March 17, 1951 – Actor and Disney Legend Kurt Russell is Born
“The script lady pulled me aside one day and said, ‘I think they’re going to offer you a contract. Do you know why Walt likes you? Because you’re not intimidated by him.’ I never could figure out why anybody would be intimidated by him.”
On March 17, 1951, Kurt Vogel Russell was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. His career as a child actor began in the late 1950s, with an appearance in the ABC western Sugarfoot. At age 11, he appeared in the Elvis Presley film It Happened at the World’s Fair in an uncredited part where Elvis’ character paid him a quarter to kick him. In 1963, he won the lead role of Jaimie in the ABC western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters. He appeared in other television roles around this time, and in 1966, Russell began his work with Disney, appearing in a starring role in the film Follow Me, Boys! alongside Fred MacMurray. This was the beginning of a long string of films for Disney through the ’60s and ’70s, which included The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit, The Barefoot Executive, and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, including its sequels Now You See Him, Now You Don’t and The Strongest Man in the World. Russell also provided the voice of adult Copper in the animated feature film The Fox and the Hound, and narrated the educational film Dad, Can I Borrow the Car? Russell is one of the few child actors that has been able to transition to a successful, film career as an adult, and has still performed in several Disney films, including Miracle and Sky High. He was awarded as a Disney Legend in 1998.
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