Actress who shot to fame in Australian blockbuster goes unnoticed during nostalgic return to Montecito where she once lived with her co-star ex…can you guess who?
She was once one of the most recognizable faces of the 1980s after starring in a famous Australian blockbuster.
The glamorous actress shot to worldwide fame playing a fearless reporter who found herself navigating crocodile-infested waters in the outback.
The then-28-year-old blonde bombshell captivated audiences with her on-screen chemistry with her male co-star who would rescue her character in one of the film’s most memorable scenes.
Their romance on the film would carry on off-screen – with the pair later marrying in real life, creating a scandal at the time because her leading man was nearly two decades older and already married when they met.
Despite her overnight success, she went on to star in a string of roles she later dismissed as ‘straight to video’ and ‘schlocky’ before walking away from Hollywood completely.
These days, the retired star lives a far quieter life in California – even slipping under the radar during a casual outing in Montecito, where she once lived with her famous ex-husband. Can you guess who?
The retired actress, now 68, showed off her natural complexion while going makeup-free during the sunny California outing last week
She became an overnight global star in the mid 80s thanks to the runaway success of her 1986 blockbuster co-starring her first husband, but she went largely unrecognized by locals in Montecito last week
The mystery woman is none other than Crocodile Dundee star Linda Kozlowski!
Now 68, Kozlowski showed off her makeup-free complexion while enjoying a day trip to Montecito with her second husband Moulay Hafid Baba and their Golden Retriever Thaddeus from their home in Ojai, California.
Now a brunette, she went unrecognized by locals who used to be her neighbors when she lived in the Upper Village area with first husband Paul Hogan from 1998-2010.
The happy couple was spotted doting on their large dog as they ate lunch on the patio of the popular Montecito Coffee Shop, bringing their own water bowl for the pooch as they enjoyed a quiet meal in the perfect weather.
Kozlowski wore a black top and leggings, with a breezy white blouse and checkered black and beige fanny pack with white sneakers.
Her reddish-brown hair kept back by dark sunglasses perched on top of her head. Moulay was just as casual with black joggers, grey hoodie and black athletic shoes.
Kozlowski became a top box office star after making a major splash in the hit 1986 film Crocodile Dundee alongside her ex-husband Paul Hogan, now 85
The former Hollywood star enjoyed a relaxed day trip from her home in Ojai to Montecito with her husband Moulay Hafid Baba and their Golden Retriever Thaddeus
Kozlowski kept it comfy and casual in a black top and leggings paired with a breezy white blouse and sneakers
After lunch, Linda could be heard directing her husband of almost a decade to a nearby CVS Pharmacy where she wanted to buy something before doing more sightseeing.
It was a trip down memory lane for Linda who enjoyed showing Moulay her old haunts, and reminiscing about her time in the ritzy seaside enclave where celebs like Oprah, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Ellen DeGeneres, Katy Perry and more have homes.
Her life now looks very different than it was back then and she no longer lives in the shadow of her ex-husband’s fame.
After quitting Hollywood, the Juilliard-trained actress embraced her love of travel, starting a tour business with Moroccan-born Moulay called ‘Dream My Destiny.’
The two travel the world together and own a single-story, four-bedroom, two-bath $2 million home in Ojai, California.
Linda posed with an alligator on a California beach during the 2000 filming of Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles
After leaving Hollywood, Kozlowski started a travel company with her second husband and now lives a more low-key life in Ojai
After splitting with Hogan, Kozlowski married Moroccan tour guide Moulay Hafid Baba in 2017
Forty years ago back in 1986 it was another story for Linda Kozlowski when she was catapulted into worldwide fame overnight with the success of Crocodile Dundee.
As daring reporter Sue Charlton, she singlehandedly launched the ‘thong body suit craze’ when she famously took a dip wearing a black one that showed off her sleek, sexy physique while in croc-infested waters in the outback of Australia.
It was grizzled Aussie bushman Mick Dundee, played by Paul Hogan who came to her rescue.
Reddit users joke online that many a VCR tape was ‘worn out’ in that portion from rewinding and rewatching the scene of Linda’s sexy damsel in distress character.
The 1986 film grossed $328 million and remains the most successful Australian movie of all time.
Audiences could feel the attraction between Kozlowski, then 28, and a then married Hogan who was 19-years her senior.
Kozlowski shot to worldwide fame in 1986 playing reporter Sue Charlton in the blockbuster hit Crocodile Dundee
The couple created quite a scandal in 1990 when Paul filed for divorce from his wife Noelene, now 85, the mother of his five children—sons Brett, Scott, Clay, Todd, and daughter Lauren— and married Linda.
They made two more sequels in the franchise: Crocodile Dundee II in 1988 and Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles in 2001.
While they owned multiple homes in the US, in Hollywood Hills and Malibu, the Hogans put down roots in Montecito, California.
In 1998 they purchased a lavish 8,500 square foot six-bedroom, eight-bath estate on almost three acres for $6.7 million that they named ‘Casa Leo Linda’.
The gated property boasted a dog run, koi pond, fruit orchard, pool, tennis court, landscaped gardens and even a children’s tree house.
Their son Chance Hogan, now 28, was raised there and even attended nearby schools.
Kozlowski shares son Chance with ex-husband and former co-star Paul Hogan. The family was pictured together in 2013
The French-style mansion was featured in a September 2001 issue of Architectural Digest.
The home was sold in 2010 for $5.5 million, a loss of $1.2 million. Hogan had to raise the money after getting embroiled in a battle with the Australian Taxation Office.
The office accused Hogan of not paying his proper contribution to the government on $150 million in income between 2004-2012.
The case was eventually closed in a confidential ‘without admission’ settlement where Hogan argued he was a victim of a former financial advisor who ran off with his money.
Paul, 86, now lives in Venice, California, with their somewhat erratic aspiring musician son Chance, and Linda can be spotted visiting the two now and again.
Linda may have had a more lavish lifestyle back when she lived in Montecito with the Crocodile Dundee legend, but now seems perfectly content to live a more modest one just a half-hour away with her second husband Moulay.
