Ethnicity:
Kurt is of English, German, Scottish and Irish descent.
Kurt Russell was born on March 17, 1951, in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. He is a son of Bing Russell, a character actor, who pursued acting after his promising baseball career was ended by injury, and Louise Julia (Crone) Russell, a dancer. Kurt has three sisters, Jill, Jamie and Jody.
When Russell was four, his family moved from Massachusetts to California. There, his father, Bing Russell, a former professional baseball player, pursued an acting career, notably appearing in the television series "Bonanza". The younger Russell was interested in sports, especially baseball, though he also occasionally acted.
During his grade school and high school years, Russell played little league baseball. It was in 1969, that he finished Thousand Oaks High School.
Kurt Russell began his career as a juvenile performer, appearing in television roles, as well as a series of Disney live-action films. It was in 1962, that he made his television debut, appearing in "Dennis the Menace" and "The Dick Powell Theatre". He auditioned for the movie "Safe at Home!" (1962), hoping to meet baseball legends Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, but was not cast. Russell later starred in the TV-series "The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters" (1963-1964) and had roles in such shows, as "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and "Gilligan's Island". In addition, in 1963, he appeared in his first film, "It Happened at the World's Fair".
In 1966, Russell appeared in "Follow Me, Boys!", the first of his Walt Disney movies, which also included "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" (1969) and "Superdad" (1973). During this time, he continued to play baseball, the kind of sport he had begun practicing in his early years, and he later was a member of several minor-league teams. In 1973, however, he tore his rotator cuff, and the injury effectively ended his baseball career. He subsequently focused on his acting, and, unlike many child performers, he easily transitioned to adult roles. Russell earned particular acclaim for two TV movies - "The Deadly Tower" (1975), in which he portrayed Charles Whitman, a mass murderer, responsible for the attack, known as the Texas Tower shooting of 1966, and "Elvis" (1979), a biopic about the legendary performer. The latter was directed by John Carpenter, and the duo collaborated on several subsequent films, perhaps most notably "Escape from New York" (1981). In that action thriller, Russell played Snake Plissken, a war hero, turned criminal, who is sent to Manhattan, which has become a maximum-security prison. Officials, however, vow to release him if he can save the United States president, whose plane has crashed in the borough. The film became a cult classic, and Russell solidified his status as a star.
Later, Russell collaborated again with Carpenter, this time on "The Thing" (1982), a sci-fi horror film, and then starred with Meryl Streep in Mike Nichols's acclaimed drama "Silkwood" (1983). In 1984, Kurt appeared in the romantic comedy "Swing Shift", which also featured Goldie Hawn. Although the film was a disappointment, Russell and Hawn became one of Hollywood's most enduring couples. He then starred in a series of crime dramas, including "The Mean Season" (1985) and "Tequila Sunrise" (1988); the latter, a commercial hit about drug dealing, also featured Mel Gibson and Michelle Pfeiffer. Then, Russell teamed with Sylvester Stallone for the action comedy "Tango & Cash" (1989), which was critically panned, but became a box-office hit.
In the years, that followed, Russell earned better reviews for "Backdraft" (1991), Ron Howard's action drama about firefighters in Chicago. Also popular was the western "Tombstone" (1993), in which he portrayed Wyatt Earp. After appearing in the sci-fi "Stargate" (1994), Russell reprised his role as Snake Plissken in Carpenter's "Escape from L.A." (1996), though the film failed to connect with moviegoers.
Russell remained a sought-after actor into the 21st century. In 2004, he starred in the crowd-pleaser "Miracle", about the United States men's ice hockey team, that upset the Soviets at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. Two years later, the actor received a role in "Poseidon", a remake of the 1972 cult classic about an ocean liner, that capsizes. He then was cast in Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof" (2007), playing a murderous stunt driver. He reunited with Tarantino on "The Hateful Eight" (2015) and then appeared in the action drama "Deepwater Horizon" (2016), about the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. During this time, he was also cast in two installments of the blockbuster series "The Fast and the Furious" - "Furious 7" (2015) and "The Fate of the Furious" (2017).
In addition, Russell had a role in the box-office hit "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017), which features a Marvel Comics superhero team. In 2019, he made a brief appearance as a stunt coordinator in Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood", a dramedy, set in 1969 Los Angeles.
As for Russell's military service, it was between 1969 and 1975, that he served in the California Air National Guard and belonged to the 146th Tactical Airlift Wing, then based in Van Nuys.
Kurt Russell is mostly known as an actor, screenwriter and producer. Early in his career, he signed a ten-year contract with The Walt Disney Company and appeared in a number of its films. It's worth mentioning, that, according to Robert Osborne, Kurt was the studio's top star of the 1970's. During his career, he has appeared in a number of action, comedic and dramatic roles.
The movies, that brought Russell fame, include "Elvis" (1979), "Escape from New York" (1981), "The Thing" (1982), "Silkwood" (1983), "Big Trouble in Little China" (1986) and "Escape from L.A." (1996). Russell starred in other films, including "Overboard" (1987), "Tango & Cash" (1989), "Backdraft" (1991), "Tombstone" (1993), "Stargate" (1994), "Miracle" (2004), "Sky High" (2005), "Death Proof" (2007), "The Hateful Eight" (2015), "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017) and "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (2019). He also appeared in The Fast and the Furious franchise, having starred in "Furious 7" (2015) and "The Fate of the Furious" (2017).
