RATINGS: Cast & Crew

DOB: August 20, 1958

Background: Russell was born in New York City, the son of a Jewish father and a Catholic mother, though he was raised in an atheistic household. He majored in Political Science and English at Amherst College.

Filmography: His feature directing debut was "Spanking the Monkey" (1994), followed by "Flirting with Disaster" (1996), "Three Kings" (1999), "I Heart Huckabees" (2004), and "The Fighter" (2010), which earned him his first Oscar nomination for directing. His latest film is "The Silver Linings Playbook" (2012), starring Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro.
 

Academy Awards:

Best Director Nominations
"Silver Linings Playbook" (2012); lost to Ang Lee ("Life of Pi")
"The Fighter" (2010); lost to Tom Hooper ("The King's Speech")

Best Adapted Screenplay Nomination
"Silver Linings Playbook" (2012); lost to Chris Terrio ("Argo")

Golden Globes:

Best Film Director Nomination
"The Fighter" (2011); lost to David Fincher ("The Social Network")

Best Film Screenplay Nomination
"Silver Linings Playbook" (2013); lost to Quentin Tarantino ("Django Unchained")