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Kurt Russell is an American film actor, known best for his many tough-guy action roles throughout the '80s and '90s. He has starred in many cult films, and frequently worked with John Carpenter.
Born on March 17, 1951 in Spingfield, Massachusetts, Kurt Vogel Russel was the son of Louise Julia (a dancer) and Bing Rusell (a character actor best known for playing Deputy Clem Foster on the classic tv western Bonanza). Following in his father's footsteps, Kurt began acting at a very young age and took on guest roles in a variety of forgotten television programs in the 1960's including Sugarfoot, Our Man Higgins, and The Eleventh Hour. By his early teens he began landing spots on more memorable programs, including The Fugitive, Lost In Space and one hilarious turn as a wild boy on Gilligan's Island shortly before turning 14.
Though Kurt had landed his first film role at 10 years old in the Elvis Presley film It Happened at the Worlds Fair, his film career truly began to take off when Walt Disney signed him as a child actor to a 10 year contract in 1966. During this time he starred in several light hearted family friendly films, a sharp contrast to the darker cult action films for which he would become known in the 1980's. Still, films like The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, Follow Me, Boys! (starring opposite Fred MacMurray of My Three Sons), The Barefoot Executive (co starring a chip and Col. Potter from MASH) and The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (where Kurt met long time partner Goldie Hawn for the first time) hold up as well as anyone could hope for live action Disney films pushing 40 years old. Kurt clearly enjoyed himself while making these movies, but by 1975 Kurt was 24 years old, out of his Disney contract and setting his sights on more than childhood acting.
Taking a short break from acting in the early 1970's, Kurt played baseball for the California Angels' minor league franchise the El Paso Sun Kings. He played second base, and for a time led the league with a .563 batting average. Unfortunately for baseball (but fortunately for fans of his later film career) in 1973 Kurt was struck by a ball, permanently damaging his throwing arm. The injury prematurely ended his baseball career and let Kurt to return to acting.
He took his first adult step back into the world of acting by audition for the role of Han Solo in a little film called Star Wars. He, of course, did not get the part, but let us pause for a moment and imagine what life would be like if he had.
During the late 1970's Kurt returned to his television roots, making short appearances on Gunsmoke, Charlie's Angels, Hawaii Five-0 and a 15 episode stint on the 1976 western The Quest. In 1979 he starred as Elvis Presley in a John Carpenter TV-movie, which would begin a long friendship, both personal and professional, between the two. His portrayal of Elvis (16 years after he starred in It Happened at the Worlds Fair with Elvis) earned him an an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special. After earning this critical success, Kurt paired with John Carpenter once again for Escape from New York, a dystopian sci fi action film fueled by cynicism, sarcasm and criticism of the police state of a not too distant future inspired by the recent events of Watergate. Russell was initially viewed as too soft a choice for the lead based on his previous films with Disney. The film's financial backers lobbied for Charles Bronson and Tommy Lee Jones, but Carpenter refused. Ultimately, while the terse, one eyed anti hero Snake Pliskin may not have won Russell the critical acclaim of the Elvis TV movie, it cemented his reputation as an iconic cult action hero.
Through out the 80's Kurt worked on a variety of cult classics and off beat comedies. Films such as The Best of TImes (opposite Robin Williams), Swing Shift and Overboard (reuniting Kurt with Goldie Hawn, who became romantically involved at this time) harken back to the more light hearted Disney films of Russell's youth. The Fox and the Hound sees Kurt return to Disney once again to provide voice over work for one of the main characters. A handful of dramatic turns round out Russell's body of work in the 1980's, and he is given the chance to star alongside some of the biggest names of the time: Meryl Streep and Cher (both in Silkwood), Mel Gibson and Michelle Pfeiffer (both in Tequila Sunrise) and Sylvester Stallone ( Tango and Cash). But Russell truly shines in his two other films with Carpenter this decade, The Thing and Big Trouble in Little China.
The Thing, while ultimately a box office failure largely resulting from poor timing (it hit theaters two weeks after the feel good E.T. and on the same day as sci fi heavyweight Blade Runner), endures as one of the most frightening films of the 1980's. Ever the reluctant hero, Russell battles a shape shifting alien, his fellow man, paranoia and the harsh Antarctic elements with little more than his wits to protect him. One of the more cerebral sci fi / horror films of the decade, it stands apart from the typical slasher fare and has enjoyed great success since the advent of the home video, which Russell acknowledges as a lasting contribution to his success in film.
