Profile via TMDB · Courtesy of TMDB
Ken Russell
Sign in to saveAlso known as Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell, Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell
British film director (1927–2011)
OverviewAI-generated
Ken Russell was a British film director, actor, screenwriter, and cinematographer. Born in Southampton, Hampshire, England, in 1927, he began his work period in 1956 and continued until 2011. He served in the Royal Air Force and was educated at the University of East London. His professional affiliations included employment at the University of Wollongong and the University of Wales, Newport.
Russell was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director. His works are held in the collection of the Tate. He was described by the source UbuWeb. He spoke English and practiced Catholicism. He was married to Hetty Baynes and Shirley Ann Russell. Ken Russell died in London in 2011.
Synthesized by Vinony from 26 facts across 2 sources: Wikidata, TMDb. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Film & TV
Southampton, Hampshire, England, UK
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…
Known for
- Twiggy — (archival footage)2025
- The Who: One Band's Explosive Story — Self (archive footage)2022
- Director of Devils — Self2012
- Ken Russell: A Bit of a Devil — Self (archive footage)2012
- The Devils Original on-set footage2012
- Mr. Nice — Russell Miegs2010
- The Aristofrogs2010
- Boudica Bites Back — Roman Senator2009
- A Kitten for Hitler — Santa2007
- 10 Best Elgar — Self (archive footage)2007
via TMDB
Key facts
- Born
- Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell , ( 1927-07-03 ) 3 July 1927, Southampton , Hampshire , England
- Died
- 27 November 2011 (2011-11-27) (aged 84), Lymington , Hampshire, England
- Occupations
- Film director screenwriter
- Years active
- 1956–2011
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- Ken
- Family name
- Russell
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United Kingdom
- Place of birth
- Southampton
- Place of death
- London
- Spouse
- Shirley Ann Russell
- Occupation
- director
- Employer
- University of Wales, Newport
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Religion
- Catholicism
- Military branch
- Royal Air Force
- Image
- Ken Russell 2008.jpg
- Number of children
- 8
Show 9 more facts
- date of birth
- 1927-07-03
- date of death
- 2011-11-27
- nominated for
- Academy Award for Best Director
- Commons category
- Ken Russell
- described by source
- UbuWeb
- has works in the collection
- Tate
- related category
- Category:Films directed by Ken Russell
- start of work period
- 1956-00-00
- end of work period
- 2011-00-00
Sources (9)
via Wikidata · CC0
~29 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were mainly liberal adaptations of existing texts, or biographies, notably of composers of the Romantic era. Russell began directing for the BBC, where he made creative adaptations of composers' lives which were unusual for the time. He also directed many feature films independently and for studios.
Russell is best known for his Academy Award-winning romantic drama film Women in Love (1969); the historical drama horror film The Devils (1971); the musical fantasy film Tommy (1975), featuring the Who; and the science fiction horror film Altered States (1980). Russell also directed several films based on the lives of classical music composers, such as Elgar, Delius, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, and Liszt.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Ken Russell” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.