---
name: "David O. Russell"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/david-o-russell"
fi1m_id: "david-o-russell"
imdb_id: "nm0751102"
tmdb_id: 17883
wikidata_id: "Q314342"
roles: ["Director","Writer","Producer"]
born: "20 August 1958"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 8
average_fi1m_score: 72
average_as: "director"
average_over: 5
updated: "2026-10-22T04:29:37.002886+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# David O. Russell

## Identity

David O. Russell

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/david-o-russell
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** david-o-russell
- **IMDb ID:** nm0751102
- **TMDB ID:** 17883
- **Wikidata ID:** Q314342
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_O._Russell, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q314342, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0751102/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/17883

Director and writer. Born 20 August 1958 in New York City, New York, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Writer, Producer
- **Born:** 20 August 1958, New York City, New York, USA
- **Active:** 1999–present
- **Also known as:** Stephen Greene, 데이비드 O. 러셀, 데이비드 오 러셀, David Owen Russell
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 8: 1 acting, 5 directing, 1 producing, 1 other
- **Frequently works with:** [Christian Bale](https://film.one/person/christian-bale.md), [Amy Adams](https://film.one/person/amy-adams.md), [Bradley Cooper](https://film.one/person/bradley-cooper.md), [Charles Roven](https://film.one/person/charles-roven.md), [Jennifer Lawrence](https://film.one/person/jennifer-lawrence.md), [Mark Wahlberg](https://film.one/person/mark-wahlberg.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 5 Oscar nominations
- **Average Fi1m score:** 72, as director, over 5 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 80 (1), 2000s 80 (3), 2010s 77 (3), 2020s 47 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 72 to 70 across 5 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 4, Comedy 3, Action 1, Crime 1, Mystery 1, Romance 1
- **Screen time:** 10 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $756m across 5 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_O._Russell, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q314342, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0751102/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/17883

## Coming up

- *Madden* (2026-11-18), Director — [page](https://film.one/film/madden.md)

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*Silver Linings Playbook*](https://film.one/film/silver-linings-playbook.md) (80), [*The Fighter*](https://film.one/film/the-fighter.md) (79)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*American Hustle*](https://film.one/film/american-hustle.md) (72)
- **Disney+:** [*Amsterdam*](https://film.one/film/amsterdam.md) (47)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on David O. Russell

> David O. Russell makes bickering feel like action, and his ensembles give us plenty to enjoy. We rate him most when he lets his characters be selfish without hurrying to make them lovable.

In *Three Kings* (1999), the soldiers' bickering is as absorbing as their military business. George Clooney supplies authority without making the group's motives respectable; Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube and Spike Jonze keep the disagreements personal. We enjoyed their company despite ourselves, because the actors make each selfish disagreement funny without making the men admirable. Russell is good at getting a group to misbehave without allowing its members to blur together.

His first features, *Spanking the Monkey* (1994) and *Flirting with Disaster* (1996), were independent films; *Three Kings* brought wider recognition. After *I Heart Huckabees* (2004) came a quieter stretch, before *The Fighter* (2010) returned him to critical prominence. The ensembles of *Silver Linings Playbook* (2012) and *American Hustle* (2013) continued that return. The recurring interest is in people trying to change their lives, with enough competing personalities to make that difficult. His returning collaborators include actors Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale and Amy Adams.

*Three Kings* also shows how much that energy owes to collaborators. Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel makes the fighting exciting, which stops us watching the soldiers' misconduct from a comfortably disapproving distance. Robert K. Lambert's editing keeps the individual men involved in the action, while Catherine Hardwicke's production design makes their surroundings feel inhabited rather than available for looting. Carter Burwell's music is more convincing when sustaining danger than when encouraging sympathy. These are uneasy shifts between comedy and violence, and Russell sometimes moves on before the change has settled.

The weakness is his eagerness to forgive. In *Three Kings*, affection for the men sometimes softens the scrutiny their behaviour deserves, and the push towards sympathy can feel unnecessary when the actors are already persuasive. That does not undo the pleasure of watching them quarrel or the force of the action. It does make us wary when Russell starts asking for warmth rather than letting the performances earn it. We recommend *Three Kings*, with a little less indulgence for its soldiers than Russell allows himself.

## Biography

David O. Russell is an American film director and screenwriter. Born on 20 August 1958 in New York City, he graduated from Amherst College and began his career making films after working as a political activist and literacy teacher.

