Kurt Russell

Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor before transitioning to leading roles as an adult in various genres such as action adventures, science-fiction, westerns, romance films, comedic films and family dramas. He is known for collaborating with filmmakers such as John Carpenter and Quentin Tarantino and has received a Critics' Choice Super Award as well as various award nominations including for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

At the age of 12, he began acting in the Western TV series '' The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters'' (1963–1964). In the late 1960s, he signed a ten-year contract with The Walt Disney Company starring in films such as '' The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes'' (1969), '' Now You See Him, Now You Don't'' (1972), and '' The Strongest Man in the World'' (1975). For his portrayal of rock and roll superstar Elvis Presley in the television film '' Elvis'' (1979), he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.

Russell was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for his role in Mike Nichols's '' Silkwood'' (1983). He collaborated with director John Carpenter playing anti-heros in the action films ''Escape from New York'' (1981), its sequel '' Escape from L.A.'' (1996), the horror film '' The Thing'' (1982), and comedy action film '' Big Trouble in Little China'' (1986). Russell also acted in '' Used Cars'' (1980), '' The Fox and the Hound'' (1981), '' The Best of Times'' (1986), '' Overboard'' (1987), '' Backdraft'' (1991), '' Tombstone'' (1993), ''Stargate'' (1994), '' Vanilla Sky'' (2001), '' Miracle'' (2004), ''Dreamer'', '' Sky High'' (both 2005), ''Death Proof'' (2007), '' The Hateful Eight'' (2015) and '' Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'' (2019).

Russell has also acted in several franchises, portraying Mr. Nobody in three films of the '' Fast & Furious'' franchise from 2015 to 2021, Ego in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) installments '' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' (2017) and '' What If...?'' (2021), and Santa Claus in the Netflix films '' The Christmas Chronicles'' (2018) and '' The Christmas Chronicles 2'' (2020).

Early life

Kurt Vogel Russell was born on March 17, 1951, at Wesson Maternity Hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts. His father, Bing Russell, was also an actor. His mother, Louise Julia () Russell, is a dancer. Russell is of English, Irish, German, and Scottish ancestry. He has three sisters, Jill Franco, Jamie and Jody. His family relocated to California when he was a child, and Russell grew up in Thousand Oaks. Russell played little league baseball throughout his grade school years and also on his high school baseball team as a second baseman. He graduated from Thousand Oaks High School in California in 1969. His father played professional baseball. His sister Jill is the mother of baseball player Matt Franco. From 1969 to 1975, Russell served in the California Air National Guard and belonged to the 146th Tactical Airlift Wing, then based in Van Nuys.

Career

1963–1979: Child actor with Disney and stardom

Russell made his film debut with an uncredited part for ''It Happened at the World's Fair'', playing a boy who kicked a pilot (Elvis Presley) in the leg. On April 24, 1963, Russell guest-starred in the ABC series '' Our Man Higgins'', starring Stanley Holloway as an English butler in an American family. Later, he played the title role in the ABC Western series '' The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters'' (1963–64). The show was based on Robert Lewis Taylor's eponymous novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1959. In 1964, Russell guest-starred in "Nemesis", an episode of the ABC series '' The Fugitive'' in which, as the son of police Lt. Phillip Gerard, he is unintentionally kidnapped by his father's quarry, Doctor Richard Kimble. In NBC's '' The Virginian'', he played the mistaken orphan whose father, played by Rory Calhoun, was an outlaw who was still alive and recently released from prison looking for his son. Russell played a similar role as a kid named Packy Kerlin in the 1964 episode "Blue Heaven" for the Western series ''Gunsmoke''. At age 13, Russell played the role of Jungle Boy on an episode of CBS's '' Gilligan's Island'', which aired on February 6, 1965.

In 1966, Russell was signed to a ten-year contract with Walt Disney Productions, where he became, according to Robert Osborne, the "studio's top star of the '70s". Russell's first film for Disney was '' Follow Me, Boys!'' (1966). Walt Disney described Russell as "a 15-year-old boy for whom I predict a great acting future", in what would prove to be Disney's last filmed appearance before his death in December 1966. One of the last things Disney ever wrote was the name "Kurt Russell" (though misspelled as "Kirt") on a piece of paper. In January 1967, Russell played Private Willie Prentiss in the episode "Willie and the Yank: The Mosby Raiders" in '' Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color'', released theatrically in some markets as '' Mosby's Marauders'' (1967). During this time, Russell continued to guest star on non-Disney TV shows. He, Jay C. Flippen and Tom Tryon appeared in the episode "Charade of Justice" of the NBC Western series ''The Road West'' starring Barry Sullivan. In a March 1966 episode of CBS's '' Lost in Space'' entitled "The Challenge", he played Quano, the son of a planetary ruler.

