Kurt Russell Turns 60 AARP The Magazine
Kurt Russell Turns 60 - AARP The Magazine
March 2: Mikhail Gorbachev (80)
March 11: Rupert Murdoch (80)
March 15: Fabio (50)
March 17: Paul Kantner (70)
March 20: Hal Linden (80)
March 22: William Shatner (80)
March 26: Leonard Nimoy (80)
Previous Big 5-Ohs
The Big 6-Oh: March 17 Kurt Russell has been acting in movies and television since the late 1950s, but you’d probably be hard-pressed to name more than a few of his roles. That’s not a bad thing — in fact, the ability to blend into believable characters and move between different genres is likely what has fueled such a long career, which began with bit parts in TV Westerns and eventually transformed him into one of Tinseltown’s most reliable leading men. His filmography is filled with solid character work in movies like Silkwood, Escape from New York, Tombstone, Backdraft and Miracle, but to true film buffs, the Massachusetts native may be most closely associated with Elvis Presley. At 12, a young Russell made his film debut in an uncredited role in Presley’s 1963 musical It Happened at the World’s Fair. Seventeen years later, he played the King himself in the 1979 TV mini-series Elvis, earning an Emmy nomination as best actor. The connection doesn’t end there, though: in 1994’s Forrest Gump, Russell provided the voice for Elvis, and in 2001 he teamed with Kevin Costner as a pair of Presley impersonators who plan a casino heist during a Las Vegas Elvis impersonator’s convention in 3000 Miles to Graceland. His long-term romance with Goldie Hawn, which blossomed back in 1983 while they filmed the romantic comedy Swing Shift and continues today, has made for a unique, seemingly solid Hollywood coupling. An avid sports fan, Russell moved with Hawn to Vancouver, British Columbia a few years back so that their son Wyatt, a promising ice hockey player, could focus on the sport. Russell has also been known to hit the golf links and is an annual participant in the PGA Tour’s Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Not that acting has taken much of a backseat. In 2007, Quentin Tarantino cast Russell as Stuntman Mike in his grindhouse tribute, Death Proof. Later this year, he’ll return to the sports film genre he inhabited so flawlessly in Miracle, playing a high school football coach in Touchback. If his past is any indication, expect him to turn in yet another great and ultimately underrated performance: Russell may have been born on St. Patrick’s Day, but there’s been nothing lucky about his remarkable run. Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures
Kurt Russell Turns 60
50 years after his debut Russell is still one of Hollywood' s most reliable leading men
Related
More March BirthdaysMarch 2: Mikhail Gorbachev (80)
March 11: Rupert Murdoch (80)
March 15: Fabio (50)
March 17: Paul Kantner (70)
March 20: Hal Linden (80)
March 22: William Shatner (80)
March 26: Leonard Nimoy (80)
Previous Big 5-Ohs
The Big 6-Oh: March 17 Kurt Russell has been acting in movies and television since the late 1950s, but you’d probably be hard-pressed to name more than a few of his roles. That’s not a bad thing — in fact, the ability to blend into believable characters and move between different genres is likely what has fueled such a long career, which began with bit parts in TV Westerns and eventually transformed him into one of Tinseltown’s most reliable leading men. His filmography is filled with solid character work in movies like Silkwood, Escape from New York, Tombstone, Backdraft and Miracle, but to true film buffs, the Massachusetts native may be most closely associated with Elvis Presley. At 12, a young Russell made his film debut in an uncredited role in Presley’s 1963 musical It Happened at the World’s Fair. Seventeen years later, he played the King himself in the 1979 TV mini-series Elvis, earning an Emmy nomination as best actor. The connection doesn’t end there, though: in 1994’s Forrest Gump, Russell provided the voice for Elvis, and in 2001 he teamed with Kevin Costner as a pair of Presley impersonators who plan a casino heist during a Las Vegas Elvis impersonator’s convention in 3000 Miles to Graceland. His long-term romance with Goldie Hawn, which blossomed back in 1983 while they filmed the romantic comedy Swing Shift and continues today, has made for a unique, seemingly solid Hollywood coupling. An avid sports fan, Russell moved with Hawn to Vancouver, British Columbia a few years back so that their son Wyatt, a promising ice hockey player, could focus on the sport. Russell has also been known to hit the golf links and is an annual participant in the PGA Tour’s Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Not that acting has taken much of a backseat. In 2007, Quentin Tarantino cast Russell as Stuntman Mike in his grindhouse tribute, Death Proof. Later this year, he’ll return to the sports film genre he inhabited so flawlessly in Miracle, playing a high school football coach in Touchback. If his past is any indication, expect him to turn in yet another great and ultimately underrated performance: Russell may have been born on St. Patrick’s Day, but there’s been nothing lucky about his remarkable run. Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures