When he and director John Carpenter were discussing the character of MacReady in "The Thing (1982)", they thought about making MacReady a former Vietnam chopper pilot who felt displaced by his service in the war and, as a result, was much more isolated than the other characters. This ultimately did not make it into the film.
Russell, Kurt Vogel
Kurt Russell landed a part in the Elvis movie, ...
show all When he and director John Carpenter were discussing the character of MacReady in "The Thing (1982)", they thought about making MacReady a former Vietnam chopper pilot who felt displaced by his service in the war and, as a result, was much more isolated than the other characters. This ultimately did not make it into the film.
Russell, Kurt Vogel
Kurt Russell landed a part in the Elvis movie, "It Happened at the World's Fair", when he was 10 years old. In 1960, Walt Disney himself signed Russell to a 10 year contract. Once his stint as a child actor ended, he spent the early 1970s playing minor league baseball. In 1979, he gave a classic performance as Elvis Presley in John Carpenter's ABC-TV movie. He followed with roles in a string of well-received films: "Used Cars", "Escape from New York", "The Thing" and "Silkwood". In 1983 he met Goldie Hawn when they worked together on "Swing Shift". The two have lived together ever since. The movie was a failure - as was their next one together, "Overboard". During the 1980's, Russell starred in a rash of disappointments: "The Best of Times", "Big Trouble in Little China" and "Winter People". Finally, his career seemed to be seriously stalled. He only landed "Tango and Cash" after Patrick Swayze dropped out; Dennis Quaid was the first choice for the part in "Backdraft". In the end, these two roles were key in re-establishing him as a box-office draw. Russell and Hawn live on a 72-acre retreat, Home Run Ranch, outside of Aspen. He has two sons, Boston (from a brief marriage to actress Season Hubley) and Wyatt with Hawn).
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