David O. Russell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids David O. Russell
Russell at the Paris premiere of American Hustle in February 2014
Born	(1958-08-20) August 20, 1958 (age 66)
Alma mater	Amherst College (B.A.)
Occupation	Film director screenwriter producer
Years active	1987–present
Spouse(s)	Janet Grillo ​ ​ (m. 1992; div. 2007)​
Partner(s)	Holly Davis (2007–present)
Children	2

David Owen Russell (born August 20, 1958) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He has earned numerous accolades including two British Academy Film Awards, and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for five Academy Awards.

Russell started his career directing the dark comedy films Flirting with Disaster (1996), Three Kings (1999), and I Heart Huckabees (2004). He gained critical success with the biographical sports drama The Fighter (2010), the romantic comedy-drama Silver Linings Playbook (2012), and the dark comedy crime film American Hustle (2013). The three films were commercially successful and acclaimed by critics, earning him three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, as well as a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination for Silver Linings Playbook and a Best Original Screenplay nomination for American Hustle. Russell received his seventh Golden Globe nomination for the semi-biographical comedy-drama Joy (2015). He also directed the comedic mystery thriller Amsterdam (2022).

Early life and education

David Owen Russell was raised in Larchmont, New York, in an upper middle-class household. His parents worked for Simon & Schuster; his father, Bernard, was the vice president of sales for the company, and his mother, Maria, was a secretary there. His father was from a Russian-Jewish family, and his mother was Italian-American (of Lucanian descent). His paternal grandfather, a butcher from the Upper West Side of Manhattan, lost many of his relatives in concentration camps.

When he was 13, Russell made his first film for a school project and used a Super 8 film camera to film people in New York City. He attended Mamaroneck High School, where he was voted "Class Rebel". He fell in love with film in his teens (his favorite movies included Taxi Driver, Chinatown, and Shampoo) but aspired to become a writer; Russell started a newspaper in high school and wrote short stories. As his parents worked in the publishing industry, he grew up in a household filled with books.

In 1981, Russell received his A.B. degree from Amherst College, where he majored in English and political science. He wrote his senior thesis on the United States intervention in Chile from 1963 to 1973.

Career

1987–1994: Early career and directorial debut

After graduating from Amherst, Russell traveled to Nicaragua and taught in a Sandinista literacy program. He worked in waitering, bartending, and catering. Some of his bartending colleagues included members of the Blue Man Group. He worked for a booksellers' association and later became a community organizer in Maine. He used video equipment to document slums and bad housing conditions, which later became a documentary of Lewiston, Maine. Russell was a political activist and canvassed and raised money in neighborhoods; he also did community work in Boston's South End. In addition to working in several day jobs, he began to write short films.

Russell directed a documentary about Panamanian immigrants in Boston, which led to a job as a production assistant on a PBS series called Smithsonian World. In 1987, Russell wrote, produced, and directed Bingo Inferno: A Parody on American Obsessions, a short film about an obsessive bingo-playing mother. Two years later, he made another short titled Hairway to the Stars, which featured Bette Davis and William Hickey. Both shorts were shown at the Sundance Film Festival.

After Russell made an award-winning short film for a Boston television station, he received grants from the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Spanking the Monkey, the 1994 independent dark comedy, was his first directorial effort. The film was produced by Dean Silvers, and starred Jeremy Davies as a troubled young man and Alberta Watson as his lonely mother.The film received positive reviews and won him Best First Screenplay and Best First Feature from the Independent Spirit Awards, as well as the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

1996–2008: Comedic films

His next project was the Miramax comedy Flirting with Disaster (1996), his second collaboration with Dean Silvers, and first with Harvey Weinstein. The film follows a neurotic man (Ben Stiller) who travels with his wife (Patricia Arquette) and a high-strung caseworker (Téa Leoni) to find his biological parents. The film also starred Mary Tyler Moore, George Segal, Alan Alda, Josh Brolin, Richard Jenkins, and Lily Tomlin. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival, and was well received by most critics. Roger Ebert said of the direction, "Russell finds the strong central line all screwball begins with, the seemingly serious mission or quest, and then throws darts at a map of the United States as he creates his characters." Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a 'B' and declared it "one of the ha-ha funniest comedies currently at a theater near you."

David O. Russell at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2011

The success of those two films led to the satirical Gulf War black comedy Three Kings (1999), starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube and Spike Jonze. Adapted from an earlier script by former stand-up comic John Ridley, the film follows three American GIs who devise a plan to steal hidden Kuwaiti gold during the 1991 Iraqi uprising against Saddam Hussein. Filmed in the deserts of Arizona, California and Mexico, and featuring actual Iraqi refugees as extras, Russell used several unique cinematic techniques to achieve a feeling of realism. He filmed using handheld cameras and Steadicam, and shot on Ektachrome slide photography stock that was cross processed in colour negative chemicals, to reproduce "the odd colour of the newspaper images [of the Gulf War]." He also insisted on filming all of the explosions in one shot, unlike a typical action film. Three Kings was released in 1999 and was his biggest critical and financial success. It grossed $60 million in the United States and over $100 million worldwide. It holds a 94% at Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus "Three Kings successfully blends elements of action, drama, and comedy into a thoughtful, exciting movie on the Gulf War."

