Liberty Lighthouse Journal: DOSSIER: KURT RUSSELL

“My generation couldn't stand me and I couldn't stand them. In high school I was the to the right of being straight. I believed in the work ethic, making money, and they all had this beef with the nation. Vietnam disappointed me because we didn't win.”

BORN: March 17^th, 1951 in Springfield, Massachusetts

BIRTH NAME: Kurt Vogel Russell

HEIGHT: 5' 10”

Kurt Russell has had a long career as an actor and one of the few child actors whose longevity and success in life became a reality. He also is an actor who did not allow himself to be stagnated in certain roles, although he has enjoyed performing in Western films and does them well. Tombstone is one of his best achievements.

Born in Massachusetts, he was raised in Thousand Oaks, California to Louise Julia Russell (née Crone), a dancer and Bing Russell, an actor. Kurt is English, German, Scottish, and Irish descent.

His first roles as a child actor was on television, that included a lead role on a Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (1963), when he was eleven years old. He landed a role in the Elvis Presley move, It Happened at the World's Fair (1963), his first feature film. He portrayed a boy who kicked Elvis in the leg. In April of 1963, Kurt guest-starred in the ABC series Our Man Higgins.

In 1964, Kurt guest-starred in the ABC series The Fugitive as the son of police Lt. Phillip Gerard, being unintentionally kidnapped by the fugitive Doctor Richard Kimble (David Janssen). In the same year, Kurt played the mistaken orphan whose father was an outlaw portrayed by Rory Calhoun who was still alive and recently released from prison looking for his son in NBC's The Virginian.

Kurt played a similar role in the 1964 episode “Blue Heaven” for the western series Gunsmoke. At age 13, Kurt played the role of Jungle Boy on an episode of Gilligan's Island on CBS.

In 1966, the last thing Walt Disney wrote were the words “Kurt Russell” on a piece of paper. That same year, Kurt was signed to a 10-year contract with the Walt Disney Company, and became the studio's top star of the '70s. His first film for Disney was Follow Me, Boys! (1966).

In January of 1967, Kurt played Private Willie Prentiss in the episode “Willie and the Yank: The Mosby Raiders” in Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, which was released theatrically as Mosby's Marauders (1967).

During this time, Kurt continued to guest star on non-Disney shows, such as the western series The Road West starring Barry Sullivan. In March of 1966, he was in an episode of Lost in Space, playing Quano, the son of a planetary ruler.

While filming the Sherman Brothers theatrical musical The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968), Kurt met his future life-long partner Goldie Hawn.

In 1969, he performed for Disney in The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit and Guns in the Heather and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes. In 1971, he followed his last success with The Barefoot Executive.

Also in 1971, he co-starred as a young robber released from jail with James Stewart in Fool's Parade. Later he guest-starred in an episode of Room 222.

In the early '70s, Kurt's mostly worked for Disney in films such as Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1971), Charley and the Angel (1973) and Superdad (1973).

In the early 1970s, Russell was a switch-hitting second baseman for the California Angels minor league affiliate, the Bend Rainbows (1971), His father, Bing Russell, had a career in baseball before becoming an actor. Kurt moved up to Class AA in 1973 with the El Paso Sun Kings of the Texas league, which ended when he tore the rotator cuff in his right shoulder. Later he would be a designated hitter for the Portland Mavericks, which was owned by his father. The injury forced Kurt to retire from baseball in 1973 and he returned to acting.

In the fall of 1974, Kurt appeared in the ABC series The New Land. It suffered low ratings despite critical acclaim and it aired only 6 of the 13 episodes. He returned to Disney in 1975 for perform in The Strongest Man in the World.

In 1980, Kurt was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series for a Special made-for-television film Elvis. This marked his transition from a child actor to a seasoned professional. The film was directed by John Carpenter which led to a series of collaborations between Kurt and John.

In 1980, Kurt starred in Amber Waves and the comedy Used Cars. Then in 1981 he portrayed Snake Plissken in Escape from New York, directed by Carpenter.

Kurt returned to Disney to provide the voice of Copper as an adult for The Fox and the Hound (1981), then reunited with Carpenter for The Thing (1982), a remake of the 1951 The Thing from Another World.

Kurt was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Silkwood (1983).

In 1984, Kurt made Swing Shift that co-starred Goldie Hawn. In 1986, he starred in The Mean Season and The Best of Times and then portrayed a truck driver in Big Trouble in Little China, which like The Thing, was a critical and commercial disappointment – but now is popular with the cult audience. An example of people not appreciating a film when it is released.

In Kurt's performance in Tequila Sunrise (1988), Hollywood saw him in a different light. He then co-starred with Sylvester Stallone in Tango & Cash in 1989. Kurt plated Lt. Stephen McCaffrey in Backdraft (1991).

He played Wyatt Earp in Tombstone (1993) and Colonel Jack O'Neill (“with two 'L's”) in Stargate (1994). Also in 1994, he had an unaccredited role as the voice of Elvis Presley in Forrest Gump. His portrayal of U.S. Olympic hockey coach in the 2004 film Miracle, won praise from the critics.

