Kurt Russell Biography
Summary
"Kurt Vogel Russell" (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He became known during the early 1970s, having starred in several Hollywood films, and has continued appearing in a variety of roles since, including "Escape from New York", "Stargate" and most recently "Grindhouse".
Biography
Early life
Russell was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, though he considers Rangeley, Maine, to be his hometown. His parents are Louise Crain, a dancer, and Bing Russell, a character actor known as Deputy Clem Foster on "Bonanza".
Career
Russell started his film career at the age of ten in an uncredited part in Elvis Presley's "It Happened at the World's Fair". He played 'Ugly Child'. At the age of twelve he landed a big part for a juvenile actor: the lead role as the orphan Jaimie in the TV western "The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters" (1963–1964). Based on a book by Robert Lewis Taylor, this series also starred Dan O'Herlihy, John Maloney, Charles Bronson, and the young Osmond Brothers. On Feb 6th, 1965, He played the role of Jungle Boy on Gilligan's Island. The young Russell was soon 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.' Russell starred in many Disney films, such as "Follow Me, Boys!" (1966), "The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band" (1968) with newcomer Goldie Hawn, "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" (1969), and "The Strongest Man in the World" (1975).
Russell also had a baseball career (his father also having been a baseball player). In the early 1970s, Russell played second base for the California Angels (now the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) Double-A minor league affiliate the El Paso Sun Kings. During a play, he was hit in the shoulder by a player running to second base; the collision tore the rotator cuff in Russell's right/throwing shoulder. Before his injury he was leading the Texas League in hitting with a .563 batting average but the injury forced his retirement from baseball in 1973 and led to his return to acting.
Russell, like Nick Nolte and others, screentested for the role of Han Solo for Star Wars.
Russell was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special (1979) for the made-for-television film "Elvis". This would be his first pairing with John Carpenter, the director of "Halloween". Over the next decade, Russell would team with Carpenter several times, and help create some of his best-known roles, usually as anti-heroes, including the infamous Snake Plissken of "Escape from New York". Among their collaborations was the 1982 John Carpenter's The Thing a remake of "The Thing from Another World". In 1986 the two made "Big Trouble in Little China", a dark kung-fu comedy in which Russell played a truck driver caught in an ancient Chinese war. While the film was a flop like The Thing, it was also similar in that it has since gained a cult audience, and even inspired a few other films, as well as the video game "Mortal Kombat".
He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (1984) for his performance opposite Meryl Streep in "Silkwood". His portrayal of Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks in the 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 "The New York Times" wrote, 'Mr. Russell's cagey and remote performance gives "Miracle" its few breezes of fresh, albeit methane-scented, air.' (Note: Mitchell's use of the word 'remote' here is not a criticism of Russell's acting so much as a description of Russell's portrait of an emotionally reserved man.)
Russell most recently appeared as villain 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
furious over the casting of Gerard Butler for his signature character, Snake Plissken.
Personal life
Russell married actress Season Hubley, whom he had met on the set of "Elvis" in 1979 and they had a son, Boston, in 1980. In 1983, in the middle of his divorce from Hubley, Russell re-connected with Goldie Hawn on the set of the film "Swing Shift" and they have been in a relationship ever since. The couple also filmed the comedy "Overboard" together in 1987. They had a son, Wyatt, in 1986. Hawn's son and daughter with Bill Hudson, Oliver and Kate Hudson, consider Russell to be their father.
Russell is a prominent member of the United States Libertarian Party. He claims that he was often an outcast in Hollywood because of his Libertarian views, so he and Hawn moved to an area outside Aspen, Colorado where he has tried his hand at writing (he co-wrote the screenplay for "Escape from L.A."). In February 2003, Russell and Hawn moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, so that their son could play hockey. He will be playing for the University of Alabama in Huntsville Chargers starting the fall of 2007.
Russell is an FAA licensed Private Pilot holding single/multi-engine and instrument ratings. He is also a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA)
Former Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Franco is his nephew.
Russell is also a huge Boston Red Sox fan.
He served in the United States National Guard
Filmography
"It Happened at the World's Fair" (1963)
"The Man from U.N.C.L.E." (The Finny Foot Affair) (1964)
"Gilligan's Island" (1 episode) (1965)
"Lost In Space" (1 episode) (1965)
"Follow Me, Boys!" (1966)
"Mosby's Marauders" (1967)
"Guns in the Heather" (1968)
"The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band" (1968)
"The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit" (1968)
"The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" (1969)
"The Barefoot Executive" (1971)
"Fools' Parade" (1971)
"Now You See Him, Now You Don't" (1972)
"Charley and the Angel" (1973)
"Superdad" (1973)
"The Strongest Man in the World" (1975)
"The Deadly Tower" (1975)
"The Captive: The Longest Drive 2" (1976)
"The Quest" (1976)
"Elvis" (1979) (TV)
"Used Cars" (1980)
"Escape from New York" (1981)
"The Fox and the Hound" (1981) (voice)
"The Thing" (1982)
"Silkwood" (1983)
"Swing Shift" (1984)
"The Mean Season" (1985)
"Big Trouble in Little China" (1986)
"The Best of Times" (1986)
"Overboard" (1987)
"Tequila Sunrise" (1988)
"Tango & Cash" (1989)
" Backdraft" (1991)
"Unlawful Entry" (1992) - Michael Carr
"Captain Ron" (1992) - Capt. Ron
"Tombstone" (1993) - Wyatt Earp
"Stargate" (1994) - Col. Jonathan O'Neill
"Forrest Gump" (1994) - (voice of Elvis)
"Executive Decision" (1996) - Dr. Phil David Grant
"Escape from LA" (1996) - Snake Plissken
"Breakdown" (1997) - Jeffrey 'Jeff' Taylor
"Soldier" (1998) - Todd
"3000 Miles To Graceland" (2001) - Michael Zane
"Vanilla Sky" (2001) - McCAbe
"Interstate 60" (2002) - Capt. Ives
"Dark Blue" (2003) - Eldon Perry
"Miracle" (2004) - Herb Brooks
"Sky High" (2005) - Steve Stronghold / The Commander
"Dreamer" (2005) - Ben Crane
"Poseidon" (2006) - Robert Ramsey
"Death Proof" (2007) - Stuntman Mike McKay
External links
(Outpost #31) The Ultimate THE THING Fan-Site
(The Escape From New York & L.A. Page - A Tribute to Snake Plissken)
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Kurt Russell.
