Born in Massachusetts, Kurt Russell grew up in Maine and California, under the showbiz spotlight of his father, Bing Russell, one of the stars of Bonanza. Naturally, the younger Russell had acting aspirations of his own, and in 1963 he made his big-screen debut as “Ugly Child” in It Happened at the World’s Fair, a film top-lined by Elvis Presley. A lead role on TV’s The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters followed, as did guest spots on popular shows of the era like The Fugitive, Gilligan’s Island and Lost in Space.
Walt Disney Pictures took notice of the strapping young Kurt Russell and signed him to an exclusive film contract, which carried him through most of the ’70s. The family-friendly films for The Mouse House saw him struggle with invisibility (Now You See Him, Now You Don’t), become a living computer (The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes), and gain super strength from a chemical solution (The Strongest Man in the World). The studio was intent on turning him into a matinee idol, but Russell — like many young men of the era — much preferred the idea of becoming a major league baseball player. As a star second baseman in the minor league system of the California Angels, he was on the verge of turning pro when an on-field collision rendered his throwing arm useless. With his sports career over, he went back to acting.
Kurt Russell stars in escape from new york and tombstone
In an effort to lose the Disney label, Kurt Russell auditioned to play Han Solo in Star Wars, but Harrison Ford walked away with the role and the iconic screen career that went along with it. Russell’s route to bona fide fame came from playing Elvis Presley in Elvis, an ironic turn of events considering his childhood film role opposite The King. The film marked the first of many collaborations between Kurt Russell and director John Carpenter. Despite mostly positive reviews, their films frequently flopped at the box office, only to gain followings through home video. Chief among them was 1981′s Escape from New York, which starred Kurt Russell as patch-eyed anti-hero Snake Plissken, who descends into a prison version of Manhattan to save the President’s daughter. Other collaborations included the chilly monster movie, The Thing, and Big Trouble in Little China, where Kurt Russell played a truck driver in a centuries-old war alongside Kim Cattrall.
Through the ’90s, Kurt Russell infused his characters with his trademark machismo and charisma. Backdraft featured him as a veteran fireman feuding with William Baldwin, while Unlawful Entry had him doing more feuding, this time with corrupt cop Ray Liotta. One of Kurt Russell’s most popular films of the decade was Tombstone. Not only did the star play legendary lawman Wyatt Earp, he also directed the film under the guidance of “ghost director” George P. Cosmatos. Russell would later make his mark on geek culture with the sci-fi hit Stargate, which led to books, multiple television series, and long-term employment for Richard Dean Anderson. He also reprised the role of Snake Plissken for John Carptern in the (predictable?) 1996 flop, Escape from L.A.
Kurt Russell stars in miracle and death proof
As he grew older, Kurt Russell began playing mentor roles that suited his age and personality, but also stretched his acting chops significantly more than most of his previous output had. In Vanilla Sky, he played a psychiatrist trying to help a disfigured Tom Cruise, and as a hard-drinking, hard-boiled cop, he showed Scott Speedman the ropes of L.A. police work in 2002′s Dark Blue. From there, he earned some of his best reviews ever in Miracle, playing Herb Brooks, the hockey coach who guided the USA hockey team to an unexpected victory in the 1980 Winter Olympics. For Kurt Russell, the film was an example of art imitating life. He filmed it in Vancouver, Canada, where he had moved with Goldie Hawn so that their son could play hockey.
On his way toward acting retirement, Kurt Russell found a final role — for now — that would go down as one to remember. It came courtesy of Quentin Tarantino, who cast him in Grindhouse: Death Proof as Stuntman Mike, a disturbed badass who gets his kicks by running over women with a tricked-out Chevy Nova. The character had all of the macho goodness that fans had come to expect from Russell, but he was also villainous enough to warrant the ass-kicking eventually served to him by a troupe of equally badass hotties, led by Rosario Dawson and Zoe Bell. Cool cars, hot babes and Quentin Tarantino? There are worse ways to wrap up a respectable acting career.
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