Kurt played the villain in Death Proof segment of the Quentin Tarantino film Grindhouse (2007).

Kurt appeared in The Battered Bastards of Baseball, a documentary about his father and the Portland Mavericks in 2014. In 2015, he co-starred in Furious 7.

On May 4^th, 2017, Kurt and Goldie Hawn received a double star ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their achievements in motion pictures, located at 6201 Hollywood Boulevard.

PERSONAL LIFE, TRIVIA & QUOTES

"OVERBOARD"

Kurt Russell married actress Season Bubley whom he met while filming Elvis in 1979, and had a son, Boston (born February 16^th, 1980). After his divorce from Hubley in 1983, Russell began a relationship with Goldie Hawn and co-starred with her in Swing Shift and Overboard.

Kurt and Goldie have a son, Wyatt Russell (born July 10, 1986), and own homes in Vancouver, British Columbia; Snowmass Village, Colorado; Manhattan, New York; Brentwood and Palm Desert, California. Hawn's daughter with Bill Hudson, actress Kate Hudson, considers Russell to be her father.

In an interview with People in December 2020, Kurt revealed that he and Goldie never felt the need to marry, stating that a “marriage certificate wasn't going to create anything that otherwise we wouldn't have.”

Russell is a libertarian. He was quoted by the Toronto Sun in 1996:

“I was brought up as a Republican, but when I realized that at the end of the day there wasn't much difference between a Democrat and Republican, I became a libertarian.”

Kurt hunts and is a supported of gun rights and the Second Amendment, stating that gun control will not reduced terrorism. He is also an FAA-licensed private pilot holding a single/multi-engine and instrument ratings and an Honorary Council Member of the aviation organization Wings of Hope.

In February of 2003, Kurt and Goldie moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, so that their son could play hockey.

TRIVIA:

Often performs many stunts himself.
Often plays charming, laid-back characters; but certainly performs well as characters like Snake Plissken and Wyatt Earp.
Son of Bing Russell, a baseball player and actor, who played the deputy sheriff on Bonanza (1959) for six years.
Kurt appeared in the music video and sang in the choir on the song “Voices That Care”.
Graduated from Thousand Oaks High School in Class of 1969, who voted him “Best Looking”.
Kurt and Goldie appeared together in five films: The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968), Swing Shift (1984), Overboard (1987), The Christmas Chronicles (2018), and The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020).
Goldie and Kurt have been together since Valentine's Day 1983.
First baseman, Matt Franco, Atlanta Braves is Kurt's nephew.
Began Cosmic Entertainment with Goldie, her daughter Kate Hudson, and her son Oliver Hudson in 2003.
Kurt is a card-carrying member of the NRA.
Kurt was the best man at Ted Nugent's wedding.
He is a huge fan of Elvis Presley, Patrick Rondat and Tom Robinson.
Kurt joked with director John Carpenter (The Thing in 1982) when he threw a stick of dynamite at Palmer who was turning into the Thing and how the explosion was more powerful that expected.
Kurt 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 Kurt to talk in a raspy voice similar to Clint Eastwood in 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. His role in the original Stargate (1994) was adopted by Richard Dean Anderson in the series, the character's name changed from one “L” to two “L”s, as Anderson often emphasized in the series.
Kurt is good friends with stuntman Dick Warlock, who was his stunt double for over 20 years.
Kurt and John Carpenter thought that Big Trouble in Little China (1986) would be a hit since the test audience reacted well. But the studio put little effort into advertising the film so it did not do well at the box office, but since has become a cult favorite.
Kurt was considered for the role of Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon (1987), but it went to Mel Gibson.
Kurt and his Tombstone (1993) co-star, Val Kilmer, have both portrayed Elvis Presley.
In 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001), Kurt worked with Kevin Costner who played the role of Wyatt Earp in the film Wyatt Earp (1994).
Kurt claims he often felt an outcast in Hollywood because of his Libertarian beliefs and so moved to live outside of Aspen, Colorado, where he started to try writing.
Kate Hudson, daughter of Goldie Hawn, named her son Ryder Russell Robinson, the middle name in honor of Kurt whom she always considered her father.
A member of the conservative Wednesday Morning Club in Hollywood, Kurt introduced guest speaker Newt Gingrich (1999).
Received The Disney Legends Award 1998 for living up to Disney principals (which has since been degraded).
For his role in Tombstone (1993), he was trained by famous Hollywood Gun Coach Thell Reed, who also trained actors like Val Kilmer, Bill Paxton, Sam Elliott, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Foster and Girard Swan.
Kurt walked Kate Hudson down the aisle at her wedding to rock star Chris Robinson. They divorced in 2007.
Kurt was originally cast to play the cursed knight in Ladyhawke (1985), while Rutger Hauer was original choice to play the evil captain. When Kurt dropped out of the project, Hauer took the role he wanted all along.
Kurt has stated that Snake Plissken is his favorite character of all he has portrayed.
He quit smoking cigars in 2006.
Kurt auditioned for the role of Hans Solo in Star Wars (1977), but it went to Harrison Ford.
He was Sylvester Stallone's original choice for Church in The Expendables (2010), but Kurt turned it down. The role went to Bruce Willis.
One of his heroes since boyhood was John Wayne.
He was considered for the role of Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (1976), but it went to Robert De Niro.
In Elvis (1979), he played Elvis Presley, while his real father Bing Russell portrayed Elvis' father Vernon Presley.
He was considered for the role of Agent Sands in Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), but it went to Johnny Depp.
He turned down the role of Richard Gere in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982).
John Carpenter wanted to cast Kurt in the horror film The Fog (1980).
He was offered the role of Alan Grant in Jurassic Park (1988), but his asking wage was too high. The role went to Sam Neill.
He was considered for the role of Alan Parish in Jumanji (1995), which went to Robin Williams.
He was considered for the role of Bill in Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
He was offered the role of John Ritter in Problem Child (1990), but he was busy with Tango & Cash (1989).
Kurt has three sisters.
As of 2022, Kurt Russell's net worth is estimated at $70 million.
While filming the Quentin Tarantino film “Death Proof” in the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Rita Hills, Kurt was impressed with the area's Pinot Noir, comparing the quality to Burgandies he had enjoyed over the years. After meeting Peter and Rebecca Work of Ampelos Cellars in Santa Rita Hills, Kurt was inspired to found GoGi Wines at Ampelos in 2008. Currently he produces Chardonnay, named after Goldie, and Pinot Noir named after a different family member of each vintage. In 2014 he produced “Birdie” named after his stepdaughter Kate Hudson. In 2015, there was Southpaw, named for Kate's brother, Oliver. You can check out GoGi Wines at gogiwines.com.

