, she also wanted to raise her young son.
So, what has she been doing instead? Nothing to do with acting, that’s for sure. She doesn’t do conventions and doesn’t have a Cameo. If you wanted to, you could see what she’s up to on her Instagram account. She does still work, running Dream My Destiny with her partner, which helps scout locations for producers and provides tours for regular tourists.
Personal life
Linda found love on set when she met her Crocodile Dundee co-star Paul Hogan. The pair fell in love while making the movie, which was a bit of a scandal as Paul was still married to his wife of 30-plus years. After he divorced his first wife, they married in 1990, living in Australia before moving to Los Angeles in the late 90s. They share one child, a son named Chance, born in 1998. Linda filed for divorce from Paul in October 2013, which was finalized in July 2014.
She began dating Moroccan tour guide Moulay Hafid Baba not long after the divorce. The couple met through mutual producer friends that used Baba as a location scout for a project. Kozlowski splits her time between Marrakesh (mostly Morocco) and L.A., where she visits to see her son. Though nothing official has been released, there are claims the pair married back in 2017.
While she has no plans to return to Hollywood or act in anything again, her time as Sue Charlton was more than enough to bring her fame and fortune to last a lifetime. Her fans can always go back and rewatch the franchise while she enjoys the next chapter in her life.
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