Russell Mulcahy facts for kids

Russell Mulcahy (born 23 June 1953) is an Australian director known for his work in films, television, and music videos. He started his career directing popular music videos for famous artists like Elton John and Duran Duran. He later became a film director, making the famous fantasy action movie Highlander (1986).

Mulcahy also directed other well-known films. These include The Shadow (1994) and Resident Evil: Extinction (2007). He was also a key director for the TV series Teen Wolf from 2011 to 2017.

His directing style is easy to recognize. He often uses quick camera cuts, moving shots, and dramatic lighting to make his work exciting and visually interesting.

Early Life and First Films

Russell Mulcahy was born in Melbourne, Australia. When he was 14 years old, he got a camera and started making short movies with his friends. After finishing school, he got a job as a film editor for a TV station.

He made his own short films in his spare time. Two of his films won awards at a local film festival. He also won Best Short Film at the Sydney Film Festival. This success helped him start his career.

A TV producer saw his work and asked him to create a music video for the song "Everybody's Talkin'". This was the beginning of his journey into directing music videos, which were called "film clips" back then.

Famous Music Video Director

Mulcahy quickly became a popular music video director. He made videos for bands in Australia and New Zealand, including AC/DC. He then moved to England, where he worked with many famous British pop groups.

He directed the music video for the Buggles' song "Video Killed the Radio Star" in 1979. This video became historic when it was the very first one ever played on the TV channel MTV in 1981.

Over the next few years, Mulcahy became a top director in the music video world. He worked with many famous artists, including:

• Duran Duran (for songs like "Hungry Like the Wolf")
• Kim Carnes
• Billy Joel
• Bonnie Tyler (for "Total Eclipse of the Heart")
• Rod Stewart
• Elton John

He even made a small appearance in the video for Elton John's song "I'm Still Standing", which he also directed.

Directing Feature Films

First Movies

Mulcahy's first major movie was the Australian horror film Razorback in 1984. While it wasn't a big hit at first, it later became a cult favorite among movie fans.

After Razorback, he returned to music videos for a short time. He worked with bands like the Rolling Stones and continued his successful partnership with Duran Duran.

The Highlander Series

In 1985, Mulcahy directed Highlander, a fantasy action film starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery. The movie is about immortal warriors and features music by the band Queen. Highlander became a huge cult classic and led to a whole series of movies and TV shows.

He later directed the sequel, Highlander II: The Quickening (1991). However, he was not happy with the final version of the movie because the production company made changes he disagreed with.

Action and Thriller Movies

Throughout the 1990s, Mulcahy directed many action and thriller films. Some of his movies from this time include:

• Ricochet (1991), starring Denzel Washington
• The Real McCoy (1993), starring Kim Basinger
• The Shadow (1994), starring Alec Baldwin

He also directed episodes of TV shows like Tales from the Crypt.

Later Career in Film and TV

In the 2000s, Mulcahy focused more on directing for television. He directed TV movies like On the Beach (2000) and The Lost Battalion (2001).

He returned to big-screen movies with Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), the third film in the popular series. He also directed the action movie Give 'em Hell Malone (2009).

From 2011 to 2017, Mulcahy was a main director and executive producer for the hit TV series Teen Wolf. He directed 40 episodes of the show. In 2023, he also directed Teen Wolf: The Movie, which continued the story.

Selected Filmography

Feature Films as Director

• Razorback (1984)
• Highlander (1986)
• Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)
• Ricochet (1991)
• The Real McCoy (1993)
• The Shadow (1994)
• Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
• In Like Flynn (2018)
• Teen Wolf: The Movie (2023)

Television Work

• Tales from the Crypt (1991–1996) - 4 episodes
• On the Beach (2000) - TV Movie
• The Lost Battalion (2001) - TV Movie
• Prayers for Bobby (2009) - TV Movie
• Teen Wolf (2011–2017) - 40 episodes

See also

In Spanish: Russell Mulcahy para niños