David O. Russell

Writer-director David O. Russell (the "O" stands for Owen) was born in New York City on Aug. 20, 1958. While working as a union organizer in Maine, he documented his experiences and consequently landed an internship with PBS's "Smithsonian World." Shortly thereafter, his original short Bingo Inferno (1987) was accepted for screening at Sundance.

Russell is best known for critically acclaimed black comedies such as Flirting with Disaster (1996), Three Kings (1999) and I Heart Huckabees (2004) -- and, in many cases, on-set conflict. An infamous video of the filmmaker unloading on Huckabees star Lily Tomlin went viral, earning Russell a reputation as an undeniably talented but unpredictable personality.

In 2010, Russell picked up his first Golden Globe nomination, which was followed by an Oscar nod, for the knockout boxing drama The Fighter.

Filmography