Russell was likable in a string of Disney family features through the mid-70s, including "Follow Me, Boys!" (1966), as a boy scout, "The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit" (1968), "The Barefoot Executive" and "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" (both 1970) and "The Strongest Man in the World" (1975). During his long and generally enjoyable stint as a studio star, Russell also found time for some additional TV guest spots ("Lost in Space", "Gilligan's Island") and occasional non-Disney features, including "Fools' Parade,” a 1971 Western starring James Stewart. In most of these films, Russell was not the typical adorable kid, but rather a tough, thoughtful and sometimes pugnacious youngster. He also spent several years as a minor-league ballplayer.

As he entered his 20s, Russell became aware that he couldn't—and didn't want to—continue playing teens and male ingénues indefinitely. He tried two series, "The New Land" (ABC, 1974) and "The Quest" (NBC, 1976). In 1975, he shed his nice kid image with a chilling portrayal of mass-murderer Charles Whitman in the TV-movie "The Deadly Tower" (NBC). A few years later, Russell began the most important collaboration of his career playing the title role in writer-director John Carpenter's TV biopic, "Elvis" (ABC, 1979), which garnered him an Emmy nomination.

Russell finally became a bankable, adult Hollywood star in the 80s. He started the decade with a fine performance as a fast-talking charmer in Robert Zemeckis' raucous, under-appreciated comedy, "Used Cars" (1980). He experienced greater popular success by reuniting with John Carpenter for several sci-fi-tinged action flicks: "Escape From New York" (1981), in which he delivered a passable Clint Eastwood impression in a dark, futuristic, prison-like metropolis; the gory remake of "The Thing" (1982), as a tough guy; and "Big Trouble in Little China" (1986), doing a hilarious John Wayne turn in Carpenter's special effects-laden take on Hong Kong action films.

Russell proved adept at more conventional comedy in Jonathan Demme's "Swing Shift" (1984), as the airplane worker who woos Goldie Hawn away from soldier Ed Harris, and as Touchstone's crusty "Captain Ron" (1992) to Martin Short's put-upon straight man. He flexed his dramatic acting muscles co-starring as Meryl Streep's co-worker and lover in Mike Nichols' "Silkwood" (1983) and as a stalwart firefighter in Ron Howard's "Backdraft" (1991). Russell continued to be convincing as a leading man in "Tequila Sunrise" (1988), opposite Mel Gibson and Michelle Pfeiffer, fighting rogue cop Ray Liotta in "Unlawful Entry" (1992), and as Wyatt Earp in "Tombstone" (1993), a retelling of the shootout at the O.K. Corral. "Stargate" (1994), meanwhile, combined the action and sci-fi roles in a quite conventional manner, with a macho Russell teamed with a nerdy James Spader as they explore another world reached through use of an ancient cosmic traveling device. He teamed with Steven Seagal in the thriller "Executive Decision" (1996), about a hijacked airplane and followed up with the sequel "John Carpenter's Escape from L.A." (1996), with Russell not only reprising his role as Snake Plissken but also co-writing and co-producing (with Debra Hill).

Formerly married to actress Season Hubley, Russell has co-starred twice with Goldie Hawn, his companion since 1982 (in the romantic comedies "Swing Shift" and "Overboard" 1987). The two first met in 1968, when Hawn was a dancer in Russell's Disney film "The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band.”<[>Russell starred next in the surprisingly well done thriller "Breakdown," (1997) as a man searching for his wife after his car breaks down in the middle of the desert. His next choice of role wasn't quite as lucky when he starred opposite Kevin Costner in the disgraceful "3000 Miles to Graceland" in 2001, a stinker of a caper film in which Russell revisited his Elvis roots by playing one of a team of ex-cons posing as Elvis impersonators to pull off a heist at Las Vegas' Riveira Hotel & Casino.

That same year Russell redeemed himself somewhat playing a morally upright psychiatrist (with shades of Gregory Peck's "To Kill a Mockingbird" character) attempted to help Tom Cruise in "Vanilla Sky," director Cameron Crowe's American adaptation of the Spanish film "Open Your Eyes." In 2003, Russell costarred in the emotionally charged "Dark Blue" (with a story by noir master James Ellroy) as streetwise, corrupt police veteran in Los Angeles during the 1992 riots. Russell delivered a captivating and commanding performance in the controversial, gray-shaded role and carries the movie on his shoulders, until the plot gives way and turns from intense drama to conventional thriller --Nevertheless, the actor's fiery turn demonstrated that as a performer he hadn't lost a step. He again had a strong turn in "Miracle" (2004) playing Herb Brooks, the real-life coach of the United States Olympic hockey team of 1980, the Cinderella team that pulled off a near-unimaginable defeat of the dominating Soviet and Czech teams of the era. Russell, an avid hockey enthusiast himself, practically channeled the complicated Brooks and delivered another knockout performance.

Russell's next effort was not as winning, though he did deliver his trademark charm in the superhero spoof "Sky High" (2005) in which he played Captain Stronghold, a super-powered father who sends his non-powered son to a secret academy for superhero offspring. He then had a turn in the family film "Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story" (2005), playing a once gifted horseman who is given a lame horse and, through the unwavering faith and determination of his young daughter (Dakota Fanning), takes the mare on a quest to win the Breeders Cup Classic. He next starred in the larger-than-life remake, “Poseidon” (2006), playing a middle-aged father struggling to escape a capsized ocean liner with a ragtag group of passengers who must rely on and trust one another despite their differences.

After “Poseidon” sank at the box office, Russell made a return to drier land, playing a sadistic stunt driver named Stuntman Mike in the Quentin Tarantino-Robert Rodriguez double bill “Grindhouse” (2007), a role that echoed such badass characters like Snake Plissken from “Escape from New York” and MacReady from “The Thing.” A compilation of two 90-minute horror flicks from both directors, “Grindhouse” was a throwback to the days of bloody, sex-fueled, low-rent double features that played in seedy 42nd Street theaters in New York City. In Tarantino’s offering, a slasher-cum-road rage flick called “Death Proof,” Russell was a crazed killer who tries to mow down young women—including Rosario Dawson and Zoë Bell—in a black Chevy Nova.