Kurt Russell's career since kicking Elvis - From child actor to Hollywood A-lister

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Kurt Russell -

Kurt Vogel Russell was born on March 17, 1951, in Springfield, Massachusetts, to Bing and Louise Russell. Perhaps influenced by his father, a former professional baseball player, the young Russell had thoughts of pursuing a career in the sport.

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Early years -

His dad, however, was also an actor, and after the family moved to Los Angeles, Russell junior caught the acting bug. Russell is pictured with with dad in 1966.

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Small screen debut -

In 1962, Kurt Russell made his television debut, appearing in an episode of the sitcom series 'Denise the Menace' (1959–1963).

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Big screen debut -

The following year Russell made his movie debut with an uncredited part in 'It Happened at the World's Fair' (1963). He famously kicked Elvis Presley's character Mike Edwards in the shin. He didn't know it at the time, but Presley would feature significantly later in Russell's own film career.

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'The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters' (1963–64) -

Back on television, the child actor secured the title role in the ABC Western series 'The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters.' The cast also featured Charles Bronson, soon to become one of Hollywood's most famous heavies.

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'Guns of Diablo' (1965) -

A year after the series ended, Russell appeared alongside Bronson in the Western 'Guns of Diablo,' an expanded version of the last episode of 'The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters.'

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'Follow Me, Boys!' (1966) -

Russell was offered more television work with guest slots on 'The Fugitive,' The Virginian,' and 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E,' among other series, before securing a 10-year contract with The Walt Disney Company. His first film for the studio was 'Follow Me, Boys!'

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'The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes' (1969) -

Disney, as did the small screen, kept Russell busy throughout the 1960s. The popular Disney production 'The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes' saw Russell bade farewell to the '60s and welcome in the 1970s—a seminal decade for the actor on the cusp of his twenties, and stardom. 

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'The Barefoot Executive' (1971) -

His first movie of the new decade was the Disney comedy 'The Barefoot Executive.' Meanwhile, Russell was still juggling cinema with TV, including appearing in episodes of 'The High Chaparral,' 'Room 222,' and 'Police Story.'

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'The New Land' (1974) -

In 1974, Kurt Russell was cast as Bo Larsen in the critically-acclaimed ABC series 'The New Land.' But despite glowing reviews, the series drew low ratings and was cancelled after just six episodes.

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'The Quest' (1976) -

Russell's work on 'The New Land' helped him secure the lead role in the Western series 'The Quest,' starring alongside Tim Matheson. This was also a short-lived venture, but the actor's screen presence was by now catching the eye of Hollywood movers and shakers.

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'Elvis' (1980) -

Director John Carpenter cast Russell in the made-for-television biographical film 'Elvis'—released 17 years after the actor had given the "King of Rock and Roll" the boot. For his acting efforts, Russell garnered a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. Fun fact: in a further nod towards Presley, Russell provided the uncredited voice of the singer in the 1994 film 'Forrest Gump.'

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Marriage to Season Hubley -

While filming 'Elvis,' Russell had met Season Hubley, who portrayed Priscilla Presley. The couple wed in 1979 and had a son, Boston. But as with the real-life Presleys, the Russells divorced, parting company in 1983.

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'Escape from New York' (1981) -

'Elvis' marked the first collaboration between Russell and Carpenter—and transitioned Russell's Hollywood career after years as a child actor. Their next project was 'Escape from New York.' A critical and commercial hit, the film is today regarded as a cult classic.

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'The Thing' (1982) -

The next Russell-Carpenter collaboration was 'The Thing,' a creepy science fiction horror film set in a remote Antarctic research station. While it didn't lose money, the film was met with generally negative reviews. But it has since been  reevaluated as a milestone of the horror genre.

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'Silkwood' (1983) -

With 'Silkwood,' Kurt Russell gave one of his best performances to date. Starring alongside Meryl Streep and Cher, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. The movie was a huge hit with critics and the public alike.

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'Swing Shift' (1984) -

After his divorce from Season Hubley, Russell had begun dating Goldie Hawn. The pair had first met way back in 1968 on the set of 'The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band' (in fact Hawn's film debut). Their first film together as a couple was 'Swing Shift.' Still together, though not married, theirs is one of the longest celebrity relationships. A son, Wyatt, was born in 1986.

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'Big Trouble in Little China' (1986) -

'Big Trouble in Little China,' another Russell-Carpenter production, fulfilled the director's long-standing desire to make a martial arts film. It received positive reviews, but underperformed at the box office.

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'Overboard' (1987) -

By now one of Hollywood's golden couples, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn continued their rom-com run with 'Overboard,' which was popular at the box office.

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'Tango & Cash' (1989) -

Kurt Russell ended the 1990s with this buddy cop action comedy. Tango (Sylvester Stallone) and Cash (Russell) are two rival Los Angeles police offices out to collar criminal mastermind Yves Perret, played by Jack Palance.

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'Backdraft' (1991) -

To prepare for this action thriller, Russell and other principal cast members trained at the Chicago Fire Academy and went out on the road with real firefighters. The movie ignited favorable reviews from critics and set the box office alight.

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'Tombstone' (1993) -

'Tombstone' remains one of the most successful Westerns of recent years. Starring Russell and Val Kilmer, with Sam Elliott and Bill Paxton, the film's plotline includes the infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

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'Stargate' (1994) -

The 1990s proved the most successful decade for Kurt Russell in terms of box-office receipts. The science fiction adventure 'Stargate,' for example, grossed US$196.6 million worldwide against a production budget of $55 million.

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'Breakdown' (1997) -

'Breakdown' was another box-office success. It also pleased critics, praising Russell's role as a husband whose wife is kidnapped after their car breaks down in the middle of the desert. Kathleen Quinlan portrays the missing spouse.

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'Miracle' (2004) -

In 'Miracle,' Kurt Russell plays Herb Brooks, the ice hockey coach who led the United States men's team to victory over the heavily favored Soviet squad to clinch gold in the 1980 Winter Olympics. It remains one of the most inspirational sports movies ever made.

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'Death Proof' (2007) -

'Death Proof' introduced Kurt Russell to maverick filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. Russell wasn't the director's first choice for the role of Mike "Stuntman Mike" McKay, but he ultimately cast him because he wanted Russell to "be a badass again."

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'The Hateful Eight' (2015) -

With 'Death Proof,' Russell and Tarantino had hit it off big time. So much so that eight years later the actor was up there with Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, and Jennifer Jason Leigh, all cast in Tarantino's bleakly magnificent revisionist masterpiece 'The Hateful Eight.'

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'Deepwater Horizon' (2016) -

Russell's string of new millennium movie hits continued with 'Deepwater Horizon,' cast alongside Mark Wahlberg, John Malkovich, and Kate Hudson—who just happens to be Goldie Hawn's daughter—in this gripping story based on the 2010  Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

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'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' (2017) -

Cast as Ego in the 2017 American superhero adventure 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,' Russell by all accounts thoroughly relished the opportunity to work in a franchise aimed at a more youthful audience.

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'The Christmas Chronicles' (2018) -

In this winter warmer, Kurt Russell plays Santa Claus. Guess who portrays his other half? Yep, Mrs. Claus is none other than Goldie Hawn! The film's sequel, 2020's 'The Christmas Chronicles 2,' marked the fifth time the two had paired up together in front of the cameras.

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Two for a pair -

And as if to cement their longstanding relationship, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn were both honored with a double star ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 4, 2017.

Sources: (Britannica)

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