Latest news with #Thaddeus
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Inside Crododile Dundee star Linda Kozlowski's life with Moroccan tour guide partner as she shunned fame to run property empire
Linda Kozlowski bid farewell to Hollywood nearly 25 years ago after living in her ex husband Paul Hogan's 'shadow'. But instead of missing the glitz and glamour of red carpets, movie premieres and award galas, the Crocodile Dundee star appears to be perfectly content away from the spotlight. Now, the 67-year-old Golden Globe nominee lives a serene life in village-like Ojai, California, alongside her second husband, Moroccan tour guide Moulay Hafid Baba, and their four-year-old Golden Retriever, Thaddeus. The retired American actress shot to international fame playing New York reporter Sue Charlton in the 1986 blockbuster that also made a star of her first husband, Paul, 85, who starred as the rugged Australian crocodile hunter Mick Dundee. While she may have won the hearts of fans worldwide as a blonde damsel in distress who was saved from a croc in the nick of time by the leading man, these days the star looks almost unrecognizable as she enjoys a peaceful life out of the limelight. Linda, now a youthful brunette, retired from acting due to dissatisfaction with the roles she was being offered in the wake of her Dundee success. In an interview with Scripps Howard News Service in 2001, after her last screen appearance in the much-loved franchise, she opened up about her choice to leave Hollywood behind and quit acting. 'These straight-to-video, schlocky films I was getting were giving me an ulcer, basically because I was the only one on the set that cared about anything,' she said at the time. 'I'd say, "Well, this scene doesn't make sense." [They would say,] "Aw, so what, just say the lines." [And] I thought, "This isn't fun anymore. This is not why I studied, it's not what I love." Between that and my biological clock, I decided to give it all away.' She told the Los Angeles Times in 1988 that she ended up being typecast by Hollywood casting directors after Crocodile Dundee, which she said was both a blessing and a curse. 'After Crocodile Dundee, I turned down lots of stuff, most of it where I'd play the girlfriend of some funny man,' she said. She also opened to the MailOnline in 2014 about 'living in Paul's shadow' after the pair fell in love on set of Crocodile Dundee. Paul - 19 years Linda's senior - was still married to wife Noelene Edwards when first filming the franchise. The actor, who would later leave his home country behind to settle in Los Angeles with Linda, wed his co-star in 1990, welcomed son Chance, now 27, eight years later and finalised their divorce in 2014. 'Paul is very famous and I lived for a long time in his shadow,' Linda admitted. 'I feel good now to be out on my own and be doing my own things.' Opening up about their divorce in 2014, Linda told New Idea: 'Honestly, we just naturally grew apart. One of our problems was we really had nothing in common and, over time, that happens to a lot of people.' She insisted, however, that she and Paul were amicable. 'We've been separated to a certain degree for a long time,' she explained. 'The divorce is not sudden. It is very friendly. We talk all the time. We co-parent our son.' While she may have won the hearts of fans worldwide as a blonde damsel in distress who was saved from a croc in the nick of time by the leading man, these days the star (pictured) looks almost unrecognizable as she enjoys a peaceful life out of the limelight Proving that to be case even a decade on, Linda and Paul were recently spotted with their son Chance, who frequently makes headlines over his erratic behaviour, and the retired actress' partner Moulay, in LA. Pictures showed Linda looking youthful as she stepped out for dinner with the group at a local restaurant. She opted for a casual look for the meal, sporting black trousers, a matching top and shawl, as well as beige sandals, while carrying a Louis Vuitton handbag. Since leaving Hollywood, Linda often documents her incredible trips on social media with her new travel companion and long-time lover Moulay. Since meeting more than a decade ago, the couple have travelled all over the globe, including Africa, Spain, Greece, Italy, Japan, Australia and more, all documented on Linda's official Instagram account. Moulay, a tour guide and location scout from Morocco was introduced to Linda through mutual film producer friends in 2014. The couple went into business together in Marrakesh, running Dream My Destiny, which provides tours for tourists and location scouting for films. 