Russell's early features include *Spanking the Monkey* (1994) and *Flirting with Disaster* (1996). He wrote and directed *Three Kings* (1999), a satirical Gulf War comedy starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube and Spike Jonze. Later films include *I ♥ Huckabees* (2004), *The Fighter* (2010), *Silver Linings Playbook* (2012), *American Hustle* (2013) and *Joy* (2015). He also directed *Amsterdam* (2022).

Russell has received two BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe Award and five Academy Award nominations.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (8)

### Performed in (1)

- *Adaptation.* (2002), Fi1m 83, as Orlean Dinner Guest — [page](https://film.one/film/adaptation.md)

### Directed (5) — the average rests on these

- *Amsterdam* (2022), Fi1m 47, Producer, Director, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/amsterdam.md)
- *American Hustle* (2013), Fi1m 72, Director, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/american-hustle.md)
- *Silver Linings Playbook* (2012), Fi1m 80, Director, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/silver-linings-playbook.md)
- *The Fighter* (2010), Fi1m 79, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-fighter.md)
- *Three Kings* (1999), Fi1m 80, Screenplay, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/three-kings.md)

### Produced (1)

- *Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy* (2004), Fi1m 78, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/anchorman-the-legend-of-ron-burgundy.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Where the Wild Things Are* (2009), Fi1m 80, Thanks — [page](https://film.one/film/where-the-wild-things-are.md)

## Complete filmography (26)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Madden* (2026), Director, Writer, Producer — coming soon, [page](https://film.one/film/madden.md)
- *Amsterdam* (2022), Writer, Director, Producer — Fi1m 47, [page](https://film.one/film/amsterdam.md)
- *Past Forward* (2016), Director, Writer
- *Joy* (2015), Director, Screenplay, Story, Producer
- *Accidental Love* (2015), Director
- *American Hustle* (2013), Writer, Director — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/american-hustle.md)
- *Silver Linings Playbook* (2012), Screenplay, Director — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/silver-linings-playbook.md)
- *The Fighter* (2010), Director — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/the-fighter.md)
- *Where the Wild Things Are* (2009), Thanks — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/where-the-wild-things-are.md)
- *Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie* (2004), Executive Producer
- *I ♥ Huckabees* (2004), Director, Producer, Writer
- *Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy* (2004), Executive Producer — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/anchorman-the-legend-of-ron-burgundy.md)
- *Soldiers Pay* (2004), Director, Producer, Camera Operator
- *Adaptation.* (2002), as Orlean Dinner Guest — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/adaptation.md)
- *The Slaughter Rule* (2002), Producer
- *Three Kings* (1999), Screenplay, Director — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/three-kings.md)
- *Flirting with Disaster* (1996), Writer, Director
- *Spanking the Monkey* (1994), Writer, Director, Executive Producer
- *Hairway to the Stars* (1989), Writer, Director, Producer
- *Bingo Inferno: A Parody on American Obsessions* (1987), Writer, Director, Editor
- *Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble: Live at the El Mocambo* (1983), Camera Operator
- *Super Toys*, Writer, Director
- *Not Fade Away*, Producer
- *Untitled Linda Ronstadt Biopic*, Director
- *Sammy's Hill*, Adaptation
- *Shutout*, Director, Producer

## Gallery

- ![David O. Russell](https://film.one/media/person/88607/gallery-7cf9ab3b6182.jpg) David O. Russell — Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/David_O._Russell_avp_2014.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![David O. Russell attending the premiere of The Union at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival](https://film.one/media/person/88607/gallery-6c32d502304c.jpg) David O. Russell attending the premiere of The Union at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival — David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/David_O_Russell_2011_Shankbone.JPG/1280px-David_O_Russell_2011_Shankbone.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![David O. Russell](https://film.one/media/person/88607/gallery-ef4136dd6d36.jpg) David O. Russell — Image via TMDB
- ![David O. Russell](https://film.one/media/person/88607/gallery-4850c179d1c0.jpg) David O. Russell — Image via TMDB
- ![David O. Russell](https://film.one/media/person/88607/gallery-91a66e1d7ec2.jpg) David O. Russell — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 5 nominated

- 2014: Best Director (nominated), for *American Hustle*
- 2014: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated), for *American Hustle*
- 2013: Best Director (nominated), for *Silver Linings Playbook*
- 2013: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated), for *Silver Linings Playbook*
- 2011: Best Director (nominated), for *The Fighter*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/david-o-russell