Kurt Russellmade his acting debut in 1963 at the age of 12, starring in the Western TV series,The Travels of Jamie McPheeters.For the last 60 years, he has starred in 64 movies and 40 television series. This prolific actor has become a staple of modern pop culture, with his films ranging across genres and soaring to popularity. Russell has played many different roles; though he tends to play the heroic lead, especially in his early work, he has recently begun taking villainous roles as well, showcasing the range of his talents. With his upcoming role inMonarch: Legacy of Monsters,now is the perfect time to take a look at his best films.
With such an extensive backlog, it is difficult to narrow the list down to only ten of Russell’s best movies, so this list breaks it down by genre. Kurt Russell has become a household name largely through his work in the science-fiction and horror genres. Some of the most iconic films in either genre star this prolific actor, and this list seeks to explore 10 of his best roles. From invisible boys to shape-shifting monstrosities, from kids' classics to adult nightmares, fans of Kurt Russell’s work or those looking to dive into his filmography for the first time need to check these films out.
10The Dexter Riley Trilogy
After his debut inThe Travels of Jamie McPheeters,Russell signed a ten-year contract with the Walt Disney Company. Just before his death, Disney himself acknowledged Russell’s massive potential, and through his work at the company, he became one of their biggest stars of the ’70s. After appearances in several smaller films and series, Russell got a recurring starring role in a trilogy of films. Playing Dexter Riley, a college student at Medfield College, Russell took his first steps into the science-fiction genre with stories dealing with robotics, strength serums, and invisibility.
The films, in order, areThe Computer Wore Tennis Shoes; Now You See Him, Now You Don’t;andThe Strongest Man in the World.Dexter Riley attended the science class of Professor Quigley, and over the course of the three movies, he faced some truly bizarre scientific scenarios. InThe Computer Wore Tennis Shoes,Riley goes from average student to genius intellect after he is electrocuted while working on a computer. The second and third films see Riley accidentally making potent concoctions that turn him invisible or super strong. The series has mixed reviews, but it has managed to develop a cult following in the modern day.
9Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
With the massive popularity and extensive reach of the MCU, viewers knew it was only a matter of time before Kurt Russell made his debut, but no one expected what role he would play. Starring as Ego, a sentient planet and the father of Chris Pratt’s Starlord, Russell played the villain ofGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.After drawing Starlord back to his planet, Ego reveals that he has traveled the galaxy, siring offspring in the hopes that one would develop his Celestial power set. Using Starlord’s newly discovered abilities, Ego seeks to awaken seedlings he left on various planets, consuming them for his own benefit.
WhileGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2has mixed reviews, few can deny that Russell’s performance is incredible. The character is mercilessly manipulative, playing the loving father to feed on Peter Quill’s need for family while secretly harboring a deadly secret. This casting decision is also fascinating because it feeds into the story. Ego can change his appearance, choosing the face that would best attract a mate on each planet. He shows this when he transforms into David Hasselhoff. Given that he arrived on Earth in the late ’70s, the initial surge of Russell’s popularity, Ego likely chose that well-known face to attract Meredith Quill.
8Soldier (1998)
Released in 1998.Soldieris one of Russell’s lesser-known starring roles, and that isn’t without reason. It is a cliché-ridden action fest, with Russell’s leading character only speaking 104 words throughout the entire 99-minute runtime. Russell’s character, Todd 3465, is the typical lone, silent action hero, with exceptional combat skills and very little else. However, this is somewhat forgivable given the nature of this futuristic military movie, since the entire premise of the film is Todd attempting to overcome his military programming. The action is crisp and thrilling, and the settings are incredible, even if the plot and characterization suffer.
The film follows an experimental group of soldiers in the year 2036. 40 years earlier, each member of the unit was an orphaned infant, taken in and trained for decades to be the perfect soldiers. However, a new experiment has led to genetically enhanced supersoldiers, making the originals obsolete. After an altercation with his replacements and presumed dead, Russell’s Todd 3465 is disposed of on a distant waste planet, where he discovers a colony of stranded spacefarers. With Captain Church’s new unit rapidly approaching the planet, Todd must question his loyalties and deconstruct his decades of programming.
7Sky High (2005)
Kurt Russell tends to be the leading man in the majority of his movies. Whether heroic or villainous, he tends to receive a good majority of the screentime.Sky Highis a fun exception. This Disney Original film turns Russell into a superhero called the Commander, and while his character is the most popular and powerful in this universe, it is his son, played by Michael Angarano, that takes center stage.
This is a kid’s movie, after all, with every young superhero trying to emulate Russell’s character. He is a role model instead of leading man, and for the kids who grew up with the film, it is one of Russell’s most memorable.
Sky Highis the story of Will Stronghold, the son of the world’s most powerful superheroes, the Commander and Jetstream. Despite his parents' prolific legacy, Will is seemingly born with no powers of his own. Despite this, his parents send him to the superhero school, Sky High. Here, Will is assigned to the Sidekick curriculum, but after befriending his classmates and creating a rivalry with pyrokinetic Warren Peace (Heath Ledger), Will discovers he has super strength and is moved to the Hero course. However, a former villain is moving in the shadows, and it might just be the sidekicks who save the day.
6Death Proof (2007)
Kurt Russell has taken an interesting turn in the last decade, turning to a handful of more villainous roles after years of playing the hero. This heel turn has led to some great characters, not the least of which is Mike McKay fromQuentin Tarantino’sDeath Proof. This Grindhouse film is bizarre in the best way, leaning into its dark quirkiness and over-the-top characters with full commitment. Mike isn’t necessarily that well-written, with very little characterization backing him up. However, the sheer creepiness of this horror villain andthe horrifying car stuntsare chilling.