Russell's next project was the existential comedy I Heart Huckabees (2004). During pre-production in 2003, it was reported that Jude Law dropped the film to star in Christopher Nolan's The Prestige (2006), but after Russell headlocked Nolan at a Hollywood party, demanding that "his fellow director show artistic solidarity and give up his star in order to save Huckabees", Nolan dropped Law from his film. The film ended up receiving mixed reviews and failed at the box office, but collaborator Jennifer Lawrence called it her favorite David O. Russell film.

Nailed is a political comedy co-written by Russell and Kristin Gore, and stars Jessica Biel, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tracy Morgan, Catherine Keener, Paul Reubens, James Brolin and Kirstie Alley. Production was delayed or shut down four times in 2008, resulting in IATSE shutting down production because the crew was not getting paid. Actor James Caan left mid-production "due to creative differences and [the] split was amicable." Russell ceased working on the film in 2010; it was retitled Accidental Love and was released on VOD on February 10, 2015, before a limited release on March 20, 2015

2010–2015: Acclaim and awards success

In 2010, Russell returned with The Fighter, a biographical sports drama produced by and starring Mark Wahlberg. The film focuses on junior welterweight boxer Mickey Ward's rise to claim the WBU Light Welterweight title, as well as his difficult relationship with his mother, Alice Ward (Melissa Leo), and his older half-brother Dickie Eklund (Christian Bale). The film became a major critical and financial success, grossing $125 million, and appearing on several critics' year-end top ten lists. The Fighter also received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director for Russell, the first of his career, and earned awards for both Bale and Leo, for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.

Russell directed Jennifer Lawrence to three Academy Award nominations and a win for Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook was adapted from the serio-comic novel by Matthew Quick. Bradley Cooper plays Pat and Robert De Niro, who starred with Cooper in Limitless, co-stars as his father. Jennifer Lawrence plays the lead female role of Tiffany. She commented about Russell, "He's really my favorite director since I started watching movies." The cast also includes Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker and the veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher. The film was released in the United States and Canada on November 16, 2012. The film received critical acclaim and was a financial success.

Silver Linings Playbook is about a former teacher named Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper), who has bipolar disorder, and moves back in with his family. He is initially obsessive about reuniting with his spouse after having discovered her with a lover and assaulting the man; however, the story explores the development of his relationship with Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence). The film was inspired by Devereaux Glenholme School, a 12-month special education boarding school in Washington, CT. Russell's son is currently a student there, and Russell stated, "I was so familiar with the issues in the story that I knew how emotional and funny and original it could be. Without this community I would never have made this film."

Russell received the numerous awards including the Hollywood Director Award at the 16th annual Hollywood Film Awards and an Indie Impact Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival for his work on the film, as well as two Independent Spirit Awards (Best Director, Best Screenplay), two Satellite Awards (Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay), a British Academy Film Award (Adapted Screenplay), and the American Film Institute Award for Movie of the Year. Silver Linings Playbook won the People's Choice Award at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and garnered four Golden Globe Award nominations (with one win for Jennifer Lawrence, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy) and eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Russell), Best Adapted Screenplay (Russell), Best Actor in a Leading Role (Bradley Cooper), Best Actress in a Leading Role (winner, Jennifer Lawrence), Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro), Best Supporting Actress (Jacki Weaver) and Best Film Editing (Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers).

Russell with a bipartisan group of senators introducing the proposed bill, the Excellence in Mental Health Act in 2013

Russell's next project was American Hustle (2013), a comedy based on the ABSCAM scandal of the 1970s. The film's plot revolved around skilled con artists Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) being forced to work for unhinged FBI Agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). Their complicated operation eventually involves Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) of Camden, New Jersey, as well as Irving's unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence). The film reunited Russell with Bale and Adams after The Fighter, as well as with Cooper, Lawrence, and De Niro after Silver Linings Playbook. Saïd Taghmaoui, the Iraqi captain from Three Kings, also makes an appearance. The film received seven Golden Globe nominations, including Best Motion Picture Comedy & Best Director for Russell, and three wins including Best Motion Picture Comedy, Best Actress for Amy Adams and Best Supporting Actress for Jennifer Lawrence. Additionally, the film received ten Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, along with a Screen Actors Guild Award win for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

In January 2014, it was announced that Russell would rewrite and direct a comedy-drama film about American inventor and entrepreneur Joy Mangano, a struggling Long Island single mother of three children. Jennifer Lawrence played the lead role in the film entitled Joy (2015). Principal photography began on February 17, 2015, and the film, titled Joy, was released on December 25, 2015. The film received mixed to positive reviews, focusing mainly on the strong central performance by actor Jennifer Lawrence, Russell's direction, and the supporting performances by Diane Ladd, Robert De Niro, and others. Featured music in the film was a driving force behind the narrative, including a reworked a cappella version of Cream's "I Feel Free". Strong box office greeted the film's first five days, with a $5900-per-screen average, and 25 million dollars in gross receipts, according to Box Office Mojo; it grossed a worldwide total of over $101 million. The film was nominated for 2 Golden Globe Awards, including Best Musical or Comedy, and Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for Jennifer Lawrence, which she won. Lawrence was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, the film's only Oscar nomination.

