Happy 62nd Birthday, David O. Russell! Born today in 1958 as David O. Russell, this American screenwriter, producer and film director is one of independent cinema's most successful purveyors of familial dysfunction.
When he was thirteen, Russell made his first film for a school project and used a Super 8 film camera to film people in New York City, New York. Russell later attended Mamaroneck High School, where he was voted "Class Rebel".
Russell fell in love with film during his teenage years, (his favorite features included French-Polish film director Roman Polanski's 'Chinatown' (1974), Hal Ashby's 1975 American satirical comedy-drama romance film 'Shampoo' and Martin Scorsese's 'Taxi Driver' (1976).
However, Russell aspired to become a writer; he later started a newspaper in high school and wrote short stories. His parents worked for a publishing company, so he grew up in a household filled with books and novels.
After graduating from Amherst College, Russell traveled to Nicaragua and taught in a Sandinista literacy program. This was a socialist political part. While there, he worked manual labor jobs, including waitering, bartending, and catering.
Some of Russell's bartending colleagues included members of the American performance art company Blue Man Group.
Upon returning to the United States, Russell worked for a booksellers' association and later became a community organizer in Maine. He used video equipment to document slums and bad housing conditions, which later became a documentary of Lewiston.
Russell was also a political activist and canvassed and raised money in neighborhoods; he also did community work in Boston's South End. In addition to working in several day jobs, he began to write short films.
Russell later directed a documentary about Panamanian immigrants in Boston, which eventually led to a job as a production assistant on the PBS American documentary television series Smithsonian World. (1984–present).
Russell made another short. This was the twelve-minute American 1989 drama short film 'Hairway to the Stars'.
It featured American actress of film, television and theater Bette Davis and American actor William Hickey. The short was shown at the 11th Sundance Film Festival in January 1989.
Among his credits of the 1990s, Russell wrote and directed the first film of which he is best known. This was the 1999 American war/action comedy film 'Three Kings'.
Just after the end of the Persian Gulf War, four American soldiers decide to steal a cache of Saddam Hussein's hidden gold.
Led by cynical Sergeant Major Archie Gates (George Clooney), three of the men are rescued by rebels, but Sergeant Troy Barlow (Mark Wahlberg) is captured and tortured by Iraqi intelligence.
The Iraqi rebels beg for the American trio to help fight against the impending arrival of Hussein's Elite Guard. The men agree to fight in return for help rescuing Troy.
Ice Cube also co-stars as Staff Sergeant Chief Elgin, and American filmmaker, photographer, and actor Spike Jonze ('Being John Malkovich', 'Adaptation') co-stars as Private First Class Conrad Vig.
Russell always had a reputation on set - he notoriously got into a fist fight with Clooney during the shoot, with Clooney vowing never to work with Russell again - but it was assumed that he had changed.
The story for 'Three Kings' was conceived by African-American screenwriter, television director, novelist, and showrunner John Ridley.
He is most notable for writing the screenplay for British filmmaker and video artist Steve McQueen's ('Shame') 2013 American/British biographical period-drama history film '12 Years a Slave'.
Released on October 1, 1999 in the United States, 'Three Kings' received critical acclaim and was a box office success, grossing $107 million at the box office on its $48 million budget.
Among his credits of the 2010s, Russell co-wrote and directed the second and final film of which he is best known. This was the 2013 American crime film 'American Hustle'.
The film opened to wide acclaim from critics, who praised its screenplay and ensemble cast. On a budget of $40 million, it grossed $251.2 million at the box office.
The following year, 'American Hustle' was nominated for ten Oscars. However, it did not win in any category. This occurred at the 86th Academy Awards in early March 2014.
Russell is also known for writing and directing 'Spanking the Monkey' (1994), 'Flirting with Disaster' (1996), 'I Heart Huckabees' (2004), 'The Fighter' (2010), 'Silver Linings Playbook' (2012), and 'Joy' (2015).
Russell's trademarks of filmmaking include handheld camera movement, ensemble casting, and frequently casting Mark Wahlberg, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Robert De Niro.
Russell also frequently uses the Led Zeppelin song "Good Times Bad Times" in his films.
Russell is known for a cinema of intense, tragi-comedic characters whose love of life can surpass dark circumstances faced in very specific worlds.
His films address such themes as mental illness as stigma or hope; invention of self and survival; the family home as nexus of love, hate, transgression, and strength; women of power and inspiration; beauty and comedy found in twisted humble circumstances; the meaning of violence, war, and greed; and the redemptive power of music above all.
Also going by Stephen Greene, Russell has been active from 1987–present.
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