Kurt Russell Biography

Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor.

He began acting on television for the western series, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (1963-64). In the late 1960s, he signed a ten-year contract with The Walt Disney Company where, according to Robert Osborne, he became the studio's top star of the 1970s.

Russell was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture for his performance in Silkwood (1983). During the 1980s, he starred in several films by director John Carpenter, including anti-hero roles such as army hero-turned-robber Snake Plissken in the futuristic action film Escape from New York, and its 1996 sequel Escape from L.A., Antarctic helicopter pilot R.J. MacReady in the horror film The Thing (1982), and truck driver Jack Burton in the dark kung-fu comedy action film Big Trouble in Little China (1986), all of which have since become cult films. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for the television film Elvis (1979), also directed by Carpenter.

Russell also starred in other films, including Tombstone (1993), Stargate (1994), Miracle (2004), Poseidon (2006), Death Proof (2007), Bone Tomahawk and The Hateful Eight.

Early life

Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, Russell is the son of actor Bing Russell (1926-2003) and dancer Louise Julia (Crone) Russell. He has three sisters, Jill, Jamie and Jody. In 1969, he graduated from Thousand Oaks High School in southern California. His sister Jill is the mother of baseball player Matt Franco.

Career

1957-69

Russell's film career began at the age of eleven in an uncredited part in Elvis Presley's It Happened at the World's Fair, and two extra episodes, celebrating the tenth anniversary of the then defunct series Rin Tin Tin. 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. He played Peter Hall in the 1963 episode "Everybody Knows You Left Me" on the NBC medical drama about psychiatry The Eleventh Hour.

Later, he played the titular character in the ABC western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (1963-64), based on a book by Robert Lewis Taylor. In 1964, he guest-starred in "Nemesis", an episode of the popular 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. That same year he appeared on NBC's The Virginian as a mistaken orphan whose father was an outlaw played by Rory Calhoun 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" of the western series Gunsmoke. He also appeared in five episodes of Daniel Boone in various roles.

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. He guest-starred on ABC's western The Legend of Jesse James. In 1966, Russell played a 14-year-old Indian boy, Grey Smoke, adopted by the Texas Rangers in the episode "Meanwhile, Back at the Reservation" of the NBC western series Laredo. In the story line, he works for an outlaw gang, but the Rangers take him under their wing and the boy proves helpful when gunslingers try to occupy Laredo, Texas.

While on his deathbed in 1966 Walt Disney wrote "Kurt Russell" on a piece of paper as his final words. Russell at the time was a child actor whom the Disney studio had just signed to a long term contract. In January 1967, Russell co-starred as Private Willie Prentiss in the episode "Willie and the Yank: The Mosby Raiders" in Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color and the Sherman Brothers theatrical film musical, The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band. It was on the set of Family Band that Russell met his future partner Goldie Hawn. Later, 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 and Edward's son in Follow Me, Boys!.

1970-89

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. In 1966, Russell was signed to a ten-year contract with The Walt Disney Company, where he became, according to Robert Osborne, the "studio's top star of the '70s". He then went on to star in The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, the latter of which spawned two sequels: Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972) and The Strongest Man in the World (1975).

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 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 back 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.

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 only aired six of the 13 episodes; it was up against established Saturday night favorites All in the Family on CBS and Emergency! on NBC. In autumn 1976, Russell appeared with Tim Matheson in the 15-episode NBC series The Quest, the story of two young men in the American West seeking the whereabouts of their sister, a captive of the Cheyenne. In 1980, Russell was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for the made-for-television film Elvis. It was the first time he collaborated with John Carpenter.

During the 1980s, Russell teamed with Carpenter several times, helping create some of his best-known roles, usually as anti-heroes, including the infamous Snake Plissken of Escape from New York and its sequel, Escape from L.A. Among their collaborations was 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. In 1986, Russell played a truck driver caught in an ancient Chinese war in Big Trouble in Little China, which was a financial failure like The Thing and has since gained a cult audience. He was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture for his performance in Silkwood (1983).

