Born March 17, 1951 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Kurt Russell is an Emmy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated American actor. He graduated from Thousand Oaks High School and began his film career at an early age.
When he was ten, Kurt Russell had an uncredited part in Elvis Presley’s It Happened at the World’s Fair in 1963. One year after, he landed the lead role as the orphan Jaimie in the TV western The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters. During that time, he appeared in an episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. as Christopher Larson. This was followed by a role as Jungle Boy in Gilligan’s Island in 1965. He was also given the role of Andy Denning in two episodes of The Virginian and was also in The Legend of Jesse James. He played the character Quano in an episode of Lost in Space and had an appearance in The Fugitive. Signing a ten-year contract with the Walt Disney Company, he became the “studio’s top star of the ‘70s.” Under the Disney Company, he starred as Whitey in the 1966 family film Follow Me, Boys! and starred with Goldie Hawn in The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band. He also appeared in The Horse in the Grey Flannel Suit and played Dexter in 1969’s The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes.
Like his father, Kurt Russell also had a baseball career. He played second base for the California Angels Double-A minor league affiliate, the El Paso Sun Kings, in the 1970s. He was injured on his shoulder, which resulted in him quitting baseball and returning to his acting career.
After his stint with Disney, Kurt Russell was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special. This was due to his performance in the made-for-TV film Elvis, where he played the title role. The film was his first pairing with John Carpenter, who he has teamed up with several times afterwards. Some of Kurt Russell’s best-known roles include anti-heroes such as the infamous Snake Plissken in Escape from New York, along with its sequel Escape from L.A. In 1982, he collaborated once again with Carpenter, coming up with the sci-fi thriller The Thing and Silkwood. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for his role, where he acted opposite Meryl Streep. In 1984, he and Goldie Hawn starred once again in Swing Shift.
The recurring presence of Elvis in his career has become evident. Kurt Russell has starred as an Elvis impersonator in 3000 Miles to Graceland and provided the voice for the character of Elvis in a scene in 1994’s Forrest Gump. He is also in 1991’s Backdraft and 2001’s Vanilla Sky. Critics praised him for his role in Miracle in 2004, and this was followed by his portrayal of The Commander in Disney’s 2005 superhero movie Sky High. He has also appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s segment Death Proof in the film Grindhouse and was in 2007’s short drama Cutlass with Kate Hudson.