Oliver Hudson on AllMovie

With a family tree that includes such notable relatives as Goldie Hawn, Kate Hudson, and Bill Hudson, it wouldn't take a psychic to predict that Oliver Hudson would eventually pursue a career in show business. Of course, that's not to say that the aspiring actor simply coasted his way to success based strictly on his surname, as young Hudson showed great promise on the hockey rink before working his way up the ladder as a production assistant on such features as Father's Day and Conspiracy Theory. Sure, the films he found work on may have been of higher profile than the average wannabe actor/filmmaker, but Hudson gamely paid his dues on the lower rungs of the Hollywood echelon nonetheless. Though in his early years Hudson and his friends could frequently be spotted shooting amateur short films and hamming it up in front of the camera, a passion for hockey led the athletic teen to lace up his skates and take to the ice before opting to finish high school in Los Angeles and study film at the University of Colorado. A return to the west coast following his education found Hudson working as a production assistant by day and planning an ambitious short film by night, and shortly after, he was spotted in acting classes by a talent scout. Hudson began hitting the audition circuit soon after. With good looks and talent to boot, it didn't take long for Hudson to land roles in such features as The Out-of-Towners and The Smokers. A series of appearances on the WB's teen hit Dawson's Creek no doubt helping to raise his profile among young television viewers, Hudson was soon stepping into the lead for his own short-lived series, entitled My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star. If that series didn't find him breaking out as many had expected, a turn as the free-spirited, unlikely heir to a lucrative ski resort in the 2004 WB series The Mountain may just be the role needed to kick Hudson's career into overdrive.