1990-present

Russell played Lt. Stephen "Bull" McCaffrey in Backdraft (1991), Wyatt Earp in Tombstone (1993) and Colonel Jack O'Neil in the military science fiction film Stargate (1994).

Elvis Presley connections have run like a thread through his career. Aside from appearing as a child in one of Presley's films and giving a convincing portrayal of the singer in the 1979 television biopic, Russell starred as an Elvis impersonator involved in a Las Vegas robbery in 3000 Miles to Graceland. 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, albeit methane-scented, air."

In 2006, Russell revealed that he was the director of Tombstone, not George P. Cosmatos, as credited. According to Russell, Cosmatos was recommended by Sylvester Stallone and was, in effect, a ghost director, much as he had been for 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 owns the rights to the masters and makes reference to possibly re-editing the film, as he was not originally involved in the editing.

Russell played the villainous Stuntman Mike in Quentin Tarantino's segment Death Proof of the film Grindhouse. After a remake of Escape from New York was announced, Russell was reportedly upset with Gerard Butler for 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. He also co-starred in the action thriller Furious 7 (2015).

Personal life

Russell married actress Season Hubley while filming Elvis in 1979, and 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. They have a son Wyatt (born July 10, 1986) and own a home in Palm Desert, California. Hawn's son and daughter with Bill Hudson, actors Oliver and Kate Hudson, consider Russell to be their adoptive father.