2016–present

Written and directed by Russell, Past Forward was a short film collaboration between the director and Prada. A clip of the film premiered in September 2016 at Milan Fashion Week, and premiered November 2016 in Los Angeles. In the short film, Russell uses three actors for the same roles including Kuoth Wiel, Freida Pinto and Allison Williams. The film has been described as a "surreal dreamscape with an eclectic cast replaying scenes in shifting combinations".

In January 2020, it was announced that Russell would be writing and directing Amsterdam, produced by Regency Enterprises. Russell teamed up with Christian Bale for the third time, with Margot Robbie also joining the film. In October 2020 it was announced that John David Washington had joined the cast of the film, with filming scheduled to begin in January 2021. The same month that filming began, Rami Malek and Zoe Saldaña joined the cast. A trailer was released in July 2022, announcing the casting of Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Andrea Riseborough, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alessandro Nivola, Taylor Swift, and Robert De Niro. The film received negative reviews with Manohla Dargis of The New York Times writing, "Throughout, Russell keeps going and moving, moving and going, but the momentum never builds the way it should, and the big reveal lands flat partly because he never seems taken with the history he's latched onto or comfortable with its heaviness". The film was a box-office bomb, with estimated losses for the studio of over $100 million.

Upcoming projects

On February 9, 2023, it was announced that Keke Palmer and Sacha Baron Cohen will star in Russell's Super Toys. The film is a period piece set in the 1970s.

It was announced in May 2023 that Will Ferrell had entered early negotiations to star as football legend John Madden in the film biopic Madden, with Russell set to direct from a screenplay by Cambron Clark. In August the following year, the part was recast for Nicolas Cage.

In January 2024, it was announced that Selena Gomez would portray the role of Linda Ronstadt in an untitled biopic to be directed by Russell, based on the memoir Simple Dreams.

In April 2024, Warner Bros. was reported to be rebooting Get Smart, with Russell in talks to direct, and John Mulaney interested in starring as Maxwell Smart.

In November 2024, it was reported that Charlize Theron would team with Russell for the Paramount+ series Cash, about "Russian oligarchs and the British government."

In December 2024, Deadline Hollywood announced a new drama series in development at Apple TV+ called Bananas, with Russell directing and executive producing, and set to star Oscar Isaac and Ana de Armas. The project was written by Carolina Paiz.

Ghetto Film School

David O. Russell was on the board of Ghetto Film School (GFS), an organization founded in 2000 to educate American storytellers. Russell learned about GFS in 2002 from two students who introduced him to Joe Hall, president of Ghetto Film School. Shortly after, Russell joined the board of the organization. Along with fellow board members, Russell brought filmmaker friends, industry and movie studio professionals to donate money and lend their time teaching classes to support young black and Latino filmmakers from the South Bronx and Harlem.

On June 16, 2014, Ghetto Film School opened its new branch in Los Angeles. This was thanks in part to Russell with an assist from 21st Century Fox co-COO James Murdoch. In October 2015, Russell and Jim Gianopulos hosted the premiere of Ghetto Film School Los Angeles fellows' thesis film Demon's Gate.

Frequent collaborators

Editor Jay Cassidy worked with Russell on Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, Joy, and Amsterdam. Crispin Struthers and Alan Baumgarten also edited several films for Russell. Producers Dean Silvers, Megan Ellison, and Jonathan Gordon have worked with him two and three times, respectively. Linus Sandgren was cinematographer for American Hustle and Joy.

Personal life

Marriage and family

Russell was married to Janet Grillo, who was a producer at Fine Line Features, from 1992 to 2007. He has been with his partner, Holly Davis, since 2007. Davis is a costume designer. Russell has two children: one with Grillo and an adopted son with Davis. He resides in Santa Monica, California.

Mental illness activism

He is an advocate for mental illness treatment and support, and an active supporter of autism research. Russell's efforts saw him named the Essential Puzzle Piece honoree by the Light Up the Night Gala for Autism. In 2013, Russell visited Washington, D.C., to meet with vice president Joe Biden and Sen. Debbie Stabenow to discuss a new bill regarding mental healthcare. In May 2014, Russell participated in a panel at Paley Center for the Media that discussed projects that have brought to light the stigmas and suffering associated with mental illness. Russell serves on the creative council of Represent.Us, a nonpartisan anti-corruption organization.

Filmography

Film

Acting credits

Short film

Television

Awards and nominations

Over the course of his career he has received numerous accolades including two British Academy Film Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and four Independent Spirit Awards as well as nominations for five Academy Awards and two Directors Guild of America Awards.

Direction for Oscar-related performances

Russell has directed multiple Oscar nominated performances.

See also

In Spanish: David O. Russell para niños

• David O. Russell's unrealized projects