Kurt Vogel Russell is an American actor, producer, and screenwriter. Its popularity peaked in the 1980s and 1990s. A new round in his creative career began several years ago. Russell has appeared on the screen in projects: "The Hateful Eight", "Deep Sea Horizon", "Fast and the Furious 8", "Guardians of the Galaxy 2". In the near future it will be possible to see him in the new film by K. Tarantino "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood".
Kurt Russell and his wife Gordie Hawn are considered one of the richest celebrity couples in Hollywood. A few years ago, they were number 12 on the list of celebrities with a financial fortune of over $ 100 million.
Biography facts
Kurt was born in the United States in the spring of 1951 to dancer Louise Julia and famous actor Bing Russell (real name Neil Oliver). His ancestors were of Scottish, Irish, English and German descent.
Since childhood, Kurt has had two hobbies: baseball and cinema. At one time he was even going to become a professional athlete and played in several clubs. At one of the competitions, the young man received a serious injury, which forever put an end to his baseball career. For some time he still continued to play in the Portland Mavericks team, owned by his father, but in 1973 he decided to completely immerse himself in the world of cinema.
Already at an early age, the boy played the first roles in television series, which were staged by the Walt Disney Company. The main role went to him in 1963 in the film "The Journey of Jamie McFeathers".
In the same year, Russell played another role in the film It Happened at the World's Fair. At first glance, she was unremarkable. But, according to Kurt himself, it actually became a kind of sign of fate. Elvis Presley starred in this picture, and the boy appeared on the screen only in one episode, when he had to hit Elvis in the leg and run away.
When Russell had already become a famous actor, he played Presley twice in the films "Elvis" and "300 Miles to Graceland", claiming that it was thanks to that small role that he was chosen by fate to embody the king of rock and roll on the screen. Interestingly, Russell's first wife was Season of the Hubble, who played the role of Priscilla Presley in the movie Elvis.
When Kurt was ten years old, Walt Disney himself signed a ten-year contract with him to work in the film industry. In the 1970s, he became a real star, starring in almost all the films of the film company.
Russell is one of the few child stars in Hollywood who was able to pursue a career as a teenager and then become a professional actor. In 1998 he received the Disney Legends Award for his significant contribution to the development of the Walt Disney Company.
Creative career
In the early 1980s, Russell became very popular. He played the war veteran Snake Pliskin in the science fiction film Escape from New York, freeing the hostage president.
The project grossed over $ 25 million. He became one of the most popular action films of those years. The film was nominated for a Saturn Prize in four categories.
It was planned to immediately shoot the sequel to the action movie, but for various reasons the next part came out only fifteen years later, and then thanks to the efforts made by Russell and the script he personally revised. In 1996, Escape from Los Angeles was released, grossing over $ 25 million again. True, the cost of producing the second part significantly exceeded the first. The film again received nominations for the Saturn Award, but in two categories.
In 1982, Russell starred in the fantasy horror film The Thing. It is interesting that in those years the film did not receive the attention it deserved and literally failed at the box office. A few years later, the picture appeared on videotapes, and then it gained real popularity. Today "The Thing" is considered one of the best horror films of the twentieth century.
The next successful work of the actor was the role in the fantastic action movie "Stargate". He played Colonel Jack O'Neill, who must lead his team through a gateway to another dimension.
Russell got another role in a science fiction film in 1998. He starred in the title role of the warrior of the future in the film "Soldier". True, this time the film was not successful and failed at the box office. But this did not affect Russell's further career in any way. Soon he was already playing in the melodrama "Vanilla Sky" with the famous Tom Cruise. He played another interesting role in the film "Route 60".
Russell starred not only in fantastic and adventure films. He brilliantly played a role in the comedy "Overboard" along with his future wife Goldie Hawn.
Russell's career began to decline in the mid-2000s. He was less often invited to new projects. Many believed that the peak of the actor's creativity had already passed. However, in recent years, Kurt has reappeared on screens in such famous films as: "Bone Tamahawk", "The Hateful Eight", "Guardians of the Galaxy 2", "Deep Sea Horizon", "Christmas Chronicles". Fans were once again able to see the excellent acting of the actor and enjoy his work.
Fees, achievements, awards
Despite the fact that Russell has practically not been seen on the screen for many years, he is one of the highest paid and wealthy actors in Hollywood. For participation in his most famous projects, Kurt received high fees and amassed a rather impressive fortune.
Russell received a $ 7 million royalty for his role in Stargate. The following works brought him no less money: "Ordered to Destroy" - 7.5 million, "Escape from Los Angeles" - 10 million, "Crash" - 15 million, "Soldier" - 15 million, "Vanilla Sky" - 5 million …
During his creative career, the actor has been nominated for film awards more than once: Emmy, Golden Globe, Saturn.
In the spring of 2017, he won a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at number 6201.