Russell is a libertarian. In 1996, he was quoted in the Toronto Sun saying: "I was brought up as a Republican, but when I realized that at the end of the day there wasn't much difference between a Democrat and Republican, I became a libertarian." In February 2003, Russell and Hawn moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, so that their son could play hockey. Russell is an avid gun enthusiast, a hunter and a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. He is also an FAA licensed private pilot holding single/multi-engine and instrument ratings and is an Honorary Board Member of the humanitarian aviation organization Wings of Hope.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1963	It Happened at the World's Fair	Boy Kicking Mike	Uncredited
1965	Guns of Diablo	Jamie McPheeters
1966	Follow Me, Boys!	Whitey
1968	The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band	Sidney Bower	First film with Goldie Hawn (who played Giggly Girl)
1968	The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit	Ronnie Gardner
1969	The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes	Dexter Riley
1971	The Barefoot Executive	Steven Post
1971	Fools' Parade	Johnny Jesus
1972	Now You See Him, Now You Don't	Dexter Riley
1973	Charley and the Angel	Ray Ferris
1973	Superdad	Bart
1975	The Strongest Man in the World	Dexter Riley
1976	The Captive: The Longest Drive 2	Morgan 'Two Persons' Bodeen
1980	Used Cars	Rudolph "Rudy" Russo
1981	Escape from New York	Snake Plissken
1981	The Fox and the Hound	Adult Copper (voice)
1982	The Thing	R.J. MacReady
1983	Silkwood	Drew Stephens
1984	Swing Shift	Mike "Lucky" Lockhart
1984	Terror in the Aisles	R.J. MacReady
1985	The Mean Season	Malcolm Anderson
1986	Big Trouble in Little China	Jack Burton
1986	The Best of Times	Reno Hightower
1987	Overboard	Dean Proffitt
1988	Tequila Sunrise	Det. Lt. Nicholas 'Nick' Frescia
1989	Winter People	Wayland Jackson
1989	Tango & Cash	Lt. Gabriel Cash
1991	Backdraft	Stephen 'Bull' McCaffrey, Dennis McCaffrey
1992	Unlawful Entry	Michael Carr
1992	Captain Ron	Captain Ron
1993	Tombstone	Wyatt Earp
1994	Forrest Gump	Elvis Presley (voice)	Uncredited
1994	Stargate	Col. Jonathan "Jack" O'Neil
1996	Executive Decision	Dr. David Grant
1996	Escape from L.A.	Snake Plissken	Also writer & producer
1997	Breakdown	Jeffrey "Jeff" Taylor
1998	Soldier	Todd
2001	3000 Miles to Graceland	Michael Zane
2001	Vanilla Sky	McCabe
2002	Interstate 60	Captain Ives
2003	Dark Blue	Eldon Perry
2004	Miracle	Herb Brooks
2005	Sky High	Steve Stronghold, The Commander
2005	Dreamer	Ben Crane
2006	Poseidon	Robert Ramsey
2007	Death Proof	Stuntman Mike
2007	Cutlass	Dad	Short film
2011	Touchback	Coach Hand
2013	The Art of the Steal	Crunch Calhoun
2014	The Battered Bastards of Baseball	Himself	Documentary
2015	Furious 7	Mr. Nobody
2015	Bone Tomahawk	Sheriff Franklin Hunt
2015	The Hateful Eight	John "The Hangman" Ruth
2016	Deepwater Horizon	Brendan	In post-production
2017	Fast 8	Frank "Mr. Nobody" Petty	Filming
2017	Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2	Peter Quill's father	In post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1962	Dennis the Menace	Kevin	Episode: "Wilson's Second Childhood" (uncredited)
1962	The Dick Powell Show	Boy, Vernon	3 episodes
1963	Sam Benedict	Knute	Episode: "Seventeen Gypsies and a Sinner Named Charlie"
1963	The Eleventh Hour	Peter Hall	Episode: "Everybody Knows You Left Me"
1963	Our Man Higgins	Bobby	Episode: "Delinquent for a Day"
1963-1964	The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters	Jaimie McPheeters	Series regular (26 episodes)
1964	The Man From U.N.C.L.E.	Christopher Larson	Episode: "The Finny Foot Affair"
1964, 1965	The Virginian	Toby Shea, Andy Denning	Episodes: "A Father for Toby", "The Brothers"
1964, 1966	The Fugitive	Eddie, Philip Gerard Jr.	Episodes: "Nemesis", "In a Plain Paper Wrapper"
1964, 1974	Gunsmoke	Packy Kerlin, Buck Henry	Episodes: "Blue Heaven", "Trail of Bloodshed"
1965	Gilligan's Island	Jungle Boy	Episode: "Gilligan Meets Jungle Boy"
1965-1969	Daniel Boone	Various	5 episodes
1966	Lost In Space	Quano	Episode: "The Challenge"
1966	Laredo	Grey Smoke	Episode: "Meanwhile Back at the Reservation"
1967	The Road West	Jay Baker	Episode: "Charade of Justice"
1967-1972	Disneyland	Rich Evans, Pvt. Willie Prentiss, Narrator	7 episodes
1969	Guns in the Heather	Rich	Originally broadcast on Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color; a.k.a. The Secret of Boyne Castle (European theatrical release)
1969	Then Came Bronson	William P. Lovering	Episode: "The Spitball Kid"
1970	Men at Law	Jerry Patman	Episode: "This is Jerry, See Jerry Run"
1970	The High Chaparral	Dan Rondo	Episode: "The Guns of Johnny Rondo"
1970	Love, American Style	Johnny	Segment: "Love and the First-Nighters"
1971	Room 222	Tim	Episode: "Paul Revere Rides Again"
1973	Love Story	Scott	Episode: "Beginner's Luck"
1974	Gunsmoke	Buck Henry Woolfe	Episode: "Trail of Bloodshed"
1974	Hec Ramsey	Matthias Kane	Episode: "Scar Tissue"
1974	The New Land	Bo Larsen	Series regular (6 episodes, plus 7 unaired)
1974 1975	Police Story	J.D. Crawford Officer David Singer	"Country Boy" "The Empty Weapon"
1975	Harry O	Todd Conway	Episode: "Double Jeopardy"
1975	'	Charles Whitman	Television film
1975	Search for the Gods	Shan Mullins	Television film
1976	The Quest	Morgan 'Two Persons' Bodeen	Series regular (15 episodes)
1977	Hawaii Five-O	Peter Valchek	Episode: "Deadly Doubles"
1977	Christmas Miracle in Caufield, U.S.A.	Johnny	Television film
1979	Elvis	Elvis Presley	Television film

Accolades

Year	Association	Category	Work	Result
1979	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie	Elvis
1984	Golden Globe Awards	Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture	Silkwood