'I was coming often, and friends wanted to come and tour with me and they knew that Baba knows a lot about the country,' Linda previously explained to the MailOnline. 'And it just naturally came into place.' In an interview with Scripps Howard News Service in 2001, after her last screen appearance in the much-loved franchise, Linda (pictured) opened up about her choice to leave Hollywood behind and quit acting. 'These straight-to-video, schlocky films I was getting were giving me an ulcer, basically because I was the only one on the set that cared about anything,' she said Linda said that the experience and business venture had breathed new life into her ambitions following her split from Paul in 2013 after 23 years of marriage. Two years ago the couple purchased a newly remodelled single story, four-bedroom, two-bath home in Ojai for nearly $2million. Ojai is a haven for artists and people who love the outdoors with its numerous biking, hiking, and horse trails. But their home in the village-like city isn't the only residence of Linda's, since the retired actress appears to have spent her one-off payment of $6.25 million in her divorce settlement on becoming a property tycoon. The brunette beauty has bought three Venice Beachfront properties, which is dubbed Silicon Beach for the tech-CEOs it attracts. She's even earned the title of the Queen of Silicon Beach after having sold one home for $1.9 million in order to buy a $2 million home that she's now renting out. A neighbour told Daily Mail Australia in 2017: 'She has been really smart and made millions. She got a settlement from Paul of course and she's used it well. 'She's definitely her own woman now. Property prices have rocketed in Venice and she's rode the crest of a wave, no doubt about it.' The source added: 'Everyone who's anyone wants to live in Venice and it's where big earners at Google and Snapchat want to live. 'All the neighbours call her the 'Queen of Sillicon Beach' because of it. We all wish we had the clout and sense to buy properties like she has and make the same kind of money. Her fortune will only do one thing - go up.' Meanwhile, the neighbour added that the star has been on a 'health kick' in recent years, and her hard work has apparently paid off. 'Going on a health kick... has taken years off,' the insider said. 'She's nearly 60 but could pass for a woman in her 40s. No problem,' the source continued. 'She's lost at least 20lbs.' Linda previously addressed rumours of plastic surgery, after many publications speculated about her ageless good looks and nearly wrinkle-free complexion. 'I don't have plastic surgery,' she said adamantly to the MailOnline in 2014. 'I had my nose done when I was like 20 years old. Can I just say one thing about that? I work like a dog to stay in shape. 'And there's only one way to look good – it's hard work. Work like a dog every morning. Hard work that's it!' Her regime consists of daily push ups, sit ups, and ballet. But when she is in Morocco she runs the sand dunes. But Linda's life hasn't been entirely smooth sailing - with her troubled son Chance sparking concern for his welfare recently after sharing concerning videos to his Instagram stories in January. 'This is my life. This is what it's been reduced to,' Chance slurred as he took sips from his wine glass. The camera he angled toward his face and laptop wobbled as he struggled to hold it steady while he spoke. He then leaned in close and said: 'Please. Please kill me. I'm begging you.' Chance, an aspiring musician who has been based in Venice Beach with his famous father, has frequently made headlines over his erratic behaviour. But when caught up with Paul while he ran errands in Los Angeles in December, the father-of-six said there was nothing to fear. Asked if he was worried about Chance, Paul shook his head casually and smiled before replying: 'Nah.' He continued: 'No. It's a lot of made up stuff and a lot of it he [Chance] does on purpose.' The largely reclusive star appeared friendly and happy to chat despite the rumours and concerns circulating about his son. Chatting to Today show entertainment editor Richard Wilkins in May, Paul was asked for an update on the condition of his son, and said: 'Alright. Better than he gets. 'He gets a lot of tabloid stuff, but he's a terrible person because he knows they're watching him and he puts something on for them.'
