Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was an English film director. He is known for his pioneering work in television and film, and for his controversial style. He has been criticized as being over-obsessed with sexuality and the church. His subject matter is often about famous composers, or based on other works of art which he adapts loosely. Russell began directing for the BBC, where he did creative adaptations of composers' lives which were unusual for the time. He also directed many feature films independently and for studios. He is best known for his Oscar-winning romantic drama Women in Love (1969), the notoriously controversial The Devils (1971), the rock musical Tommy (1975), and the science fiction film Altered States (1980). One noted admirer, British film critic Mark Kermode, attempting to sum up the director's achievement, called Russell; "somebody who proved that British cinema didn't have to be about kitchen-sink realism – it could be every bit as flamboyant as Fellini. He now makes very strange experimental films like Lion's Mouth and Revenge of the Elephant Man, and they are as edgy and out there as the work he made in the 1970s."
Whore
(Waiter (uncredited))
Vaughan Williams: A Symphonic Portrait
(Self)
Gothic
(Tourist)
The Real Blue Nuns
(Self)
Tommy
(Cripple (uncredited))
Trapped Ashes
(Dr. Lucy)
Valentino
(Rex Ingram (uncredited))
Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World
(Captain Patterson)
Salome's Last Dance
(Cappadocian)
The Real Oliver Reed
(Self)
The Fall of the Louse of Usher
(Dr. Calahari)
A Kitten for Hitler
(Santa)
Hell on Earth: The Desecration & Resurrection of The Devils
(Self)
Music for the Movies: Georges Delerue
(Self)
Tales of Erotica
Boudica Bites Back
(Roman Senator)
Savage Messiah
(Passenger getting off train in station (uncredited))
The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch
(Mr. Kirsch)
Revenge of the Elephant Man
Mr. Nice
(Russell Miegs)
Lion's Mouth
(Ken)
The Who: One Band's Explosive Story
(Self (archive footage))
In Search of Dracula
(Self)
Your Honour, I Object! Guccione V Russell
Don’t Shoot the Composer
(Himself)
Brothers of the Head
(Himself)
Ken Russell's ABC of British Music
(Himself)
Director of Devils
(Self)
A Turnip Head’s Guide To The British Cinema
(Self)
10 Best Elgar
(Self (archive footage))
The Russia House
(Walter)
Empire of the Censors
(Self)
Ken Russell: A Bit of a Devil
(Self (archive footage))
Song of Summer
(Priest)
Colour Me Kubrick
(The Man In Nightgown)
The Lair of the White Worm
(Police Radio (voice) (uncredited))
Walk With The Damned
(Hood)
Russell at Work
The Secret Life of Arnold Bax
(Sir Arnold Bax)
The Aristofrogs
A British Picture
The Devils Original on-set footage
PuzzleFace
(god)
Ken Russell: In Search of the English Folk Song
(Himself)
The Kids Are Alright
Twiggy
((archival footage))
Elgar: Fantasy of a Composer on a Bicycle
(Narrator (voice))
The South Bank Show
(Self)
Plunder
Waking the Dead
(Gerry Raistrick)
Frank Stubbs Promotes
(Self)
Celebrity Big Brother
(Self - Contestant)
Agatha Christie's Marple
(Rev Caleb Dane Calthrop)
Lady Chatterley
(Sir Michael Reid)
French Dressing
(Director)
Billion Dollar Brain
(Director)
Tommy
(Director)
Tommy
(Screenplay)
Tommy
(Producer)
The Lair of the White Worm
(Director)
The Lair of the White Worm
(Screenplay)
The Lair of the White Worm
(Producer)
Whore
(Director)
Ken Russell: In Search of the English Folk Song
(Director)
Altered States
(Director)
The Devils
(Director)
The Devils
(Screenplay)
The Boy Friend
(Director)
The Boy Friend
(Screenplay)
Gothic
(Director)
Crimes of Passion
(Director)
The Rainbow
(Screenplay)
The Rainbow
(Director)
Trapped Ashes
(Director)
Valentino
(Director)
The Boy Friend
(Producer)
Women in Love
(Director)
Lisztomania
(Director)
Lisztomania
(Screenplay)
Salome's Last Dance
(Director)
Salome's Last Dance
(Screenplay)
The Music Lovers
(Director)
Mahler
(Director)
Mahler
(Writer)
Whore
(Screenplay)
Whore
(Camera Operator)
Savage Messiah
(Director)
The Fall of the Louse of Usher