While filming the Sherman Brothers musical '' The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band'' (1968), Russell met his future partner Goldie Hawn. For Disney, he made '' The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit'' (1969) and '' Guns in the Heather'' (1969). Disney promoted Russell to star roles with '' The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes'' (1969) which was a big hit. He followed it with '' The Barefoot Executive'' (1971), another success. In 1971, he co-starred as a young robber released from jail, alongside James Stewart in '' Fools' Parade''. Later, he guest-starred in an episode of ''Room 222'' as an idealistic high school student who assumed the costumed identity of Paul Revere to warn of the dangers of pollution. However, the bulk of his film work was for Disney in films such as '' Now You See Him, Now You Don't'' (1971), '' Charley and the Angel'' (1973), and '' Superdad'' (1973). In the autumn of 1974, he appeared in the ABC series '' The New Land'', inspired by the 1972 Swedish film of the same name. Critically acclaimed, it suffered very low ratings and aired only six of the 13 episodes. He returned to Disney for '' The Strongest Man in the World'' (1975).

1980–1999: Transition into Hollywood

Russell was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for the 1979 television film '' Elvis'', in which his then-wife Season Hubley played Priscilla. This would transition Russell's Hollywood career after years as a child actor. It was directed by John Carpenter and led to a series of collaborations between the two men. His performance earned him a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. Russell starred in ''Amber Waves'' (1980) and the comedy '' Used Cars'' (1980). In a welcome image changing opportunity to escape his Disney typecasting, Russell then played the surly anti-hero Snake Plissken in the acclaimed dystopian science fiction film, ''Escape from New York'' (1981), directed by Carpenter.

He returned to Disney to provide the voice of Copper as an adult for '' The Fox and the Hound'' (1981) then reunited with Carpenter for '' The Thing'' (1982), based upon the short story '' Who Goes There?'' by John W. Campbell, Jr., which had been interpreted on film before, albeit loosely, in 1951's '' The Thing from Another World''. He was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for his performance in '' Silkwood'' (1983). Russell made '' Swing Shift'' (1984) co-starring Goldie Hawn, who became his romantic partner. He starred in '' The Mean Season'' (1985) and '' The Best of Times'' (1986), then played an antihero truck driver caught in an ancient Chinese war in '' Big Trouble in Little China'' (1986), another Carpenter film which, like ''The Thing,'' was initially a critical and commercial disappointment but has since gained a cult audience. More popular at the box office was '' Overboard'' (1987), a comedy with Goldie Hawn. Russell credited his performance in '' Tequila Sunrise'' (1988) with getting Hollywood to regard him differently. He starred in '' Winter People'' (1989) and co-starred with Sylvester Stallone in '' Tango & Cash'' (1989).

Russell followed up by playing Lt. Stephen "Bull" McCaffrey in the drama '' Backdraft'' (1991), Michael Carr in the psychological thriller ''Unlawful Entry'' (1992), a sailor in the comedy '' Captain Ron'' (1992), Wyatt Earp in the Western '' Tombstone'' (1993), and Colonel Jack O'Neil in the military science fiction film ''Stargate'' (1994). He also had an uncredited role as the voice of Elvis Presley in the 1994 film '' Forrest Gump''. In 1996, Russell starred as a military intelligence consultant in the action film ''Executive Decision'', and again played Snake Plissken in Carpenter's follow-up to Escape from New York, '' Escape from L.A.'' He then starred as the husband of a kidnapped woman in the action thriller '' Breakdown'' (1997).

2000–present: Franchise films and resurgence

In 2001, Russell played a court psychologist in the thriller film '' Vanilla Sky''. His portrayal of U.S. Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks in the 2004 film '' Miracle'', won the praise of critics. "In many ways", wrote Claudia Puig of ''USA Today'', "''Miracle'' belongs to Kurt Russell." Roger Ebert of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' wrote, "Russell does real acting here." Elvis Mitchell of ''The New York Times'' wrote, "Mr. Russell's cagey and remote performance gives ''Miracle'' its few breezes of fresh air." In 2005, he played a horse trainer father in the family sports film ''Dreamer'' and a father with superhuman strength in the superhero film '' Sky High''.

In 2006, Russell claimed in one interview that he had ghost-directed the hit 1993 Western film '' Tombstone'' on behalf of credited director George P. Cosmatos, saying he gave Cosmatos shot lists. Russell claimed Stallone recommended Cosmatos to him after the removal of the first director, writer Kevin Jarre, but Cosmatos had also worked with ''Tombstone'' executive producer Andrew G. Vajna before on '' Rambo: First Blood Part II''. Russell said he promised Cosmatos he would keep it a secret as long as Cosmatos was alive; Cosmatos died in April 2005. Russell said he did not get a chance to edit his version, but Vajna gave him a tape of "everything on the movie" and that he might try to "reconstruct the movie", although he would need to go back to the script and all his notes.