Kurt received such awards, as the Saturn Award (Life Career Award), the Blockbuster Entertainment Award, the Fangoria Chainsaw Award, the Hollywood Film Award and the Disney Legends Award. Besides, he was nominated for such awards, as the Golden Globe Award, the Primetime Emmy Award, the AARP Movies for Grownups Award, the Awards Circuit Community Award, the DVD Exclusive Award, the Fright Meter Award, Gold Derby Award and others.
In 2016, Kurt was inducted into the Fangoria Horror Hall of Fame. On May 4, 2017, Kurt was inducted with one star into the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
(In 1935, after forty years in a West Virginia prison, thr...)
1971(The presidencies of Kennedy and Johnson, the events of Vi...)
1994(Demoted back to his hometown, a young Wall Street banker ...)
2019(When the owner of a struggling used car lot is killed, it...)
1980Russell is a Buddhist and is a strong believer in his faith. It was previously assumed, that he was also a Jew like his dating partner, Goldie Hawn, who has some Jewish background, but Russell cleared the air out, when he mentioned, that he is only Buddhist and is a strong believer of the existence of God.
Kurt 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." Kurt also claimed, that he often felt an outcast in Hollywood because of his Libertarian beliefs, and so moved to live in an area outside Aspen, Colorado, where he started to try his hand at writing.
It's also worth noting, that Kurt, being a hunter, is an avid supporter of gun rights. He also once said, that gun control will not reduce terrorism.
Quotations:
"Society questions the police and their methods, and the police say: "Do you want the criminals off the street or not?""
"I seem to have a knack for picking movies, that go on to be cult favorites."
"When you think you're good, you will play at that level. If you doubt yourself, you will play like crap."
"If I see one side of somebody, I want to see the other side."
"I no longer look at my life and times in the motion picture industry as my career. I just look at it now as something I like and want to do."
"I'm a reasonable guy, but I've just experienced some very unreasonable things."
"I wasn't really serious about acting - I was serious about baseball."
"I'm a libertarian. I think a lot of people are libertarians and are afraid to admit it - or don't know."
"We are in a democratic society. It's our job to question."
"I know I come off differently, than I think of myself. I'm always surprised by what people say about me."
"You can always tell somebody's sense of humor by if they like this movie or not."
"Sure I love Goldie. How could you not love Goldie? Everyone loves Goldie. I love her and I hope our love will continue, but I don't want to give an I-love-Goldie-Hawn interview."
Russell is an Honorary Council Member of the humanitarian aviation organization Wings of Hope. Also, he is a member of the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the Association of Professional Ball Players of America and the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures.
Kurt Russell is not just an actor, he is a famous winemaker. One of his kinds of wine, named "Forbaz", he devoted to his sister, Jody, who was nicknamed as Baz in her young years. In 2007, Jody was close to death because of brain tumor. She managed to recover. To honor her as a winner in the battle with a disease, Kurt devoted this kind of wine to her.
Kurt is an FAA-licensed private pilot, holding single/multi-engine and instrument ratings.
Russell is a huge fan of Elvis Presley, Patrick Rondat and Tom Robinson. John Wayne was one of his favourite actors.
Physical Characteristics: Kurt quit smoking cigars in 2006.
In 1979, Kurt married actress Season Hubley. Their marriage produced one son - Boston Russell. In 1983, Kurt and Season divorced. Then, Kurt began his relationship with Goldie Hawn - actress, producer, dancer and singer. On July 10, 1986, the couple's son, Wyatt Russell, actor, was born. Hawn's daughter from her previous marriage to Bill Hudson, actress Kate Hudson, considers Russell to be her father.
Bing Russell was an American actor and Class A minor-league baseball club owner. He pursued acting after his promising baseball career was ended by injury.
Louise Julia (Crone) Russell is a former dancer.
Boston Russell was born on February 16, 1980 in Los Angeles, California, United States as Boston Oliver Grant Russell. He is known for his work on "Executive Decision" (1996) and "60 Minutes" (1968). Boston is a member of Miscellaneous Crew, a group of filmmakers, actors and comedians, who get together whenever possible to make videos.
Wyatt Russell is an American actor and former ice hockey player.
Jill is one of Kurt Russell sisters. She was married to a film producer Larry Franco. They divorced in 1984.
Jamie (Russell) Way runs Gogi Wines, her brother's wine business.
Season Hubley is an American actress and singer.
Kate Hudson is an American actress, author and fashion entrepreneur. She rose to prominence for her performance in the film "Almost Famous" (2000), for which she won the Golden Globe Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Goldie Hawn is an American actress, producer, dancer and singer. She rose to fame on the NBC sketch comedy program "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" (1968-1970), before going on to receive the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in "Cactus Flower" (1969).
Dick Warlock is an American actor and stuntman. Apart from being Kurt's friend, he acted as Russell's personal stunt double for over 25 years.
John Carpenter is an American filmmaker, screenwriter and composer. Although Carpenter has worked with various movie genres, he is associated most commonly with horror, action and science fiction films of the 1970's and 1980's.