CBC
12-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Arrest of Columbia student protester sends chill across campus, say faculty
The arrest and threatened deportation of a student activist at Columbia University is a threat to free speech on campus and across the U.S., says professor Michael Thaddeus. "It's a very dark day in the history of the Republic, when someone can be imprisoned just for exercising their constitutional rights," the Columbia math professor told As It Happens host Nil Koksal. "And it seems to be a nakedly clear case of that." Thaddeus is one of several faculty members at the New York school speaking out on behalf of Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for his role in campus protests against Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Khalil, a U.S. permanent resident, was arrested without charge at his university-owned apartment on Saturday in front of his pregnant wife, and sent to a detention centre in Louisiana. The arrest was sparked by an executive order, signed by U.S. President Donald Trump, vowing to combat what he characterized as antisemitism on campus and deport pro-Palestinian student protesters, who he labelled "Hamas sympathizers." What happened? Khalil, who is of Palestinian origin, came to the U.S. on a student visa in 2022 and became a permanent resident last year. According to court filings, he completed a master's degree in public administration in December 2024 and was set to graduate in May. He was a prominent member and negotiator for Columbia's protest movement against the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. Trump alleged on social media, without evidence, that Khalil supported the Palestinian militant group Hamas, something the activist's lawyers vehemently denied. When Khalil was first arrested, the officers threatened to revoke his student visa and deport him, his lawyers said. When he corrected them that he, in fact, had a green card, they said they would revoke that instead. A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked Khalil's deportation while his lawyers challenge the constitutionality of his arrest. During Khalil's first court hearing in New York City on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman ruled the activist must be permitted private phone calls with his lawyers. One of Khalil's lawyers, Ramzi Kassem, said his client had been allowed just one call with his legal team from immigration detention in Louisiana, that it was on a line recorded and monitored by the government, and was cut off prematurely. Brandon Waterman, a lawyer for the government, said he had not been aware of any issues with Khalil's access to his lawyers but would look into it. The scene outside the courtroom was tense as hundreds of protesters gathered, holding signs reading "Release Mahmoud Khalil" and chanting "Down, down with deportation, up, up with liberation." Funding cuts to Columbia Meanwhile, back on campus, representatives from the Columbia chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) met with the university's interim president Katrina Armstrong. Thaddeus — who is the vice-president of the Columbia chapter — says he and his colleagues pressed Armstrong to support Khalil, to no avail. "The university administration has been remarkably silent on the matter of this arrest," he said. The reason, he suspects, has to do with money. Already, the Trump administration has suspended $400 million US in federal grants and contracts to Columbia over allegations of antiseminism tied to pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Thaddeus called the cuts and the arrest a "two-pronged attack" by the Trump administration against Columbia. "The federal government has a lot of leverage over us," Thaddeus said. Nevertheless, he urged the administration, faculty members and students to speak out. "That leverage is going to be exerted on us no matter what we do, or no matter what we say," he said. "So we might as well, you know, stand up and have the courage of our convictions." Columbia University did not respond to multiple CBC requests for comment. Other professors and their representatives have also spoken out against Khalil's arrest and the funding cuts, both of which they say are causing a chill on free speech and academic freedom. Reinhold Martin, president of the AAUP's Columbia chapter, said in a statement that the funding cuts have nothing to do with antisemitism, and everything to do with "crushing dissent and privatizing government supported research." The AAUP called for Khalil's immediate release. English professor Marianne Hirsch, the child of Holocaust survivors who grew up in Romania, said Khalil's arrest brought back her "most tormenting childhood nightmares." "The illegal detention and threatened deportation of a student, who is a green card holder, has made everyone here unsafe," Hirsch said at a press conference on Monday. 'Mahmoud is my rock,' says wife Mahmoud's wife, a U.S. citizen who is eight months' pregnant, released a statement through her husband's lawyers. They did not disclose her name. "Mahmoud is my rock, he is my home, and he is my happy place," the statement reads. "For everyone reading this, I urge you to see Mahmoud through my eyes as a loving husband and the future father to our baby. I need your help to bring Mahmoud home, so he is here beside me, holding my hand in the delivery room as we welcome our first child into this world. Please release Mahmoud now."