QUOTES:

“I seem to have a knack for picking movies that go on to be cult favorites.”
“If it hadn't been for video cassette, I may not have had a career at all.”
“In Escape from L.A. (1996), it's a story about a guy who just wants a cigarette. He just wants a cigarette! Everybody laughed back then because there was no red meat, no cigarettes in the movie. Well, look around! It's happening! You can barely smoke a cigarette anymore and although I quit smoking six months ago, the anti-smoking laws are enough to make me want to smoke!”
1996: “For me there's never been a woman more beautiful than Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca (1942).”
1996: “The only time in my entire life as an actor when I felt I didn't know what I was doing was on Tango & Cash (1989), when I had to dress up as a woman. It's not an acting chore I'd care to do again. I looked like a really ugly version of my other, who happens to be beautiful. I don't get transvestism.”
1996: “When I read Executive Decision (1996), it was a real page-turner. I read scripts for the movies more than I do for the characters. I've read lots of characters I'd like to play, but I didn't enjoy the movie itself that much. I liked the fun of Executive Decision, you know, I feel when an audience sees my name attached to a film, they think it'll probably be a pretty good movie. The movies I do, if we make them well, will be fun to watch. They may not be the best movie of the year, and I may not be your favorite actor, but people come to me all the time and say, 'I like the movies you do'.”
1996: “My grandfather owned a hotel along Kennebago Lake in Maine. It had 31 log cabins and was built in 1887. I grew up watching all the guys going out in showshoes while I played with my sister in the yard, and they'd come back with a deer. And then I got old enough to go with them. I grew up thinking that was the way to live. You could feed yourself, you could have corn in your garden, you could stock things in a barn, you didn't need anybody to do anything. And my grandparents were doing that. My grandfather was a phenomenal shot. And I watched my dad shoot deer, impossible shots when I could barely even see the deer. Goldie's a great game cook. We have a party every New Year's Day in Old Snowmass where everybody just watches the football games and they have Goldie's elk stew. We cook as much of the stuff as we can and finish it every time. And she enjoys that.”
1996: “I am like Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin. I love life. I have a comic look, I laugh at myself harder that at anybody else. I get extremely vociferous about things I don't believe in, but I'm in the moment. Benjamin Franklin loved life, he wasn't a negative person. And I do sense that I'm being more perceived like that now.”
“I remember one time being told – I never read it – that I had been referred to as 'Disney's little Nazi'. I was just like, wow. You either continue to work, or it hurts you enough that you quit. You're always able to just walk away – nobody's twisting your arm to stay in this business.”
[The Expendables 2010]: “I mean, I'm glad Sly's done well with this. He's a great person. The fellas all seem to have a good time. I've never seen any of them. It's not a beat I get. It's like looking backwards to me.”
“They call themselves liberal; I call them completely confined human beings.”
“I never experienced Walt Disney in any way other than him being like my grandfather. He reminded me of my dad's dad. And I was a little different from the other kids at the studio because I was a baseball player, and he liked that. I was just making money doing movies, and I liked it. But I was just at the beginning of my long journey to play professional baseball and hopefully make it as far as I could, so I never really thought I'd stay an actor. That said, I took acting very seriously, always knew my lines and really went after it. I wanted to do well. So I never had any reason to see Walt Disney as anything other than what I saw him as: a fun, creative guy who was a joy to work with and was always very good to me. There's three hundred and sixty degrees to everybody, but that said, when you've created something as positive and significant to the world as Walt Disney did, I'm rather uninterested in things like how he wiped his ass.”