Death Proofopens in Austin, Texas, though the action quickly moves to Lebanon, Tennessee. Five friends are enjoying a night out at the bar when they are approached by former stuntman Mike Mckay. Though a bit put off by the man, the women quickly warm to him, with one accepting a ride home. He claims his car is death proof as a former stunt vehicle, but only for the driver. He proves this to be true, killing his passenger before brutally hunting down her friends. Years later, a new group of women has been targeted by the killer, and they will have to do everything they can to survive his wicked driving.
Related:15 Movies That Spoil Their Plots in the Beginning
5Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Remembered and revered as one of Kurt Russell’s most bizarre films, 1986’sBig Trouble in Little Chinais a quirky, cheesy, hilarious blending of genres. Elements of fantasy, science-fiction, and martial arts films come together in a beautifully over-the-top display of B-movie outlandishness. Jack Burton may not be Kurt Russell’s best or most famous role, but he is certainly unforgettable, with each of his scenes leaning into the satire and homage of action tropes. The film is distilled craziness from the very first moment, and every film fanatic has to see it at least once.
Big Trouble in Little Chinais the story of Jack Burton, a truck driver in San Francisco. After agreeing to help his friend Wang Chi pick up his fiancée, Miao Yin, they intervene in a kidnapping attempt by the Chinatown gang, the Lords of Death. In the chaos, Miao Yin is taken, sending Jack and Wang Chi on a quest through Chinatown. There, they become embroiled in a battle with an ancient sorcerer and his minions, and they will have to work together with other Chinatown residents to save Miao Yin and a host of other kidnapped women.
4Bone Tomahawk (2015)
The most recent horror film on this list, 2015’sBone Tomahawkis also likely the most obscure. Shown primarily at several film festivals and with a limited theater run,this Western horror filmflew under a lot of viewers' radars, which is a shame because it is a thrilling, gritty blend of the two genres. This dark and bloody film is a fantastic representation of the Old West and of familiar horror tropes, but it never feels canned or half-baked. The film has received incredibly positive reviews across the board, with most citing Kurt Russell’s performance as a standout.
Russell plays Franklin Hunt, a sheriff in the small town of Bright Hope. After a bandit escapes an attack by a monstrous tribe of Native Americans, he escapes to Bright Hope, with the tribe on his heels. These twisted, mutated cannibals kidnap the bandit and two other citizens of the town, and the Professor, a highly educated Native American man, identifies them as Troglodytes.
Given their mindless aggression and savage cannibalism, the other tribes in the area ostracize and avoid them. Hunt gathers together a posse to track down the kidnapped people and survive the horrors of the wild.
3Stargate (1994)
From the obscure to the foundation of a franchise,Stargateis a massive departure from the last film. Released in 1994, the film centers around the discovery of a strange device found in the depths of an ancient Egyptian ruin. After studying the device, scientists discover that it is a gateway to other worlds. Under the command of Kurt Russell’s Colonel Jack O’Neil, a team is sent through the gate, discovering an advanced alien society.
They learn that their ruler, Ra, is an alien overlord who came to Earth millennia before to enslave the human race, and with the Stargate reactivated, he looks to expand his empire yet again.
Stargatehelped to spawn an entire franchise, with two sequel films and 19 seasons total of five different shows. While the series doesn’t have the same name recognition today as it did in the ’90s and ’00s, it is still a highly regarded science-fiction epic. Kurt Russell’s role in the film was unique, seeing him as a tortured soldier sent on a sort of suicide mission. Especially coming off of some of his other, more campy roles likeBig Trouble in Little China, it helped bring the actor back to more serious roles, a stark departure that wasn’t unwelcome.
2Escape from New York/ Escape from LA (1981/1995)
Among his many roles, Kurt Russell’s most recognizable is the eyep atched former Special Forces operative Snake Plissken. Appearing in two films,Escape from New YorkandEscape from LA,as well as several comics (including a team up with Big Trouble in Little China’s Jack Burton), Plissken was a hardened action hero that has lived on in the genre for over 40 years.
He helped to define many of the tropes that we know today. His character is synonymous with action films, and while some don’t always respond to the campiness and forced seriousness of these films, it is hard to deny their importance to pop culture.
These two films take place in a futuristic United States in the far-off years of 1997 and 2013. After World War III, a massive spike in crime forced the United States Government to take drastic action. Walling off both Manhattan and Los Angeles, they turned the two cities into super-max prisons.
InEscape from New York,Air Force One crashes in New York. Snake Plissken is promised a pardon for his committed crimes if he rescues the president. InEscape from LA,the sequel, Snake is sent into the LA prison to retrieve a device stolen by the president’s daughter that can shut down all technology in the world.
Related:John Carpenter Not Involved with Upcoming Escape from New York Sequel
1The Thing (1982)
While Snake Plissken is Kurt Russell’s most recognizable character, his most revered role and greatest performance was in John Carpenter’s 1982 horror masterpieceThe Thing. Set in an Antarctic research station,The Thingfollows a team of scientists, doctors, and Russell’s helicopter pilot, R.J. Macready, after the discovery of a strange alien parasite. The creature can assimilate and consume organic matter, taking on any shape it so desires to hide amidst its prey. The monster could be anyone, and with no one to trust, the team begins to splinter as they begin to die one by one.
The Thingisn’t justa great horror movie. It is a masterclass of cinema, with incredible plotting, horrifying practical effects, and one of the most chilling senses of isolation in filmmaking history. The crux of the film’s horror comes from this isolation, in the fact that these scientists are trapped in the tundra with no means of escape and unable to trust their former friends.
Even when the monster is nowhere to be seen, the tension is palpable. Russell’s lead character is an incredible addition to the cast, and while the film bombed at the box office, it has since soared to becoming a cinema classic for generations of fans.
