Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell has had an extremely long
career. So long that a lot of audiences probably don’t remember his
career as a child actor. Russell started making TV appearances in the
late 1950s through the 60s. In the 70s, he became the top star at
Disney. In the 80s, Russell and director John Carpenter created iconic
anti-heroes. Russell continued to work in various dramas throughout his
career. And yet, over the course of his long career, he never quite
reached A-list status.
What the hell happened?
Let me state up front that Russell had the
kind of career most actors would kill for. He has worked steadily for
decades without ever being pigeon-holed to a certain genre. Even in his
60s, the guy is still working in some pretty high-profile movies. So
this article isn’t about a career implosion like some others in the
series. The question here is why Russell wasn’t bigger. Why didn’t he
achieve the same level of stardom as some of his co-stars?
Kurt Russell – Child Actor
Russell’s father, Bing Russell, was a
character actor who appeared on several TV shows in the 50’s. He
introduced his son to acting as a child. They frequently worked on the
same projects. Bing had a guest role on the Western, Sugarfoot which
lead to a recurring role for Kurt.
Wait! Sugarfoot was real?
As a fan of Arrested Development, I know Sugarfoot
from an episode in which Jason Bateman tried to win favor by pretending
to remember the show’s theme song. I always assumed that Sugarfoot was
a funny-sounding name made up for the show. But no, it’s real.
Russell played the role of “Boy” on the pilot episode. In case you ever
need to sing the theme song to impress Dick Van Patten, here it is:
Kurt Russell – Dennis the Menace – 1962
Kurt Russell – It Happened at the World’s Fair – 1963
Russell made his movie debut with an uncredited role opposite Elvis Presley in the 1963 movie, It Happened at the World’s Fair.
As we’ll see later, Presley is a significant figure in Russell’s
career. Here’s a clip of a young Russell kicking the King in the shin:
Kurt Russell – The Man from U.N.C.L.E. – 1964
In 1964, Russell made guest appearances on several popular TV shows. Here he is with Robert Vaughn on The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Kurt Russell – The Fugitive – 1964 – 1966
Russell also played Lt. Phillip Gerard’s son on the adventure series, The Fugitive.
Kurt Russell – Guns of Diablo – 1965
Russell appeared in several Westerns including Gunsmoke and The Virginian. He starred in the short-lived Western series, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters. The final episode of the show was then expanded and adapted into a movie called The Guns of Diablo (pictured above with Charles Bronson).
Kurt Russell – Gilligan’s Island – 1965
In 1965, Russell guest starred on Gilligan’s Island. He played “Jungle Boy”.
Kurt Russell – Daniel Boone – 1965 – 1969
Russell also appeared in five episodes of the Walt Disney hit show, Daniel Boone.
Kurt Russell – Lost in Space – 1966
Russell appeared in so many TV shows in the
mid-60s that I am cherry-picking here. Otherwise, this article would go
on for days. Here he is in a 1966 episode of Lost in Space.
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