Ken Russell

Personal Info

Known For

Directing

Known Credits

58

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

  • Gothic

    Gothic

  • Tommy

    Tommy

  • The South Bank Show

    The South Bank Show

  • Mr. Nice

    Mr. Nice

  • Valentino

    Valentino

  • Colour Me Kubrick

    Colour Me Kubrick

  • Twiggy

    Twiggy

  • Brothers of the Head

    Brothers of the Head

  • Empire of the Censors

    Empire of the Censors

  • Alice in Russialand

    Alice in Russialand

  • Salome's Last Dance

    Salome's Last Dance

  • Frank Stubbs Promotes

    Frank Stubbs Promotes

  • Lady Chatterley

    Lady Chatterley

  • Whore

    Whore

  • The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch

    The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch

  • The Russia House

    The Russia House

  • The Lair of the White Worm

    The Lair of the White Worm

  • Plunder

    Plunder

  • Song of Summer

    Song of Summer

  • 100 Greatest Sexy Moments

    100 Greatest Sexy Moments

  • Trapped Ashes

    Trapped Ashes

  • Celebrity Naked Ambition

    Celebrity Naked Ambition

  • Savage Messiah

    Savage Messiah

  • Vem Var Dracula

    Vem Var Dracula

  • Walk With The Damned

    Walk With The Damned

  • The Aristofrogs

    The Aristofrogs

  • The Who: The Kids Are Alright

    The Who: The Kids Are Alright

  • Tales of Erotica

    Tales of Erotica

  • The Fall of the Louse of Usher

    The Fall of the Louse of Usher

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

    Hell on Earth: The Desecration & Resurrection of The Devils

  • A Turnip Head's Guide To The British Cinema

    A Turnip Head's Guide To The British Cinema

  • Ken Russell's ABC of British Music

    Ken Russell's ABC of British Music

  • Don’t Shoot the Composer

    Don’t Shoot the Composer

  • The Secret Life of Arnold Bax

    The Secret Life of Arnold Bax

  • The Real Blue Nuns

    The Real Blue Nuns

  • The Real Oliver Reed

    The Real Oliver Reed

  • Music for the Movies: Georges Delerue

    Music for the Movies: Georges Delerue

  • Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World

    Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World

  • Director of Devils

    Director of Devils

  • The Who: One Band's Explosive Story

    The Who: One Band's Explosive Story

  • Boudica Bites Back

    Boudica Bites Back

  • A British Picture: Portrait of an Enfant Terrible

    A British Picture: Portrait of an Enfant Terrible

  • Ken Russell: A Bit of a Devil

    Ken Russell: A Bit of a Devil

  • The Devils Original on-set footage

    The Devils Original on-set footage

  • A Kitten for Hitler

    A Kitten for Hitler

  • 10 Best Elgar

    10 Best Elgar

  • Revenge of the Elephant Man

    Revenge of the Elephant Man

  • Russell at Work

    Russell at Work

  • Vaughan Williams: A Symphonic Portrait

    Vaughan Williams: A Symphonic Portrait

  • PuzzleFace

    PuzzleFace

  • Your Honour, I Object! Guccione V Russell

    Your Honour, I Object! Guccione V Russell

  • Elgar: Fantasy of a Composer on a Bicycle

    Elgar: Fantasy of a Composer on a Bicycle

  • Lion's Mouth

    Lion's Mouth

  • Ken Russell: In Search of the English Folk Song

    Ken Russell: In Search of the English Folk Song