In 1964, Russell guest-starred in "Nemesis", an episode of the ABC series The Fugitive in which, as the son of police Lt. Phillip Gerard, he is unintentionally kidnapped by his father's quarry, Doctor Richard Kimble. In NBC's The Virginian, he played the mistaken orphan whose father, played by Rory Calhoun, was an outlaw who was still alive and recently released from prison looking for his son.[18]
Russell played a similar role as a kid named Packy Kerlin in the 1964 episode "Blue Heaven" for the Western series Gunsmoke. At age 13, Russell played the role of Jungle Boy on an episode of CBS's Gilligan's Island, which aired on February 6, 1965.[19]
Disney star
In 1966, Russell was signed to a ten-year contract with Walt Disney Productions, where he became, according to Robert Osborne, the "studio's top star of the '70s".[2] Russell's first film for Disney was Follow Me, Boys! (1966). Walt Disney described Russell as "a 15-year-old boy for whom I predict a great acting future",[20] in what would prove to be Disney's last filmed appearance before his death in December 1966. One of the last things Disney ever wrote was the name "Kurt Russell" (though misspelled as "Kirt") on a piece of paper.[21] In January 1967, Russell played Private Willie Prentiss in the episode "Willie and the Yank: The Mosby Raiders" in Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, released theatrically in some markets as Mosby's Marauders (1967). During this time, Russell continued to guest star on non-Disney TV shows. He, Jay C. Flippen and Tom Tryon appeared in the episode "Charade of Justice" of the NBC Western series The Road West starring Barry Sullivan. In a March 1966 episode of CBS's Lost in Space entitled "The Challenge", he played Quano, the son of a planetary ruler.[22]
In 1971, he co-starred as a young robber released from jail, alongside James Stewart in Fools' Parade.[24] Later, he guest-starred in an episode of Room 222 as an idealistic high school student who assumed the costumed identity of Paul Revere to warn of the dangers of pollution.[25]
While Russell was in the field turning the pivot of a double play early in the season, the incoming runner at second base collided with him and tore the rotator cuff in Russell's right (throwing) shoulder. He did not return to El Paso, but was a designated hitter for the independent Portland Mavericks in the Northwest League late in their short season. The team was owned by his father, and he had been doing promotional work for them in the interim.[34] The injury forced his retirement from baseball in 1973 and led to his return to acting.[35]
TV star
In the autumn of 1974, he appeared in the ABC series The New Land, inspired by the 1972 Swedish film of the same name. Critically acclaimed, it suffered very low ratings and aired only six of the 13 episodes. He returned to Disney for The Strongest Man in the World (1975).
Transition into Hollywood
Russell was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for the 1979 television film Elvis, in which his then-wife Season Hubley played Priscilla.[36] This would transition Russell's Hollywood career after years as a child actor.[37] It was directed by John Carpenter and led to a series of collaborations between the two men.
Russell made Swing Shift (1984) co-starring Goldie Hawn, who became his romantic partner. He starred in The Mean Season (1986) and The Best of Times (1986), then played an antihero truck driver caught in an ancient Chinese war in Big Trouble in Little China, another Carpenter film which, like The Thing, was initially a critical and commercial disappointment but has since gained a cult audience. More popular at the box office was Overboard (1987), a comedy with Goldie Hawn.[41]
In 2006, Russell claimed in one interview that he had ghost-directed the hit 1993 Western film Tombstone on behalf of credited director George P. Cosmatos, saying he gave Cosmatos shot lists.[44] Russell claimed Stallone recommended Cosmatos to him after the removal of the first director, writer Kevin Jarre, but Cosmatos had also worked with Tombstone executive producer Andrew G. Vajna before on Rambo: First Blood Part II. Russell said he promised Cosmatos he would keep it a secret as long as Cosmatos was alive; Cosmatos died in April 2005.[44] Russell said he did not get a chance to edit his version, but Vajna gave him a tape of "everything on the movie" and that he might try to "reconstruct the movie", although he would need to go back to the script and all his notes.[44]
Russell married actress Season Hubley, whom he met while filming Elvis, in 1979, and they had a son, Boston (born February 16, 1980). After his divorce from Hubley in 1983, Russell began his relationship with Goldie Hawn, and appeared alongside her in Swing Shift and Overboard, having previously appeared with her in The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band in 1968. They have a son, Wyatt Russell (born July 10, 1986), and have owned homes in Vancouver, British Columbia;[54][23]Snowmass Village, Colorado;[55]Manhattan, New York;[56]Brentwood[57] and Palm Desert, California.[58] In an interview with People in December 2020, Russell revealed that he and Hawn never felt the need to marry, stating that a "marriage certificate wasn't going to create anything that otherwise we wouldn't have."[59]
Russell is a libertarian.[60] In 2020, he stated that celebrities should keep their political opinions to themselves, believing that it negatively impacts their work.[61]
Russell is a hunter and a staunch supporter of gun rights, and said that gun control will not reduce terrorism.[62] He is also an FAA-licensed private pilot holding single/multi-engine and instrument ratings, and is an Honorary Council Member of the humanitarian aviation organization Wings of Hope.[63] In 2010, he was inducted as part of the Living Legends of Aviation, receiving the "Aviation Mentor Award" from fellow actor-pilot John Travolta.[64]
In February 2003, Russell and Hawn moved to Vancouver so that their son could play hockey.[54]
^Aaker, Everett (2017). "Kurt Russell". Television Western Players, 1960–1975: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. p. 371. ISBN978-1-4766-6250-3. Archived from the original on October 23, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
^"Room 222". TVGuide.com. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
^Anstine, Dennis (May 6, 1971). "Actor to play for Rainbows". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. p. 6. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
^Hopper, Betty (August 14, 1972). "Russell combines acting, baseball". The Telegraph. Nashua, New Hampshire. Associated Press. p. 18. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
^Witbeck, Charles (October 11, 1974). "Bad timing". Boca Raton News. Florida. KFS. p. 9, Tele-Viewer. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
^"Kurt Russell". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
^ abcBeck, Henry Cabot (October 2006). "The 'Western' Godfather". True West Magazine. Archived from the original on January 22, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
^Meeks, Eric G. (2012). Palm Springs Celebrity Homes: Little Tuscany, Racquet Club, Racquet Club Estates and Desert Park Estates Neighborhoods. Horatio Limburger Oglethorpe. p. 452 (location number). ASINB00A2PXD1G.