(Director)
Dante's Inferno
(Director)
Song of Summer
(Director)
Dogboys
(Producer)
Dogboys
(Director)
A Kitten for Hitler
(Director)
A Kitten for Hitler
(Writer)
The Secret Life of Arnold Bax
(Writer)
Dance of the Seven Veils
(Director)
Amelia and the Angel
(Director)
Elgar: Portrait of a Composer
(Director)
Tales of Erotica
(Director)
Mindbender
(Director)
Mindbender
(Writer)
Boudica Bites Back
(Director)
Prisoner of Honor
(Director)
The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch
(Director)
The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch
(Writer)
Savage Messiah
(Producer)
The Diary of a Nobody
(Director)
The Diary of a Nobody
(Writer)
Ken Russell: In Search of the English Folk Song
(Writer)
A House in Bayswater
(Director)
Pop Goes the Easel
(Director)
Revenge of the Elephant Man
(Producer)
Revenge of the Elephant Man
(Director)
Revenge of the Elephant Man
(Writer)
The Devils
(Producer)
Lion's Mouth
(Director)
Lion's Mouth
(Screenplay)
The Fall of the Louse of Usher
(Producer)
The Fall of the Louse of Usher
(Cinematography)
The Fall of the Louse of Usher
(Editor)
The Fall of the Louse of Usher
(Writer)
The Light Fantastic
(Director)
Vaughan Williams: A Symphonic Portrait
(Director)
Vaughan Williams: A Symphonic Portrait
(Producer)
Vaughan Williams: A Symphonic Portrait
(Writer)
London Moods
(Director)
From Spain to Streatham
(Director)
The Preservation Man
(Director)
The Lonely Shore
(Director)
Bartók
(Director)
Bartók
(Screenplay)
The Debussy Film
(Director)
The Debussy Film
(Scenario Writer)
Kitsune
(Thanks)
Knights on Bikes
(Director)
Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World
(Director)
Always on Sunday
(Director)
Antonio Gaudí
(Director)
Shelagh Delaney's Salford
(Director)
Old Battersea House
(Director)
Gordon Jacob
(Director)
Don’t Shoot the Composer
(Director)
Don’t Shoot the Composer
(Producer)
Scottish Painters
(Director)
The Strange Affliction of Anton Bruckner
(Director)
Variations on a Mechanical Theme
(Director)
Lotte Lenya Sings Kurt Weill
(Director)
Peepshow
(Director)
Mr Chesher’s Traction Engines
(Director)
Journey Into a Lost World
(Director)
Faust
(Director)
Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World
(Writer)
Monitor: Pop Goes the Easel
(Director)
Alice in Russialand
(Director)
The Planets
(Director)
A British Picture
(Director)
Ken Russell's ABC of British Music
(Writer)
Ken Russell's ABC of British Music
(Director)
The Miner's Picnic by Ken Russell
(Director)
Prokofiev
(Director)
Song of Summer
(Writer)
The Mystery of Dr Martinu
(Writer)
Valentino
(Screenplay)
Always on Sunday
(Scenario Writer)
Always on Sunday
(Producer)
Treasure Island
(Director)
The Mystery of Dr Martinu
(Director)
Pandora's Box: It's All Coming Back to Me Now
(Director)
Watch the Birdie
(Director)
Aria
(Director)
Aria
(Writer)
The Secret Life of Arnold Bax
(Director)
Elgar: Fantasy of a Composer on a Bicycle
(Director)
Il Mefistofele
(Director)
Charlotte Brontë Enters the Big Brother House
(Producer)
Charlotte Brontë Enters the Big Brother House
(Director)
Charlotte Brontë Enters the Big Brother House
(Director of Photography)
Charlotte Brontë Enters the Big Brother House
(Writer)
Charlotte Brontë Enters the Big Brother House
(Choreographer)
The Music Lovers
(Producer)
A British Picture
(Writer)
The Strange Affliction of Anton Bruckner
(Writer)
Treasure Island
(Teleplay)
Boudica Bites Back
(Screenplay)
John Betjeman: A Poet in London
(Director)
Amelia and the Angel
(Story)
Amelia and the Angel
(Cinematography)
Amelia and the Angel
(Writer)
The Rainbow
(Producer)
The Miners' Picnic
(Director)
Portrait of a Goon
(Director)
Women and Men: Stories of Seduction
(Director)
Lourdes
(Director)
Dance of the Seven Veils
(Writer)
A House in Bayswater
(Writer)
Elgar: Fantasy of a Composer on a Bicycle
(Producer)
Elgar: Fantasy of a Composer on a Bicycle
(Writer)
The South Bank Show
(Director)
Six
(Director)
Lady Chatterley
(Writer)
Lady Chatterley
(Director)
Clouds of Glory
(Director)
Clouds of Glory
(Writer)
Lady Chatterley
(Creator)