Kurt Russell stars as Snake Plissken, a mercenary who is forced to save the day in the film. Sporting an eye patch and a Clint Eastwood voice, Russell stayed in character throughout most of the shooting of the film. The actor saw the role as a chance to break away from the more lighthearted Disney parts he had been playing up until then. Russell, one of John Carpenter’s best collaborators, began acting as a child. His first role (uncredited) was a small part in “It Happened at the World’s Fair,” where he was tasked with kicking none other than Elvis Presley, someone he would eventually play in the TV movie “Elvis,” also directed by Carpenter.
Russell has been an active actor since 1962 and has been experiencing something of a resurgence in his later years thanks to filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino. Some of his notable roles include “Tombstone,” where he played Wyatt Earp, the fireman drama “Backdraft,” John Carpenter’s “The Thing,” Carpenter’s “Big Trouble in Little China,” the underrated ’90s thriller “Breakdown,” the “Fast and Furious” films “Furious 7,” “The Fate of the Furious”, and “F9,” the Marvel sequel “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” and the Tarantino movies “Death Proof,” “The Hateful Eight,” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” He also reprised the role of Snake Plissken in Carpenter’s “Escape from L.A.” More recently, Russell co-starred with his son Wyatt in the Apple TV+ series “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.”
Russell was married to actress Season Hubley (who is also still alive and has a small role in “Escape From New York”) from 1979 to 1983. After their divorce, Russell began a relationship with Goldie Hawn, whom he co-starred with in the films “Swing Shift” and “Overboard.” Hawn and Russell have never married, but they’re still together.