Theresa Russell
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Biography
Theresa Russell made an auspicious debut as the daughter of a movie studio head in Elia Kazan's "The Last Tycoon" (1976). Trained in the Method at the Lee Strasberg Institute, she proved effective in her early film roles, especially opposite Dustin Hoffman in "Straight Time" (1978). Russell was first directed by her future husband, Nicolas Roeg, in "Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession" (1980), which cast her in the role of a young patient who falls under the sway of a psychiatrist. Perhaps the actress' most notorious role was the titular "Whore" (1991) in Ken Russell's examination of the world's oldest profession. She was teamed with Jacqueline Bisset in "Once You Meet a Stranger" (CBS, 1996), a remake of Hitchcock's 1951 classic "Strangers on a Train." Russell also played the formidable mother of Denise Richards in the campy/sultry neo-noir "Wild Things" (1998). Russell continued to work steadily, balancing a career in feature films--including "Luckytown" (2000), "The Believer" (2001) and "Passionada" (2002)--with TV movies--from the genre-minded "Earth Vs. The Spider" (2001) to the exceptional HBO miniseries "Empire Falls" (2005)--to occasional series work--including guest roles on "Nash Bridges" and "G vs E" (as a character cheekily named Rheesa Tussel) and a regular stint on The WB's short-lived soapy mystery "Glory Days" (2001) as Hazel, owner of the titular small town's diner and aging bombshel. Russell was poised for a major career comeback when she was cast at the wife of Flint Marko (Thomas Hayden Church), the villainous Sandman in the highly anticipated sequel "Spider-Man 3" (lensed 2006).
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Misc. Crew (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1976
Film acting debut in "The Last Tycoon"
1978
Starred opposite Dustin Hoffman in "Straight Time"
1979
Portrayed Maureen Dean in the CBS miniseries "Blind Ambition"
1980
First film with Nicholas Roeg, "Bad Timing"
1983
Had strong role as a Marilyn Monroe-like actress in "Insignificance"
1984
Portrayed the prostitute Sophia in the remake of "The Razor's Edge"; Gene Tierney played the role in the 1946 version
1987
Cast in the leading role of a serial killer in "Black Widow"
1990
Delivered a strong performance as a narcotics officer in "Impulse"
1991
Had title role in Ken Russell's "Whore"
1992
Played Jeremy Irons' co-worker in "Kafka"
1994
Had dual role as telepathic twins in "Thicker Than Water" (aired in the USA on A&E)
1996
Cast as Ma Barker in "Public Enemy No 1" (HBO)
1996
Appeared opposite Jacqueline Bisset in "Once You Meet a Stranger", a loose, distaff remake of "Strangers on a Train"
1998
Had supporting role as Denise Richards' mother in "Wild Things"
2001
Appeared in the controversial "The Believer", as a supporter of neo-Nazis; screened at Sundance; aired on Showtime in 2002 before theatrical release
2002
Had regular role as the town tramp on the midseason replacement series "Glory Days" (The WB)
2005
Co-starred in the HBO mini-series "Empire Falls"
2007
Portrayed the wife of Flint Marko, a.k.a. the Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) in "Spider-Man 3"
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