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IMDbPro

Ken Russell(1927-2011)

  • Director
  • Writer
  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
Ken Russell
Agatha Christie's Marple: The Moving Finger
Play trailer0:44
The Moving Finger (2006)
2 Videos
33 Photos
Ken Russell tried several professions before choosing to become a film director; he was a still photographer and a dancer and he even served in the Army, but film was his destiny. He began by making several short films which paved the way for his brilliant television films of the 1960s that are acclaimed for his attention to detail and opulent visuals. His third feature film Women in Love (1969) was a triumph that made him known internationally. In the 1970s, his talent truly blossomed. Over the next two decades he would direct a succession of remarkable films, most containing the trademark flamboyance that critics generally dismiss but many find engrossing. He will forever be remembered as a controversial, visionary artist with something of a third eye for oddball dramas with captivating images and themes.
BornJuly 3, 1927
DiedNovember 27, 2011(84)
BornJuly 3, 1927
DiedNovember 27, 2011(84)
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar

Photos33

Ken Russell in The Kids Are Alright (1979)
Ken Russell in Aria (1987)
Ken Russell and Linzi Drew in Aria (1987)
Ken Russell and Linzi Drew in Aria (1987)
Ken Russell and Linzi Drew in Aria (1987)
Ken Russell in Aria (1987)
Ken Russell in Aria (1987)
Kathleen Turner and Ken Russell in Crimes of Passion (1984)
Ken Russell in Aria (1987)
Vanessa Redgrave, Ken Russell, and Shade Rupe
Ken Russell in Tommy (1975)
Ann-Margret and Ken Russell in Tommy (1975)

Known for

The Devils (1971)
The Devils
7.8
  • Director
  • 1971
Twiggy in The Boy Friend (1971)
The Boy Friend
6.8
  • Director
  • 1971
Jack Nicholson, Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed, Eric Clapton, Roger Daltrey, Elton John, Keith Moon, John Entwistle, Paul Nicholas, Robert Powell, Pete Townshend, and Tina Turner in Tommy (1975)
Tommy
6.6
  • Director
  • 1975
William Hurt in Altered States (1980)
Altered States
6.9
  • Director
  • 1980

Credits

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IMDbPro

Director

  • Boudica Bites Back
  • Ein Kitten für Hitler (2007)
    Ein Kitten für Hitler
  • Trapped Ashes (2006)
    Trapped Ashes
    • (segment The Girl With Golden Breasts)
  • Revenge of the Elephant Man
  • Elgar: Fantasy of a Composer on a Bicycle (2002)
    Elgar: Fantasy of a Composer on a Bicycle
  • The Fall of the Louse of Usher: A Gothic Tale for the 21st Century (2002)
    The Fall of the Louse of Usher: A Gothic Tale for the 21st Century
  • Lion's Mouth
  • Dogboys (1998)
    Dogboys
  • Ken Russell: In Search of the English Folk Song (1997)
    Ken Russell: In Search of the English Folk Song
  • Mira Sorvino in Tales of Erotica (1996)
    Tales of Erotica
    • (segment The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch)
  • Mindbender (1996)
    Mindbender
  • Alice in Russialand (1995)
    Alice in Russialand
  • Classic Widows
  • Treasure Island (1995)
    Treasure Island
  • The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch (1995)
    The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch

Writer

  • Boudica Bites Back
  • Ein Kitten für Hitler (2007)
    Ein Kitten für Hitler
  • Revenge of the Elephant Man
  • The Fall of the Louse of Usher: A Gothic Tale for the 21st Century (2002)
    The Fall of the Louse of Usher: A Gothic Tale for the 21st Century
  • Lion's Mouth
  • Ken Russell: In Search of the English Folk Song (1997)
    Ken Russell: In Search of the English Folk Song
  • Mira Sorvino in Tales of Erotica (1996)
    Tales of Erotica
    • (segment The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch)
  • Mindbender (1996)
    Mindbender
  • Treasure Island (1995)
    Treasure Island
  • The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch (1995)
    The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch
    • (uncredited)
  • Lady Chatterley (1993)
    Lady Chatterley
  • Ken Russell and Glenda Jackson in The Secret Life of Arnold Bax (1992)
    The Secret Life of Arnold Bax
  • Road to Mandalay
  • Theresa Russell in Whore (1991)
    Whore
  • The Strange Affliction of Anton Bruckner

Actor

  • Jack Parsons Project
    • Post-production
  • Nick Millett in Zero (2011)
    Zero
  • Puzzleface (2011)
    Puzzleface
  • Rhys Ifans in Mr. Nice (2010)
    Mr. Nice
  • Boudica Bites Back
  • Ein Kitten für Hitler (2007)
    Ein Kitten für Hitler
  • Trapped Ashes (2006)
    Trapped Ashes
  • Geraldine McEwan and Julia McKenzie in Agatha Christie's Marple (2004)
    Agatha Christie's Marple
  • Color Me Kubrick (2005)
    Color Me Kubrick
  • Revenge of the Elephant Man
  • Waking the Dead (2000)
    Waking the Dead
  • The Fall of the Louse of Usher: A Gothic Tale for the 21st Century (2002)
    The Fall of the Louse of Usher: A Gothic Tale for the 21st Century
  • Lion's Mouth
  • Mira Sorvino in Tales of Erotica (1996)
    Tales of Erotica
  • The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch (1995)
    The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch
    • (uncredited)
  • Timothy Spall in Frank Stubbs Promotes (1993)
    Frank Stubbs Promotes
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos2

Official Trailer
Trailer 2:09
Official Trailer
Agatha Christie's Marple: The Moving Finger
Trailer 0:44
Agatha Christie's Marple: The Moving Finger

Personal details

Edit
    • Ken Russell Enterprises
    • July 3, 1927
    • Southampton, Hampshire, England, UK
    • November 27, 2011
    • Lymington, Hampshire, England, UK(following a series of strokes)
    • Elize Tribble Russell2001 - November 27, 2011 (his death)
  • Other works
    Music video: Directed "Nikita" for Elton John.
  • Publicity listings
    • 8 Print Biographies
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 6 Interviews
    • 7 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Russell once met Federico Fellini, of whom he had been a fan, outside an Italian movie studio. They approached each other and spoke briefly, complimenting each other by calling themselves "the Italian Ken Russell," and "the English Federico Fellini," respectively.
  • Quotes
    [concerning his style of biographical films] The whole idea had degenerated into a series of third-rate clichés. I wanted to dress people in old clothes and do it in a totally unreal way, and thus make it more real than ever, and in the process send up this new civil service/academic way of doing films.
    • Frequent snake imagery

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