I think that I can speak for everyone here at The Hollywood News who were saddened to hear of the passing of filmmaker Ken Russell this past weekend. Russell died at a London hospital following a series of strokes. He was 84.
Russell came to notice in the 1960’s, directing the Michael Caine movie BILLION DOLLAR BRAIN, but it was his work on WOMEN IN LOVE, a film that featured the famous Oliver Reed/ Alan Bates nude wrestling scene, that saw him hit the big time. The film attracted major attention from the Academy, and secured Russell his first, and only Oscar nomination.
Films like THE DEVILS, THE BOY FRIEND, ALTERED STATES and the 1975 rock opera from The Who, TOMMY followed.
In London to promote his Friday’s big opener HUGO, Sir Ben Kingsley hailed Russell as a ‘creative genius,’ with Martin Scorsese alongside him adding; “He was a charming, delightful, highly intelligent man. It’s a big loss to cinema.”
Russell is survived by wife Elise and his three children.
