Name: Ken Russell
Date of Birth: 3 July 1927 Father of Alex Russell, Molly Russell, Rupert Russell, Toby Russell and Victoria Russell. Has tried to work on film with Barbra Streisand twice, first in the early 1970s on a biography of Sarah Bernhardt, and then in the version of the stage musical "Evita". Became interested in making movies after frequenting the cinema after school with his mother. According to Russell, he once met Federico Fellini, of whom he had been a fan, outside an Italian movie studio. They approached each other and spoke briefly, complimenting each other by calling themselves, "the Italian Ken Russell," and "the English Federico Fellini," respectively. ... His films were popular in Italy. At the 1971 Venice Film Festival he won Best Director-Foreign Film for The Devils (1971). After the controversy surrounding Altered States (1980), he found it hard to get financial backing, so he directed opera for a while, including a version of Madame Butterfly. In the early 1980s during preproduction for the film version of the stage hit "Evita", he was so impressed with Liza Minnelli's screen test that he refused to direct the film without her. But the producers wanted Elaine Paige and the production came to a halt. The film was eventually made by Alan Parker starring Madonna. Alumni of East London University. Stanley Kubrick once called him in the early 1970s to ask him where he had found the lovely locations for his films. Russell complied and Kubrick used the locations in his next film Barry Lyndon (1975). Russell later said, "I felt quite chuffed". His favorite film is Jean Vigo's L'atalante (1934). He was a guest of Belgrade Film Festival - FEST 2003. During his stay at Belgrade as a guest of FEST film festival he was awarded with a Golden Seal Award from Yugoslav Cinematheque for his complete work and contribution to world cinema and film. His first wife, Shirley Russell, was the costume designer on all of his films until 1978 when they divorced. She was later nominated for two Oscars: Michael Apted's Agatha (1979) and Warren Beatty's Reds (1981). Was dubbed "England's Orson Welles" early in his career. Was sometimes called the "Fellini of the North". He had a variety of jobs before he got into the film industry, including at one point a ballet dancer in a troupe in Norway. Was part of a legendary incident in British television when he appeared on Late Night Line-Up on BBC2 to discuss his new film The Devils (1971) alongside critic Alexander Walker, who did not like the film. As Walker began critiquing the film, Russell interrupted him repeatedly. The two began shouting at each other, and Russell eventually hit Walker over the head with a rolled up copy of his own review. The incident took place on live television and no footage is known to exist. Visited the Andy Worhol 'Factory' in 1964 and appeared in Worhol's famous "screen tests", but the scene he filmed was eventually cut. Read more Ken Russell movies (actor)Ken Russell movies (director)User Comments |
