Kurt Russell was born on March 17, 1951, in the Los Angeles suburb of Thousand Oaks. He started acting at the age of 12 on various television programs. In the 1960s he was signed to a 10-year contract with Walt Disney, which led to his appearance in many of the Disney films of the era (“Follow Me, Boys!,” “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes,” “The Barefoot Executive”). According to the late Robert Osborne of TCM (via Wikipedia), he became the studio’s top star of the 1970s.
Those Disney appearances did typecast Russell a bit and he would be stuck playing many roles that were somewhat wholesome in nature. He would turn that image around when director John Carpenter (fresh from the surprise blockbuster success of “Halloween”) cast him in the lead role of Elvis Presley in a TV movie called “Elvis!” That television film was really the first time Russell was taken seriously as an actor and it earned him an Emmy nomination. Carpenter and Russell would become frequent collaborators in the future, and two years later Carpenter would help Russell shake his good guy image for good when he cast him as the lead role of an ex-convict action hero in “Escape from New York.”
Working with Mike Nichols, Meryl Streep and Cher on “Silkwood” would earn him a Golden Globe nomination as Best Supporting Actor of 1983. In 1984 Russell would make the film “Swing Shift,” which was a complicated disaster for all involved when director Jonathan Demme and producer/star Goldie Hawn fought over the film’s final cut. There would be some bright spots to the turmoil of “Swing Shift.” Christine Lahti received an Oscar nomination and the New York Film Critics Circle Award as Best Supporting Actress. Russell would fall in love and with his leading lady Hawn and remain together to this day.
Tour our photo gallery of Russell’s 15 greatest film performances, ranked from worst to best. Our list includes the movies mentioned above, plus “Tombstone,” “The Hateful Eight,” “Overboard,” “Breakdown” and more.
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15. STARGATE (1994)
Image Credit: Snap/REX/Shutterstock Director: Roland Emmerich. Writers: Roland Emmerich, Dean Devlin. Starring James Spader, Jaye Davison, Viveca Lindfors.
Russell had the lead in this science fiction film which later would spawn a successful television series. The story revolves around the discovery of a portal which links earth to another planet which is inhabited by an Egyptian like race of people. Russell plays an air force officer who volunteers to enter the portal even though he may not be able to get back to earth. He does so because he is in a deep depression over the accidental death of his son who shot himself with Russell’s gun.
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14. THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES (1969)
Image Credit: Disney/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Director: Robert Butler. Writer: Joseph L. McEveety. Starring Cesar Romero, Joe Flynn, William Schallert.
Russell began his career as a child and appeared in a lot of television shows and became known for his appearances in a number of Disney films. “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes” was one of his most popular ones. In it Russell plays a college student who receives an electric shock that turns him into a human computer. He can instantly do mathematics and can memorize the contents of an encyclopedia in one sitting. The film culminates with Russell participating in a college quiz show competition.
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13. TEQUILA SUNRISE (1988)
Image Credit: Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Director and writer: Robert Towne. Starring Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Raul Julia.
Robert Towne won an Oscar for his screenplay for “Chinatown.” He wrote and also directed this film about a drug dealer who is childhood friends with a police detective (Russell.) Russell’s character is suspicious of whether or not his friend played by Mel Gibson has given up his life of crime. Michelle Pfeiffer also stars as a woman who falls in love with Gibson despite his criminal past.
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12. THE MEAN SEASON (1985)
Image Credit: Turman-Foster/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Director: Phillip Borsos. Writer: Christopher Crowe. Starring Mariel Hemmingway, Richard Jordan, Andy Garcia.
Russell plays a newspaper reporter covering crime and murders in Miami. He receives tips from a serial killer but eventually finds the killer is focusing on Russell and his girlfriend played by Mariel Hemmingway. The film culminates in an exciting chase scene as with Russell desperately running through the streets of Miami in order to save Hemmingway.
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11. BREAKDOWN (1997)
Image Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock Director: Jonathan Mostow. Writers: Jonathan Mostow, Sam Montgomery. Starring J.T. Walsh, Kathleen Quinlan, Jack Noseworthy.
Russell had the lead in another thriller this time focusing on a married couple driving across country. After Russell gets in an argument at a gas station the couple’s car mysteriously breaks down on the road. Russell’s wife accepts a ride with a helpful trucker and then seemingly vanishes off the face of the earth leaving Russell to try and figure out what happened to her.
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10. BACKDRAFT (1991)
Image Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock Director: Ron Howard. Writer: Gregory Widen. Starring William Baldwin, Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland.
This film from director Ron Howard focuses on two fire fighter brothers fighting an arsonist terrorizing the city. It is based remembered for its special effects which earned three Oscar nominations: Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
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9. OVERBOARD (1987)
Image Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock Director: Gary Marshall. Writer: Leslie Dixon. Starring Goldie Hawn, Edward Herrmann, Katherine Helmond.