Russell starred in Wolfgang Petersen's ''Poseidon'' (2006). He also played the villainous Stuntman Mike in Quentin Tarantino's segment ''Death Proof'' of the film '' Grindhouse'' (2007), and was in two more Tarantino films, '' The Hateful Eight'' (2015) and '' Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'' (2019). After a remake of ''Escape from New York'' was announced, Russell was reportedly upset with Gerard Butler for playing his signature character, Snake Plissken, as he believed the character 'was quintessentially ..American.' Russell appeared in '' The Battered Bastards of Baseball'', a documentary about his father and the Portland Mavericks, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014. In 2015, Russell garnered attention for his portrayal of Sheriff Franklin Hunt in the Western-horror film '' Bone Tomahawk''.

During this time, Russell also appeared in the '' Fast & Furious'' franchise playing Mr. Nobody, starring in three of its films, '' Furious 7'' (2015), '' The Fate of the Furious'' (2017), and '' F9'' (2021). In 2016, he starred as Jimmy Harrell in '' Deepwater Horizon'', a film about the 2010 ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill. On May 4, 2017, Russell and Goldie Hawn received stars in a double star ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their achievements in motion pictures, located at 6201 Hollywood Boulevard. In 2017 he played Star Lord's father Ego in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film '' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' (2017). Todd McCarthy of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' praised the chemistry between Pratt and Russell writing, "the scenes between the well-cast Russell and Pratt are the best in the film". Russell played Santa Claus in the Netflix films '' The Christmas Chronicles'' (2018) and '' The Christmas Chronicles 2'' (2020). From 2021 to 2023, he reprised his role as Ego in the MCU Disney+ animated series '' What If...?''
voicing the role in the episodes " What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?", " What If... the Watcher Broke His Oath?" and " What If... Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?".

Other ventures

Baseball career

Russell, like his father, had a baseball career. In the early 1970s, Russell was a switch-hitting second baseman for the California Angels minor league affiliates, the Bend Rainbows (1971) and Walla Walla Islanders (1972) in the short season Class A-Short Season Northwest League, then moved up to Class AA in 1973 with the El Paso Sun Kings of the Texas League.

While Russell was in the field turning the pivot of a double play early in the season, the incoming runner at second base collided with him and tore the rotator cuff in Russell's right (throwing) shoulder. He did not return to El Paso, but was a designated hitter for the independent Portland Mavericks in the Northwest League late in their short season. The team was owned by his father, and he had been doing promotional work for them in the interim. The injury forced his retirement from baseball in 1973 and led to his return to acting.

Personal life

Russell married actress Season Hubley, whom he met while filming ''Elvis'', in 1979, and they had a son, Boston (born February 16, 1980). After his divorce from Hubley in 1983, Russell began his relationship with Goldie Hawn, and appeared alongside her in ''Swing Shift'' and ''Overboard'', having previously appeared with her in ''The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band'' in 1968. They have a son, Wyatt Russell (born July 10, 1986), and have owned homes in Vancouver, British Columbia, Snowmass Village, Colorado, Manhattan, New York, Brentwood, and Palm Desert, California. In an interview with ''People'' in December 2020, Russell revealed that he and Hawn never felt the need to marry, stating that a "marriage certificate wasn't going to create anything that otherwise we wouldn't have."

Russell is a libertarian. In 2020, he stated that celebrities should keep their political opinions to themselves, believing that it negatively impacts their work.

Russell is a hunter and a staunch supporter of gun rights, and said that gun control will not reduce terrorism. He is also an FAA-licensed private pilot holding single/multi-engine and instrument ratings, and is an Honorary Council Member of the humanitarian aviation organization Wings of Hope. In 2010, he was inducted as part of the Living Legends of Aviation, receiving the "Aviation Mentor Award" from fellow actor-pilot John Travolta.

In February 2003, Russell and Hawn moved to Vancouver so that their son could play hockey.

Filmography

Film

Television

Reception

According to Robert Osborne of Turner Classic Movies, Russell became the studio's top star of the 1970s.Introduction by Robert Osborne to the Turner Classic Movies premiere of ''The Barefoot Executive'', April 13, 2007. In 2017, Russell received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Awards and nominations

Bibliography

* Holmstrom, John. ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995''. Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 291–292.

Notes

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Kurt
1951 births
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American sportsmen
21st-century American male actors
Actors from Springfield, Massachusetts
American aviators
American gun rights activists
American libertarians
American male child actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
American people of English descent
American people of German descent
American people of Irish descent
American people of Scottish descent
Baseball players from Ventura County, California
Bend Rainbows players
California National Guard personnel
Disney people
El Paso Sun Kings players
Living people
Male actors from California
Male actors from Greater Los Angeles
Male actors from Massachusetts
Military personnel from California
Military personnel from Massachusetts
People from Palm Desert, California
Portland Mavericks players
Thousand Oaks High School alumni
United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War
Walla Walla Islanders players