Russo brothers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Russo brothers
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Joe (left) and Anthony Russo in 2019
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| Born | Anthony Russo February 3, 1970 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. Joseph Russo July 18, 1971 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1997–present |
| Parent(s) |
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Anthony Russo (born February 3, 1970) and Joseph Russo (born July 18, 1971) are American filmmakers. They are often called the Russo brothers. They usually work together to direct and produce movies and TV shows.
They are most famous for directing four big movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). These include Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Avengers: Endgame made over $2.798 billion worldwide. For a short time, it was the highest-grossing film ever.
The brothers have also directed and produced popular TV comedy series. Some of these are Arrested Development (2003–2005), Community (2009–2014), and Happy Endings (2011–2012). They even won an Emmy Award for their work on Arrested Development.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Anthony and Joseph Russo were born and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Their parents were Patricia Gallupoli and Basil Russo. Basil Russo was a lawyer and a judge. Their families came from Italy, specifically from Sicily and Abruzzo. They moved to Ohio many years ago.
The brothers went to Benedictine High School. Joe later studied English and writing at the University of Iowa. Anthony went to the University of Pennsylvania. He first studied business, but then changed to English.
Their Journey in Filmmaking
The Russo brothers started directing, writing, and producing movies while they were still students. They were at Case Western Reserve University. Anthony was studying law, and Joe was studying acting. Their first movie was called Pieces. They used student loans and credit cards to pay for it.
How They Got Their Big Break
After their movie Pieces was shown at the Slamdance Film Festival, a famous director named Steven Soderbergh saw it. He liked their work and offered to help them make their next movie. He worked with his producing partner George Clooney. This led to their crime comedy film Welcome to Collinwood. It starred actors like William H. Macy, Sam Rockwell, and George Clooney.
A TV executive named Kevin Reilly at the FX network was also impressed. He hired the Russos to direct the first episode, called the pilot, for the TV series Lucky. Later, another famous director, Ron Howard, liked their pilot episode. He helped them get hired to direct the pilot for the TV show Arrested Development for Fox.
Creating Their Own Company
In 2017, the Russo brothers started their own production company. It is called AGBO. This company helps them make many of their films and TV shows.
Marvel Movie Success
The Russo brothers directed Avengers: Infinity War (2018). This movie was a huge success. It was the first superhero movie to earn over $2 billion at the box office. They were only the third directors to achieve this. The others were James Cameron with Avatar and Titanic, and J. J. Abrams with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Their next Marvel movie was Avengers: Endgame. It came out on April 26, 2019. This film broke many box office records. It also became the second superhero movie to earn over $2 billion. The Russo brothers joined James Cameron as the only directors to have two movies make over $2 billion.
Other Recent Projects
The brothers also helped produce the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once. This film was written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. It was released in March 2022. It became the highest-grossing film worldwide for the company A24.
In July 2024, Marvel Studios announced exciting news. The Russo brothers will return to direct and produce two more Avengers movies. These are Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).
Business Interests
In January 2025, Joe Russo became a board member and investor for an English football (soccer) club. The club is called Sheffield United. He joined a group of American businessmen who took over the club.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Directors | Producers | Writer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Pieces | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2002 | Welcome to Collinwood | Yes | No | Yes |
| 2006 | You, Me and Dupree | Yes | No | No |
| 2007 | Crashing | No | Executives | No |
| 2014 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Yes | No | No |
| 2014 | A Merry Friggin' Christmas | No | Executives | No |
| 2016 | Captain America: Civil War | Yes | No | No |
| 2018 | Avengers: Infinity War | Yes | No | No |
| 2018 | Dizzy Pursuit | No | Executives | No |
| 2019 | Avengers: Endgame | Yes | No | No |
| 2019 | 21 Bridges | No | Yes | No |
| 2019 | Mosul | No | Yes | No |
| 2019 | Super Me | No | Executives | No |
| 2020 | Extraction | No | Yes | Joe |
| 2020 | Relic | No | Executives | No |
| 2021 | Cherry | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2022 | The Gray Man | Yes | Yes | Joe |
| 2022 | Everything Everywhere All at Once | No | Yes | No |
| 2023 | Extraction 2 | No | Yes | Joe |
| 2023 | All Fun and Games | No | Executives | No |
| 2025 | The Electric State | Yes | Yes | No |
| TBA | The Bluff | No | Yes | No |
Television
| Year | Title | Director(s) | Executive producers |
Episode(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Lucky | Yes | No | "Pilot", "Up the Streaks" |
| 2003–2005 | Arrested Development | Yes | No | Pilot and various episodes |
| 2004–2005 | LAX | Yes | Yes | Pilot and various episodes |
| 2006 | What About Brian | Yes | No | "Pilot" |
| 2007–2008 | Carpoolers | Yes | Yes | All episodes |
| 2009 | Comedy Showcase | Yes | No | "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret" |
| 2009–2014 | Community | Yes | Yes | 34 episodes, including "Pilot" |
| 2010 | Running Wilde | Yes | Yes | "Pilot" |
| The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret | Yes | No | Original Comedy Showcase Pilot | |
| 2011–2012 | Happy Endings | Yes | Yes | Pilot and various episodes |
| Up All Night | Yes | No | Various episodes | |
| 2012 | Animal Practice | Yes | Yes | Pilot and various episodes |
| 2015 | Agent Carter | Joe | No | Episode: "Bridge and Tunnel" (as Joseph V. Russo) |
| 2019 | Deadly Class | No | Yes | 10 episodes |
| Larry Charles' Dangerous World of Comedy | No | Yes | 4 episodes | |
| 2022–present | From | No | Yes | 20 episodes |
| 2023–present | Citadel | Yes | Yes | Director of Season 2: Joe only |
Joe Russo's Acting Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Arrested Development | Joe | Episode "Hand to God" |
| 2006 | You, Me and Dupree | Personal Trainer | |
| 2014 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Dr. Fine | |
| 2016 | Captain America: Civil War | Dr. Theo Broussard | |
| 2018 | Avengers: Infinity War | Bert | Deleted scene |
| 2019 | Avengers: Endgame | Grieving Man | Credited as Gozie Agbo |
| Thanos | Additional motion-capture only; uncredited | ||
| 2020 | The Simpsons | Movie Executive (Voice) | Episode "Bart the Bad Guy" |
| 2021 | Cherry | Restaurant Owner | |
| 2022 | The Gray Man | CIA DDO Fine | uncredited |
See also
In Spanish: Hermanos Russo para niños
- List of highest-grossing film directors