Russell teamed with his real life romantic partner Goldie Hawn for this comedy about a spoiled heiress who hires a carpenter and treats him poorly. After she falls off her yacht and suffers amnesia, Russell signs her out of the hospital as a way of seeking revenge over money Hawn refused to pay him. He then brings her home to take care of the four sons he is raising alone as a widower. Initially revolted by the chores of caring for four kids Hawn eventually finds meaning and love in the situation and chooses to remain there even after her amnesia clears.
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8. BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (1986)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Director: John Carpenter. Writer: Gary Goldman, David Z. Weinstein. Starring Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, James Hong.
Russell re-teamed with director John Carpenter for this fantasy set in the worlds of martial arts and Chinatown. The film has since gained a cult following but upon its initial release the movie only received mixed reviews and was a financial flop at the box office. The whole experience made Carpenter unhappy with the studio film making system and he turned towards making more independent films.
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7. SWING SHIFT (1984)
Image Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock Director: Jonathan Demme. Writer Rob Morton aka Nancy Dowd. Starring Goldie Hawn, Christine Lahti, Ed Harris.
“Swing Shift” was inspired by the Rosie the Riveter movement during WWII when women took over factory jobs traditionally held by men. The final film is relatively interesting and earned Christine Lahti an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress but the making of the film was quite tumultuous with producer Hawn clashing with director Jonathan Demme over the final cut. Hawn reportedly panicked over how her fans would react to the darker character she played in Demme’s version so she recut the film to make her character more sympathetic. Russell plays one of the few draft age men still working in the factory due to his being turned down for military service because of a bad heart.
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6. THE THING (1982)
Image Credit: Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Director John Carpenter. Writer: Bill Lancaster. Starring Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter, David Clennon.
This Russell and John Carpenter collaboration also was met with a negative reception upon release but grew to find a following via television and home media. Russell plays a member of a research team in Antarctica who are terrorized by an alien creature that assumes the shape of its victims. The film’s graphic gore and dark vision of space aliens turned off 1982 audiences who were much more happy to embrace multiple viewings of ET that year.
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5. USED CARS (1980)
Image Credit: Columbia/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Director: Robert Zemeckis. Writer: Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale. Starring Jack Warden, Gerrit Graham, David L. Lander, Michael McKean.
After the acclaim of Robert Zemeckis’ first film “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” which was about the Beatles first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” he released this second equally acclaimed low budget release starring Russell. Russell plays a hotshot used car salesman with political aspirations trying to keep the car lot he works for in business opposite competition from another lot. Like many of Russell’s films this film became a bit of a cult hit after a critically acclaimed but low box office first release.
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4. ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981)
Image Credit: Avco Embassy/REX/Shutterstock Director: John Carpenter. Writer: John Carpenter, Nick Castle. Starring Adrienne Barbeau, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence.
Director John Carpenter of the original “Halloween” film was highly responsible for transforming Russell’s career and image. He did it first by casting Russell in a TV biopic about Elvis Presley entitled simply “Elvis.” He then turned Russell into an action hero two years later with the release of this film set in a dysfunctional New York City which has now become a maximum security prison. When the president’s place crashes into the city/prison Russell is sent in to get him out.
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3. SILKWOOD (1983)
Image Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock Director: Mike Nichols. Writer: Nora Ephron, Alice Arlen. Starring Meryl Streep, Cher, Diana Scarwid.
“Silkwood” is often remembered as the first time Cher appeared in a serious dramatic role in a big budget film. It was also the first time Russell had been given the opportunity to take on a dramatic role in a high profile Oscar vehicle. While Russell did receive a Golden Globe nomination as Best Supporting Actor for the film he missed out on an Oscar nomination with only Cher and Meryl Streep receiving acting nods for the film. The film did transform his image and lead to some better roles for him. Director Mike Nichols clearly liked to cast people whom the powers that be didn’t put much dramatic stock in and prove they could cut it. In addition to Cher and Russell in this film he did it for Ann-Margret and Art Garfunkel in “Carnal Knowledge.”
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2. THE HATEFUL EIGHT (2015)
Image Credit: Andrew Cooper/The Weinstein Company/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Director and writer: Quentin Tarantino. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth.
Russell was one of “The Hateful Eight” who gather together at a remote Wyoming cabin to basically torture and kill one another in this typically bloody film from Quentin Tarantino. Russell plays a bounty hunter transporting his prisoner (Oscar nominee Jennifer Jason Leigh) across the frozen countryside. He and Leigh spend much of the film chained together leading to some great comic moments among the bloodshed.
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1. TOMBSTONE (1993)
Image Credit: Hollywood/Cinergi/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Director: George P. Cosmatos, Kevin Jarre (uncredited) Writer: Kevin Jarre. Starring Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton.
Kevin Costner fresh off his multi-Oscar winning western “Dances with Wolves” had a biopic of gunfighter Wyatt Earp planed as his next western when this lower budget film swept in and told the same story to greater acclaim. Russell plays Wyatt Earp a lawman who is forced out of retirement. The film dramatizes his life including the famous gunfight at the OK Corral.
