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IMDbPro

Aaron Russo(1943-2007)

  • Producer
  • Director
  • Actor
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Aaron Russo at an event for My First Wedding (2006)
Theatrical Trailer from Cinema Libre
Play trailer2:52
America: Freedom to Fascism (2006)
1 Video
2 Photos
Although he never went beyond secondary school, Aaron Russo became a millionaire in show business. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1943, he worked in his family's business and later managed the Chicago nightclub, the Kinetic Playground, from 1968 to 1973 (with a long hiatus due to a fire). There he booked The Doors, The Who, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and other popular bands of the day. For a while, Russo managed the careers of The Manhattan Transfer and Bette Midler. In 1979, he produced "The Rose" which gave Midler her first starring role. After producing a string of films and directing "Rude Awakening." Russo turned to blending politics with entertainment. He tried to sell a pilot for a television show called "Aaron Russo's Mad As Hell" in the early 1990s. When he was unsuccessful in selling the program to networks, he began selling the pilot as a video in 1996. In 1994 he tried to start a political party called the Constitution Party. In 1998, however, he ran for the Republican party nomination for governor of the state of Nevada but lost. In 2004, he ran for the Libertarian party's nomination for president, losing 423 to 344 on the third ballot.He nevertheless offered to produce the winning candidate's campaign ads. His final film was a documentary that he produced, wrote and directed, entitled "America: Freedom to Fascism" (2006). He died from bladder cancer in Los Angeles, California in 2007.
BornFebruary 14, 1943
DiedAugust 24, 2007(64)
BornFebruary 14, 1943
DiedAugust 24, 2007(64)
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
  • Won 1 Primetime Emmy

Photos

Aaron Russo at an event for My First Wedding (2006)

Known for

Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy in Trading Places (1983)
Trading Places
7.5
  • Producer(produced by)
  • 1983
Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back (1977)
Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back
8.6
TV Special
  • Producer
  • 1977
Missing Pieces (1991)
Missing Pieces
5.3
  • Producer
  • 1991
The Rose (1979)
The Rose
6.9
  • Producer(produced by)
  • 1979

Credits

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IMDbPro

Producer

  • America: Freedom to Fascism (2006)
    America: Freedom to Fascism
  • Missing Pieces (1991)
    Missing Pieces
  • Off and Running (1991)
    Off and Running
  • Rude Awakening (1989)
    Rude Awakening
  • Wise Guys (1986)
    Wise Guys
    • (produced by)
  • Teachers (1984)
    Teachers
  • Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy in Trading Places (1983)
    Trading Places
    • (produced by)
  • Partners (1982)
    Partners
  • The Rose (1979)
    The Rose
    • (produced by)
  • Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back (1977)
    Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back
  • Sherlock Holmes (1981)
    Standing Room Only
  • Bette Midler in The Bette Midler Show (1976)
    The Bette Midler Show
  • Manhattan Transfer

Director

  • America: Freedom to Fascism (2006)
    America: Freedom to Fascism
  • Rude Awakening (1989)
    Rude Awakening

Actor

  • Rude Awakening (1989)
    Rude Awakening
    • (voice)

Videos1

America: From Freedom to Fascism
Trailer 2:52
America: From Freedom to Fascism

Personal details

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    • February 14, 1943
    • Brooklyn, New York, USA
    • August 24, 2007
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(bladder cancer)

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    His final production was documentary on the IRS and Federal Reserve: America: Freedom to Fascism (2006).

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