Big Trouble in Little China sees Russell return as an even more reluctant hero than he portrayed in The Thing. Carpenter and Russell crafted a sometimes absurd, sometimes hilarious, sometimes racist, sometimes mystical, sometimes frightening action movie where in the hero is not the hero. While the lead role of Jack Burton was originally considered for Jack Nicholson or Clint Eastwood, Kurt Russell captures the well meaning ineffectiveness of the character, summarizing " at heart he thinks he's Indiana Jones but the circumstances are always too much for him". The film plays out as a sort of live action cartoon, with Russell playing a swaggering unabashedly American John Wayne... if John Wayne was a truck driver battling Chinese mysticism. Once again, Russell and Carpenter suffer at the box office as the result of poor timing... the similarly themed Golden Child hit theaters at the same time, and mega star Eddie Murphy stole much of the interest from the magical realism of Big Trouble In Little China. But as with Escape From New York and The Thing, Big Trouble In Little China lives on as a cult favorite with a successful afterlife on DVD and critical acclaim that, unfortunately, comes 25 years later than the film deserves.
During the 1990's Kurt generally appeared in larger, more lucrative films. Films such as Backdraft, Stargate, Executive Decision, Forest Gump (as the voice over for Elvis Presley), Captain Ron, Breakdown and Soldier feature a much more accessible Russell, as the films in general (and his roles in particular) are much less bleak than the ones for which he is most recognized (barring his reprisal of the role of Snake Pliskin in Escape From L.A.). Tombstone is one of the most important of his films at this time, most notably for the fact that Russell directed the film. At one point Carpenter claimed to have been attached to direct, then directorial duties were changed twice during production, and ultimately settled with George P. Costmatos ghost directing for Russell. Production was especially turbulent, with lead roles once intended for Richard Gere and Willam Dafoe changing, and over 100 members of the cast and crew reportedly quit or were fired during filming. Still, in spite of the difficulties, Russell proved his hand as a capable director, leading a strong ensemble cast to positive critical reception and a healthy turn at the box office.
Apart from starring in a handful of less than successful big budget movies like Vanilla Sky and Poseidon, the 2000's have proven to be a true return to form for Russell. 3000 Miles to Graceland features Russell as one of a group of Elvis impersonators, as he once again returns to the role that earned him his first real success and the man that brought him to the big screen for the first time. Miracle and Sky High mark a successful return to working with Disney, almost 40 years after Russell began working with them as a child actor. And the role of Stuntman Mike in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof is the closest Russell has come to capturing the dark, cool mystique of Snake Pliskin or Jack Burton in 25 years.
Russell and Goldie Hawn remain partners, though unmarried, just as they have for the last 25 years. On why they have not wed after all this time he has said "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." They have a son together, Kurt has a son from a previous marriage and Goldie's children from a previous marriage (including Kate Hudson) both consider Kurt their father. Kurt is a staunch Libertarian, and an FAA licensed pilot. He continues to work in film and remains one of the coolest fucking actors in the world.
Though Kurt had landed his first film role at 10 years old in the Elvis Presley film It Happened at the Worlds Fair, his film career truly began to take off when Walt Disney signed him as a child actor to a 10 year contract in 1966. During this time he starred in several light hearted family friendly films, a sharp contrast to the darker cult action films for which he would become known in the 1980's. Still, films like The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, Follow Me, Boys! (starring opposite Fred MacMurray of My Three Sons), The Barefoot Executive (co starring a chip and Col. Potter from MASH) and The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (where Kurt met long time partner Goldie Hawn for the first time) hold up as well as anyone could hope for live action Disney films pushing 40 years old. Kurt clearly enjoyed himself while making these movies, but by 1975 Kurt was 24 years old, out of his Disney contract and setting his sights on more than childhood acting.
Taking a short break from acting in the early 1970's, Kurt played baseball for the California Angels' minor league franchise the El Paso Sun Kings. He played second base, and for a time led the league with a .563 batting average. Unfortunately for baseball (but fortunately for fans of his later film career) in 1973 Kurt was struck by a ball, permanently damaging his throwing arm. The injury prematurely ended his baseball career and let Kurt to return to acting.
He took his first adult step back into the world of acting by audition for the role of Han Solo in a little film called Star Wars. He, of course, did not get the part, but let us pause for a moment and imagine what life would be like if he had.
During the late 1970's Kurt returned to his television roots, making short appearances on Gunsmoke, Charlie's Angels, Hawaii Five-0 and a 15 episode stint on the 1976 western The Quest. In 1979 he starred as Elvis Presley in a John Carpenter TV-movie, which would begin a long friendship, both personal and professional, between the two. His portrayal of Elvis (16 years after he starred in It Happened at the Worlds Fair with Elvis) earned him an an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special. After earning this critical success, Kurt paired with John Carpenter once again for Escape from New York, a dystopian sci fi action film fueled by cynicism, sarcasm and criticism of the police state of a not too distant future inspired by the recent events of Watergate. Russell was initially viewed as too soft a choice for the lead based on his previous films with Disney. The film's financial backers lobbied for Charles Bronson and Tommy Lee Jones, but Carpenter refused. Ultimately, while the terse, one eyed anti hero Snake Pliskin may not have won Russell the critical acclaim of the Elvis TV movie, it cemented his reputation as an iconic cult action hero.
Through out the 80's Kurt worked on a variety of cult classics and off beat comedies. Films such as The Best of TImes (opposite Robin Williams), Swing Shift and Overboard (reuniting Kurt with Goldie Hawn, who became romantically involved at this time) harken back to the more light hearted Disney films of Russell's youth. The Fox and the Hound sees Kurt return to Disney once again to provide voice over work for one of the main characters. A handful of dramatic turns round out Russell's body of work in the 1980's, and he is given the chance to star alongside some of the biggest names of the time: Meryl Streep and Cher (both in Silkwood), Mel Gibson and Michelle Pfeiffer (both in Tequila Sunrise) and Sylvester Stallone ( Tango and Cash). But Russell truly shines in his two other films with Carpenter this decade, The Thing and Big Trouble in Little China.
The Thing, while ultimately a box office failure largely resulting from poor timing (it hit theaters two weeks after the feel good E.T. and on the same day as sci fi heavyweight Blade Runner), endures as one of the most frightening films of the 1980's. Ever the reluctant hero, Russell battles a shape shifting alien, his fellow man, paranoia and the harsh Antarctic elements with little more than his wits to protect him. One of the more cerebral sci fi / horror films of the decade, it stands apart from the typical slasher fare and has enjoyed great success since the advent of the home video, which Russell acknowledges as a lasting contribution to his success in film.
Big Trouble in Little China sees Russell return as an even more reluctant hero than he portrayed in The Thing. Carpenter and Russell crafted a sometimes absurd, sometimes hilarious, sometimes racist, sometimes mystical, sometimes frightening action movie where in the hero is not the hero. While the lead role of Jack Burton was originally considered for Jack Nicholson or Clint Eastwood, Kurt Russell captures the well meaning ineffectiveness of the character, summarizing " at heart he thinks he's Indiana Jones but the circumstances are always too much for him". The film plays out as a sort of live action cartoon, with Russell playing a swaggering unabashedly American John Wayne... if John Wayne was a truck driver battling Chinese mysticism. Once again, Russell and Carpenter suffer at the box office as the result of poor timing... the similarly themed Golden Child hit theaters at the same time, and mega star Eddie Murphy stole much of the interest from the magical realism of Big Trouble In Little China. But as with Escape From New York and The Thing, Big Trouble In Little China lives on as a cult favorite with a successful afterlife on DVD and critical acclaim that, unfortunately, comes 25 years later than the film deserves.
During the 1990's Kurt generally appeared in larger, more lucrative films. Films such as Backdraft, Stargate, Executive Decision, Forest Gump (as the voice over for Elvis Presley), Captain Ron, Breakdown and Soldier feature a much more accessible Russell, as the films in general (and his roles in particular) are much less bleak than the ones for which he is most recognized (barring his reprisal of the role of Snake Pliskin in Escape From L.A.). Tombstone is one of the most important of his films at this time, most notably for the fact that Russell directed the film. At one point Carpenter claimed to have been attached to direct, then directorial duties were changed twice during production, and ultimately settled with George P. Costmatos ghost directing for Russell. Production was especially turbulent, with lead roles once intended for Richard Gere and Willam Dafoe changing, and over 100 members of the cast and crew reportedly quit or were fired during filming. Still, in spite of the difficulties, Russell proved his hand as a capable director, leading a strong ensemble cast to positive critical reception and a healthy turn at the box office.
Apart from starring in a handful of less than successful big budget movies like Vanilla Sky and Poseidon, the 2000's have proven to be a true return to form for Russell. 3000 Miles to Graceland features Russell as one of a group of Elvis impersonators, as he once again returns to the role that earned him his first real success and the man that brought him to the big screen for the first time. Miracle and Sky High mark a successful return to working with Disney, almost 40 years after Russell began working with them as a child actor. And the role of Stuntman Mike in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof is the closest Russell has come to capturing the dark, cool mystique of Snake Pliskin or Jack Burton in 25 years.
Russell and Goldie Hawn remain partners, though unmarried, just as they have for the last 25 years. On why they have not wed after all this time he has said "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." They have a son together, Kurt has a son from a previous marriage and Goldie's children from a previous marriage (including Kate Hudson) both consider Kurt their father. Kurt is a staunch Libertarian, and an FAA licensed pilot. He continues to work in film and remains one of the coolest fucking actors in the world.
General Information
Edit
| Credited Name | Kurt Russell |
| Gender | Male |
| Birthday | March 17, 1951 |
| Death | |
| Primary Role | Actor |
| Hometown | Springfield, Massachusetts |
| Country | United States |
| Website | |
| Email Address | |
| Alias(es) |
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