No one else could be Snake Plissken: Who is Kurt Russell?

Kurt Russell is a big-hearted actor who appears in big movies, does justice to his roles, and even takes on the director's duty if necessary. Russell was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for his performance in Mike Nichols' Silkwood.

By Stephen McWright Published on 28 Ekim 2023 : 15:23.
No one else could be Snake Plissken: Who is Kurt Russell?

Kurt Vogel Russell was born on March 17, 1951, in Massachusetts, USA. His father is actor Bing Russell. He has two sisters. Kurt Russell started acting in movies when he was a child. He graduated from Thousand Oaks High School in California.

Between 1971 and 1973, he played in minor league baseball for three years. He quit when he got injured.

In 1979, he starred in director John Carpenter's Elvis movie. He appeared in the movie "Used Cars" in 1980, "Escape from New York" in 1981, "The Thing" in 1982, "Tango & Cash" in 1989, "Flame Trap" in 1991, "Tombstone" in 1993, "Stargate" in 1994. " series, "Escape from Los Angeles" in 1996, "Soldier" in 1998, "Vanilla Sky" in 2001, and "Escape from Poseidon" in 2006 are among the best of the movies he starred in.

Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began acting on television at the age of 12 in the western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (1963–1964). In the late 1960s, he signed a ten-year contract with The Walt Disney Company, where he starred as Dexter Riley in films such as The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969), Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972), and The Strongest Man in the World (1975). According to Robert Osborne of Turner Classic Movies, Russell became the studio's top star of the 1970s.

Kurt Russell was good friends with director John Carpenter; They worked together on five films, including Elvis (1979), Escape from New York (1981), The Thing (1982), Big Trouble in Little China (1986), and Escape from Los Angeles (1996).

Marriages:

1st marriage: He married Susan Season Hubley in 1979. He has a son named Oliver Grant Russell of Boston (b.1980).

His second marriage: He has been with actress Goldie Hawn since 1983 (no wedding!). He has a son named Wyatt Russell (b. 1986).

Interesting information from Kurt Russell's life

1. Russell owes his current Hollywood career to being a professional baseball player when he was young

Growing up, he was greatly influenced by his father, who was also a player and owned a minor-league baseball team called the Portland Mavericks.

In addition to starring in family films produced by the Walt Disney Company, such as The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and The Strongest Man, Russell was also pursuing a baseball career. He joined the Bend Rainbows in 1971 and then transferred to his father's Mavericks. It was 1973 when a shoulder injury put an end to his baseball career. After this date, he focused entirely on acting.

2. Kurt Russell Gave Up the Chance to Star in Star Wars to Star in a Western TV Series

When George Lucas was looking for actors for Star Wars, he met with many actors, including Kurt Russell. Russell had auditioned for both Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. Russell was interested in Star Wars, but when he was offered a role in a western television series called The Quest, he asked George Lucas if he wanted him in the movie and, if so, what role he would give him.

To this day, Russell remembers Lucas saying, "I don't know what role I'm going to give you yet." Lucas continued, “I don't know if I'm happy with you playing Han and this guy playing Skywalker, or you playing Skywalker and him playing Han.” When he couldn't get an answer from Lucas, Russell naturally chose to star in the TV series The Quest.

3. Kurt Russell Was Nominated for an Emmy for His Portrayal of Elvis Presley

After starring in a number of Disney films, Russell began pursuing more serious films. Among these films was Elvis, directed by John Carpenter, who directed the Halloween movie. Playing Elvis Presley not only earned Russell an Emmy nomination, but it also solidified his working relationship with Carpenter; Thanks to this, he was able to take part in the director's films such as Escape from New York, Escape from LA, and The Thing.

4. The Bull Durham Movie Was Written for Kurt Russell

Have you ever wondered how a former baseball player like Russell has never appeared in a baseball movie? In fact, he was pretty close to getting this role. Writer and director Ron Shelton had written Bull Durham, about aging hitman Crash Davis, specifically for Russell, but the studio insisted that Kevin Costner star in the film.

5. Russell Got Twice His Normal Fee for “Stargate” Because It Was Considered Impossible Not to Be Loved by People

It is often said that it is in Russell's nature to make himself loved. Even if the audience doesn't like the movie he stars in, they definitely like him. In fact, according to Russell, this has been proven by a study. According to the actor, the producers of the 1994 movie Stargate offered twice his normal fee to guarantee his role in the movie; The reason for this was that he satisfied the audience.

6. Kurt Russell May Have Secretly Directed the Tombstone Movie

In the movie Tombstone, released in 1993, Russell played a character named Wyatt Earp, who tried to bring order to the lawless town of Tombstone. The film, directed by George Cosmatos, became a classic in the Western genre.

In a 2006 True West magazine interview with Russell, the actor said he, not Cosmatos, did most of the heavy lifting behind the scenes.

7. Kurt Russell Reported Seeing a UFO During Flight

In addition to his acting career, Russell is a flying enthusiast with a pilot's license. He reported that they witnessed a strange event while flying with Oliver Hudson (Goldie Hawn's child, whom he raised and regarded as his own son) in 1977.

8. No One Could Be Snake Plissken But Kurt Russell

Rumors have been circulating for a long time about the remake of the movie Escape from New York, which shows that Russell can be a very good action actor. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in 2017, Russell expressed his feelings about someone else playing the character of Snake Plissken:

“I didn't play Snake Plissken, I created him!”