A couple of months after Kate's birth, Bill and Goldie divorced, and the estranged father has been out of his two children's (Kate and older brother Oliver) lives ever since. In 1983, Goldie met actor Kurt Russell, who has lived with the family for the past 18 years, and is considered by Kate to be her 'Pa'.

Taking after her mother's passion, Kate wanted to act since she was a young girl. But despite her strong desire for drama, her parents originally wanted her to take another career path. The prodigy finally got her first taste in front of the camera as a stand-in for the 7-year-old actress playing Goldie's daughter in the 1986 film, Wildcats.

After her graduation from Crossroads School of Arts and Sciences, Kate was accepted to NYU's Tisch School of Drama. But rather than taking her skills to the classes and student theater productions, she went straight for the real deal: Hollywood.

It was her role as Band-Aid Penny Lane, with which Kate captured the hearts and attention of both critics and audiences alike. Kate was determined to work with Jerry Maguire director Cameron Crowe ever since she heard about his upcoming film. Ready to work as an extra just for the chance to be in his film (which was finally titled Almost Famous), she fell in love with the script and especially the role of Penny Lane.