Pretty Much Everywhere
With almost one hundred acting credits to his name, Kurt Russell has one of the longest and most storied careers in motion pictures and television. I’ve enjoyed pretty much everything that I’ve seen him in over the years. In this Focus On feature, we’ll take a look at Mr. Russell’s amazing career that is nearing sixty years in the making.
His career started in 1962 as an extra on an episode of Dennis The Menace. He then went on to appear in episodes of shows such as Gilligan’s Island, The Fugitive, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and Gunsmoke. In 1963 he had a bit part in It Happened At The World’s Fair with Elvis Presley. He also starred in multiple television series as a regular cast member including shows like The Travels of Jamie McPheeters.
As Russell grew older, he began a highly successful run in Disney films such as Follow Me, Boys (1966), The Barefoot Executive (1971), and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969). He would star in ten films between 1966 and 1981 for the company, the last one being the animated The Fox And The Hound as well as appear in multiple roles on Wonderful World Of Color. His big break came in 1979 in the TV movie Elvis, in which he portrayed the King himself. Russell was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for his portrayal of Elvis and despite having such a long and popular career, it would be the highest award that he would ever be nominated for as of this writing.
1980 found Russell in the comedy Used Cars. In 1981, Russell took on the first of many iconic science fiction and action roles as Snake Plissken in John Carpenter’s Escape From New York. These two films would set the tone for the rest of Russell’s career as he would (and continues to) star in numerous comedies and action/sci-fi roles.
Horror fans know Russell for the role of R.J. MacReady in the sci-fi horror thriller The Thing. Also directed by John Carpenter, the film made a modest four million over its budget and was trashed by critics. It has since gone on to garner a massive cult following (including myself). Russell and Carpenter would team up again in 1986 for Big Trouble In Little China. The film bombed at theaters, but found its audience on home video and went on to become yet another cult classic for Russell.
Another cult classic for Russell is 1987’s Overboard, a comedy that featured Russell’s longtime partner, Goldie Hawn. The duo had been together for about four years when the film was released and despite bombing at theaters, it gained an audience on home video and television. It is also one of my wife’s favorite films.
The 1990’s saw Russell’s star grow substantially. He appeared in a number of highly successful films including Backdraft (1991), Unlawful Entry (1992), Tombstone (1993), Stargate (1994), Executive Decision (1996), and Breakdown (1997). Despite these successes, though, Russell appeared in a few bombs as well. As usual, some of these bombs have become cult classics. Some of the better “bombs” from Russell’s career in the 90’s includes Soldier (1998) and Captain Ron (1992). Russell also reprised his role as Snake Plissken in the 1996 bomb, Escape from L.A., which featured a hilarious surfing sequence with Peter Fonda. It was directed by John Carpenter, adding another film to the Russell/Carpenter roster of films.
The 2000’s found Russell holding his own as an older man in action films, westerns, dramas, and comedies. Some of his most popular roles since 2000 include Coach Herb Brooks in Disney’s Miracle (2004), the superhero father named Steve Stronghold in 2005’s Sky High (also a Disney film), Stuntman Mike in 2007’s Death Proof, and John “The Hangman” Ruth in 2015’s The Hateful Eight.
Of course, Russell’s biggest recent role is Ego from Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (2017). It’s also one of my favorite performances by Russell despite it not being one of my favorite Marvel films. Some of my other favorite Russell roles include Coach Brooks, Wyatt Earp, and The Hangman.
I’ve been a fan of Kurt Russell as long as I can remember. He also seems to be a pretty cool guy off camera as well. I especially enjoy listening to him talk about filming Tombstone. He is often credited by Val Kilmer, who portrayed Doc Holliday in the film, as the person that kept the film from derailing during its production. Russell is one of the most successful steady working actors in cinema. He isn’t always listed with big name stars from the 80’s and 90’s like Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford, and Mel Gibson, but he had just as many or more roles than all of them during that time. He had major successes and terrible bombs, but he always seems to return for one more film.
In short, Kurt Russell is awesome.
Thanks for reading. Be sure to check out some of Kurt Russell’s work. Of all of his films, the ones that I highly suggest checking out are (in order of release): Follow Me, Boys, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, Elvis, Escape From New York, The Thing, Big Trouble In Little China, Tango & Cash, Tombstone, Stargate, Miracle, and The Hateful Eight.
Ken's Alternate Universe! 