Keri Russellis a film and television actress best known for her roles as Felicity Porter in the WB teen dramaFelicityand Elizabeth Jennings in FX’s Russian spy thrillerThe Americans.The former earned her a Golden Globe nomination for her performance. Before her breakthrough performance as the pensive artist Felicity Porter, Russell wore many hats throughout her career: dancer, Mickey Mouse Clubber, sitcom star, music video maven, and CoverGirl model, to name a few. Despite her resume and status in Hollywood, the down-to-earth starlet revels in the mundane minutia of ordinary life like doing laundry. According to an article inPEOPLE Magazine, Russell states “I love doing laundry! It’s so satisfying. I love the way it smells. I love doing the sheets.”
Throughout her diverse career, Russell has earned several awards and nominations celebrating her work, and in 2017, was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. More recently, Russell has starred in thecreepy horror flickAntlersand can next be seen opposite the late Ray Liotta in the Elizabeth Banks thrillerCocaine Bear. Until then, here are Keri Russell’s eight best performances, ranked.
8We Were Soldiers
We Were Soldiersis a 2002 war film based on the bookWe Were Soldiers Once… and Youngby Lieutenant General Hal Moore and reporter Joseph Galloway. The film is a dramatization of the events of the Battle of La Drang. Russell, a relative Hollywood newcomer at the time, holds her own against Hollywood heavyweights Mel Gibson and Madelaine Stowe. She stars as Barbara Geoghegan, a young soldier’s wife who takes on the devastating task of delivering the news of fatalities to the widows from the war department.
Related:Keri Russell and Ray Liotta Will Fight a Drug-Fueled Grizzly in Cocaine Bear
7August Rush
August Rushis a musical drama with an element of magic that centers around an orphaned child named Evan (Freddie Highmore), who runs away to New York to embrace his natural affinity for music as he believes it will reunite him with his birth parents. Russell stars as a young mother who falls victim to circumstance, though never loses hope that she will one day find her son.
6Mission: Impossible III
Four years after her success with the WB college dramaFelicity, Russell reunited with former director J.J. Abrams. Abrams who is known for hisbody of workcast Russell opposite Tom Cruise in the action-packed spy-thrillerMission: Impossible III. Russell stars as Lindsey Farris, a well-trained and highly adept new agent who goes missing. Her disappearance spurs the return of agent Ethan Hunt to the field.
5Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grassis an American black comedy about Ivy League professor Bill Kincaid (Edward Norton), who is lured back to his hometown under false pretenses. Upon his arrival, he becomes wrapped up in his pot-growing twin brother Bardy’s ill-conceived scheme to take down his competition, a rival drug lord. Russell stars as Janet, a local poet and teacher who, with her beauty and wisdom, entrances Bill into sticking around and helping his brother with his scheme.
Russell rose to fame with the titular role inFelicityas an aspiring artist and medical student Felicity Porter in the popular WB drama. The show follows the shy yet formidable teen on her journey of self-discovery after following her crush to a New York City College on a whim. Russell sparked controversy in season 3 when she cut her signature untamed curly locks and caused speculation that her new ‘do was the impetus for the drop in ratings. Russell’s portrayal of the pensive teen earned her a Golden Globe Award and Teen Choice Award.
3Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Dawn of the Planet of the Apesmarks the second film in the trilogy and follows lead chimpanzee Caesar as he faces the social dilemma of balancing his desire to protect his surviving clan, while also trying to re-establish a relationship with the remaining human population. Russell stars as Ellie, a nurse and wife of Malcolm, one of Caesar’s human friends.
Related:Andy Serkis Talks Simian Evolution in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Waitressstars Russell as Jenna Hunterson a small-town waitress with a gift for making delicious and unique pies. Stuck in a loveless marriage with an abusive husband, Jenna, who finds herself pregnant, strikes up a whirlwind affair with a local doctor as a last-ditch effort at happiness.Waitressis a sincere and emotional film that examines loneliness and toxic relationships. The film was unfortunately touched by tragedy before its 2007 release when star and director Adrienne Shelly was murdered in her Manhattan home during an attempted robbery.
1The Americans
In Russell’s best performance, she stars as Elizabeth Jennings in FX’s Russian spy dramaThe Americans.The Americansfollows two deep-cover Soviet spies who pose as a typical American couple in Washington D.C. during the height of the Cold War. During the day, they appear as any average American family, while, at night, they engage in high-stakes espionage. In 2018, Russell’s performance was praised byVulture Magazine, stating, “Russell is a performer who speaks volumes in the quietest, most fleeting moments. Her performances are beguiling, and difficult to pin down.”
