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Trivia
Birth name: Kurt Vogel Russell
Date of birth: 17 March 1951
Place of birth: Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
Height: 5' 10" (1.78 m)
Spouse: Season Hubley (1979 - 1984) (divorced) 1 son.
Russell was born in Springfield, Massachusetts to Louise Crain and Bing Russell, who was a character actor best known as Deputy Clem Foster on Bonanza.
Rode along with the Chicago Fire Dept.'s Squad 5 in preparation for his
role in Backdraft (1991).
Played pro baseball (2nd base, AA club- California Angels) until a torn
shoulder muscle forced retirement in 1973. Was hitting .563 at the time.
His friend, Ron Shelton wrote the Crash Davis role in Bull Durham (1988)
for him - the studio insisted on Kevin
Costner though.
Father is Bing Russell a former baseball player, who played the deputy
sherriff on "Bonanza" (1959) for 6 years.
He appeared in the music video and sang in the choir on the song
"Voices That Care."
He is an FAA licensed Private Pilot holding single/multi- engine and
instrument ratings.
Performs many of his stunts himself.
Father of Wyatt Russell (with Goldie Hawn)
He and longtime companion Goldie Hawn both appeared in The One and Only,
Genuine, Original Family Band (1968).
Partner of Goldie Hawn [1983 - present]
He and partner Goldie Hawn formerly took summer vacations in the Muskoka
region in Ontario, Canada. They gave up their cottage after too many
unwelcomed visitors would stare at their cottage through binoculars from
Lake Rosseau.
Atlanta Braves' first baseman, Matt Franco, is his nephew.
His character Snake Plissken (of Escape from New York (1981)) is about
to become a comic book. Published by theCrossGen imprint Code 6 Comics,
the book will be known as The Snake Plissken Chronicles. It is marked
for publication beginning in 2003.
Started Cosmic Entertainment with partner Goldie Hawn, stepdaughter Kate
Hudson, and stepson Oliver Hudson in 2003.
Is a card carrying member of the NRA
Was the best man at Ted Nugent's wedding.
Father of Boston Russell who was born in 1980 with Season Hubley.
Graduate of Thousand Oaks High School, Thusand Oaks, California with
Michael Richards, Kramer from"Seinfeld" (1990). Class of 1969,
who voted him "Best Looking."
Brother-in-law of Larry J. Franco.
Is a big fan of Elvis Presley, Patrick Rondat and Tom Robinson.
Auditioned for the role of Han Solo in Star Wars (1977).
In his audio commentary for The Thing (1982), he joked with director
John Carpenter about the scene where he threw a stick of dynamite at the
character Palmer (who was turning into the Thing) and how the explosion
was more powerful than he had expected. In truth, he could have been
seriously injured.
Was one of the first actors to do audio commentary on DVDs.
The presence of Lee Van Cleef on the set of Escape from New York (1981)
inspired him to talk in a raspy voice similar to Clint
Eastwood's from the Man With No Name trilogy.
During the filming of 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001) in Vancouver, he
visited the nearby set of "Stargate SG-1" (1997) and met the
cast. Russell starred as Colonel Jack O'Neil in the original Stargate
(1994). His role was adopted by Richard Dean Anderson in the spin-off
series and the character's name was changed slightly (to Colonel Jack
O'Neill).
Is good friends with stunt man Dick Warlock, who was his stunt double
for over 20 years.
Portrayed cult classic heroes in four different movies: Escape from New
York (1981), The Thing (1982), Stargate (1994) and Escape from L.A.
(1996).
Said in his audio commentary for Big Trouble in Little China (1986) that
the test audiences reacted so well to the film that he thought for sure
that he and director friend John Carpenter had a box office hit on their
hands. However, the studio put so little effort into advertising the
film that it ultimately didn't do as well at the box office but became a
cult favorite instead.
Is a libertarian, meaning that he believes in "leftist" social
values but more conservative fiscal policies (and that his beliefs
overlap with both Democrats and Republicans).
Made his film debut in the Elvis Presley film, It Happened at the
World's Fair (1963). He later went on to play him in Elvis (1979), and
to provide his voice in Forrest Gump (1994).
When he and director John Carpenter were discussing the character of
MacReady in The Thing (1982), they thought about making MacReady a
former Vietnam chopper pilot who felt displaced by his service in the
war and, as a result, was much more isolated than the other characters.
This ultimately did not make it into the film.
Auditioned for the role of Flash Gordon (1980). The part went to Sam J.
Jones instead.
He and his Tombstone (1993) co-star, Val
Kilmer, have both played Elvis Presley. Val Kilmer played him in True Romance (1993), while Russell played him in a television movie, and provided his voice in Forrest Gump (1994). In Tombstone (1993), he plays Wyatt Earp. In 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001), he works with
Kevin
Costner, who played the role a mere six months later in the film Wyatt Earp (1994).
Is good friends with director John Carpenter
He claims 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.
Kate
Hudson, daughter of his longtime companion Goldie Hawn, named her
son Ryder Russel Robinson. The middle name is an homage to Kurt, whom
Hudson always considered to be her father.
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.
He played "Jungleboy" on Gilligan's Island.
Has starred in films with two of his former brother-in-laws, Larry
Franco in John Carpenter's The Thing (1982), and Whip Hubley in
Executive Decision (1996).
He appeared in the music video and sang in the choir on the song "Voices That Care."
He is an FAA licensed Private Pilot holding single/multi- engine and instrument ratings.
Former Atlanta Braves first baseman, Matt Franco, is his nephew.
Is a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA)
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 beliefs, and so moved to live in an area outside Aspen, Colorado, where he started to try 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.
Russell's next effort was not as winning, though he did deliver his
trademark charm in the superhero spoof "Sky High" (2005) in
which he played Captain Stronghold, a super-powered father who sends his
non-powered son to a secret academy for superhero offspring.
He then had a turn in the family film "Dreamer: Inspired by a True
Story" (2005), playing a once gifted horseman who is given a lame
horse and, through the unwavering faith and determination of his young
daughter (Dakota Fanning), takes the mare on a quest to win the Breeders
Cup Classic.
He next starred in the larger-than-life remake, “Poseidon” (2006),
playing a middle-aged father struggling to escape a capsized ocean liner
with a ragtag group of passengers who must rely on and trust one another
despite their differences.
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