Kurt Russell through the years; Springfield native turns 65 today (original) (raw)

By

• Ray Kelly | rkelly@repub.com

Kurt Russell, the Springfield-born actor whose big screen successes began with Walt Disney and continue today with Quentin Tarantino, turns 65 today.

Russell was born at Wesson Maternity Hospital in Springfield, while his father, Bing Russell, was earning his master's degree at Springfield College. Bing Russell, an actor and baseball player, had relatives in Longmeadow and his grandfather, Fred Vogel, owned an insurance agency office on Converse Street in that town and at 95 State St. in Springfield.

Kurt Russell moved to Maine at a young age and then California. His career began with bit parts like television's "Dennis the Menace" and movies like Elvis Presley's "It Happened at the World's Fair."

At the age of 12, Russell had a role in the ABC series "The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters." He was signed to a 10-year deal by Walt Disney Studios and starred in such successful family films as "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes," "The Strongest Man in the World" and "The Barefoot Executive."

Russell took a stab at baseball, playing for the Portland Mavericks, a minor league team owned by his father. A shoulder injury ended his baseball career and he returned to acting.

He appeared in such major films as "Silkwood," "Escape from New York," "The Thing," "Tombstone," "Stargate" and "Miracle."

Russell recently appeared in Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight" and will be seen in Marvel's upcoming "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2."

He has two children, one with ex-wife, Season Hubley, and another with his partner of 30 years, Goldie Hawn. He also helped raise Hawn's two children from her marriage to Bill Hudson.

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