Jay Russell
{{about|the film director Jay Russell born 1960|the writer Jay Russell born 1961|Jay Russell (writer)}}
{{short description|American film director}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jay Russell
| image =Jay Russell.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Russell on the set of Ladder 49 in 2003
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|1|10}}
| birth_place = North Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
| occupation = Film director, producer
| yearsactive = 1987–present
| spouse = {{marriage|Lee Cunningham|1991}}
}}
Jay Russell (born January 10, 1960, in North Little Rock, Arkansas), is an American film director, writer and producer.
Biography
He graduated from Columbia University in 1985 with a MFA in screenwriting and directing, having studied with producer Michael Hausman and director Miloš Forman. He wrote the screenplay and served as director for his debut film, End of the Line (1987), which was a Sundance Institute project and was released by Orion Classics.{{cite web|work=The New York Times|title=Film: Wilford Brimley Stars in 'End of the Line'|first=Janet|last=Maslin|date=February 26, 1988|authorlink=Janet Maslin|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940DE6DF1F3BF935A15751C0A96E948260}}{{cite news|title=Stony Reception In Little Rock: Film by Mary Steenburgen Draws Cries of Foul in Arkansas 'End of the Line'|author=Barbara McIntosh|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=3 April 1988|page= G1}}{{cite news|title=Video: A small film brings home fine acting|author=Smith, Sid|work=Chicago Tribune|date=21 August 1988|page= M20}} In 1996 he directed two episodes of the PBS documentary mini-series Great Drives; notably interviewing Willie Morris for the episode "Highway 61: Memphis to New Orleans".{{cite book|title=Willie Morris: An Exhaustive Annotated Bibliography and a Biography|page=320|author=Jack Bales|year=2015|publisher=McFarland & Company|isbn=9781476612317}}
Russell returned to feature film directing with the Warner Bros. family film My Dog Skip (2000).{{cite news|title=Pet storks, pet dogs and a turkey: OTHER FILMS|author=French, Philip|work=The Observer|date=13 August 2000|page= D9}}{{cite news|title=AT THE MOVIES: In the Running For an Oscar A Clearer 'Window' Favorite Foreign Films Tale of a Dog|author=Lyman, Rick|work=The New York Times|date=21 January 2000|page= E22}}{{cite book|last=Reviews|first=New York Times Theater|title=The New York Times Film Reviews 1999–2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_E350jJ-Ui4C&pg=PA222|accessdate=June 29, 2011|date=December 21, 2001|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-93696-5|pages=222–}}{{cite journal|title=REVIEWS: MY DOG SKIP|author=Kerrigan, Mike|journal=Boxoffice|volume=136|date=Jan 1, 2000|page=62}}{{cite news|title=FILM REVIEW: Fetch, Boy! Fetch the Wisdom of the Ages! Good Boy! MY DOG SKIP Fetch, Boy! Fetch the Wisdom of the Ages! Good Boy!|author=Scott, A O.|work=The New York Times|date=12 Jan 2000|page= E1}} He next directed two Disney features, Tuck Everlasting (2002) and Ladder 49 (2004).{{cite news|title=FILM REVIEW: You Only Live Once, But You Can Make It Last|author=Kehr, Dave|work=The New York Times|date=11 October 2002|page=E20}}{{cite news|title=FILM: Falling for a Children's Tale of an Age-Old Wish|author=Rehak, Melanie|work=The New York Times|date=6 October 2002|page= A15}}{{cite news|title=With Many a Fear and Tear, Firefighters Prove Their Mettle|author=Manohla Dargis|work=The New York Times|date=1 October 2004|page=E12}}{{cite news|title=Ladder 49' Gives Firefighters' Saga An Honorable and Human Face|author=Morgenstern, Joe|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=1 October 2004|page= W1}}{{cite news|title=A Guy's Flick That Smolders: With Phoenix, Travolta, 'Ladder 49' Finds Camaraderie in Combustion|author=Ann Hornaday|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=1 October 2004|page=C5}} He directed The Water Horse (2007) for Columbia Pictures.{{cite news|title=Fearsome Nessie Started Out As a Good Egg and Playmate|work=The New York Times|date=25 December 2007|page= E5}} For the Hallmark Channel he directed the original film One Christmas Eve (2014).{{cite news|url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2014/11/29/one-christmas-eve-soundtrack-released/|date=November 9, 2014|title=One Christmas Eve' Soundtrack Released|work=filmmusicreporter.com}}
Russell served as a producer on Whole Lotta Sole (2011) and the 2015 stage adaptation of the Cornell Woolrich thriller Rear Window, starring his End of the Line and My Dog Skip (2000) collaborator Kevin Bacon.{{cite web|last1=Rizzo|first1=Frank|title=Connecticut Theater Review: Kevin Bacon in 'Rear Window'|url=https://variety.com/2015/legit/reviews/rear-window-play-review-kevin-bacon-1201631207/|website=Variety.com|date=November 2015|publisher=Variety|accessdate=22 September 2017}}
Filmography
- End of the Line (1987)
- Great Drives
- Highway 61 (1996)
- Highway 93 (1996)
- My Dog Skip (2000)
- Tuck Everlasting (2002)
- Ladder 49 (2004)
- The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007)
- One Christmas Eve (2014)
References
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0751221}}
- [http://www.hollywood.com/celebrities/jay-russell-57719538/ Hollywood.com]
{{Jay Russell}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Jay}}
Category:American film producers
Category:American male screenwriters
Category:People from North Little Rock, Arkansas
Category:Columbia University School of the Arts alumni