Ken Russell

Personal Info

Known For

Directing

Known Credits

57

Gender

Male

Birthday

1927-07-03

Day of death

2011-11-27 (84 years old)

Place of Birth

Southampton, Hampshire, England, UK

Ken Russell

Biography

Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was an English film director. He is known for his pioneering work in television and film, and for his controversial style. He has been criticized as being over-obsessed with sexuality and the church. His subject matter is often about famous composers, or based on other works of art which he adapts loosely. Russell began directing for the BBC, where he did creative adaptations of composers' lives which were unusual for the time. He also directed many feature films independently and for studios. He is best known for his Oscar-winning romantic drama Women in Love (1969), the notoriously controversial The Devils (1971), the rock musical Tommy (1975), and the science fiction film Altered States (1980). One noted admirer, British film critic Mark Kermode, attempting to sum up the director's achievement, called Russell; "somebody who proved that British cinema didn't have to be about kitchen-sink realism – it could be every bit as flamboyant as Fellini. He now makes very strange experimental films like Lion's Mouth and Revenge of the Elephant Man, and they are as edgy and out there as the work he made in the 1970s."

Known For

  • Agatha Christie's Marple

    Agatha Christie's Marple

  • Waking the Dead

    Waking the Dead

  • Omnibus

    Omnibus

  • Celebrity Big Brother

    Celebrity Big Brother

  • The South Bank Show

    The South Bank Show

  • Lady Chatterley

    Lady Chatterley

  • Tommy

    Tommy

  • The Aristofrogs

    The Aristofrogs

  • Gothic

    Gothic

  • Twiggy

    Twiggy

  • Savage Messiah

    Savage Messiah

  • The Lair of the White Worm

    The Lair of the White Worm

  • The Who: One Band's Explosive Story

    The Who: One Band's Explosive Story

  • Trapped Ashes

    Trapped Ashes

  • The Fall of the Louse of Usher

    The Fall of the Louse of Usher

  • Valentino

    Valentino

  • A Kitten for Hitler

    A Kitten for Hitler

  • Revenge of the Elephant Man

    Revenge of the Elephant Man

  • The Russia House

    The Russia House

  • Frank Stubbs Promotes

    Frank Stubbs Promotes

  • Mr. Nice

    Mr. Nice

  • Elgar: Fantasy of a Composer on a Bicycle

    Elgar: Fantasy of a Composer on a Bicycle

  • Boudica Bites Back

    Boudica Bites Back

  • The Who: The Kids Are Alright

    The Who: The Kids Are Alright

  • Plunder

    Plunder

  • Salome's Last Dance

    Salome's Last Dance

  • Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World

    Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World

  • Whore

    Whore

  • The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch

    The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch

  • The Secret Life of Arnold Bax

    The Secret Life of Arnold Bax

  • Hell on Earth: The Desecration & Resurrection of The Devils

    Hell on Earth: The Desecration & Resurrection of The Devils

  • Empire of the Censors

    Empire of the Censors

  • Brothers of the Head

    Brothers of the Head

  • Colour Me Kubrick

    Colour Me Kubrick

  • Vem Var Dracula

    Vem Var Dracula

  • Alice in Russialand

    Alice in Russialand

  • Song of Summer

    Song of Summer

  • Tales of Erotica

    Tales of Erotica

  • A Turnip Head's Guide To The British Cinema

    A Turnip Head's Guide To The British Cinema

  • 100 Greatest Sexy Moments

    100 Greatest Sexy Moments

  • The Real Blue Nuns

    The Real Blue Nuns

  • Russell at Work

    Russell at Work

  • Don’t Shoot the Composer

    Don’t Shoot the Composer

  • Ken Russell: A Bit of a Devil

    Ken Russell: A Bit of a Devil

  • Ken Russell's ABC of British Music

    Ken Russell's ABC of British Music

  • Vaughan Williams: A Symphonic Portrait

    Vaughan Williams: A Symphonic Portrait

  • Music for the Movies: Georges Delerue

    Music for the Movies: Georges Delerue

  • A British Picture: Portrait of an Enfant Terrible

    A British Picture: Portrait of an Enfant Terrible

  • 10 Best Elgar

    10 Best Elgar

  • Director of Devils

    Director of Devils

  • The Real Oliver Reed

    The Real Oliver Reed

  • Walk With The Damned

    Walk With The Damned

  • Ken Russell: In Search of the English Folk Song

    Ken Russell: In Search of the English Folk Song

  • Your Honour, I Object! Guccione V Russell

    Your Honour, I Object! Guccione V Russell

  • PuzzleFace

    PuzzleFace

  • The Devils Original on-set footage

    The Devils Original on-set footage

  • Lion's Mouth

    Lion's Mouth