Chuck Russell is dead. The U.S. director, whose comedy "Die Maske" made Jim Carrey a global superstar in 1994, died unexpectedly on Wednesday, July 22, at his home in the San Diego area. He was 74 years old. His family confirmed the death to the portal "TMZ". What exactly happened remains unclear.
He Had Just Spoken About His Films
Just one month before his death, Russell had given an interview to "People" magazine for the 30th anniversary of "Eraser", the 1996 action film in which Arnold Schwarzenegger plays witness protector John "The Eraser" Kruger. The director was proud that his films still found an audience three decades later.
"It feels great", he said about the continued love for "Eraser". "I've had 4K versions made of some of my films. And I'm thrilled that a new audience is discovering 'Eraser' and 'The Mask'. This continues all the way back to my first film, the third 'Elm Street': 'Dream Warriors'. There seem to be loyal fans and a new audience for these films, and I'm very proud of that."
From Horror Shocker to Blockbuster
That's exactly where it all began. After graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Russell made his directorial debut in 1987 with "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors", for which he also wrote the screenplay. A year later followed the horror film "The Blob".
His big breakthrough came in 1994 with "Die Maske". The film made Jim Carrey a superstar and catapulted his co-star Cameron Diaz to Hollywood's A-list. Two years later, Russell directed "Eraser" with Schwarzenegger, then in 2002 "The Scorpion King" with Dwayne Johnson, which was his first leading role in a theatrical film.
Comeback After a 14-Year Break
After that, the director went quiet for a long time. For 14 years he didn't make a film until he returned in 2016 with the action thriller "I Am Wrath" starring John Travolta. Russell worked with Travolta again in 2022 on "Paradise City", which also featured Bruce Willis in one of his final film roles. His last project was the 2024 horror film "Witchboard", in which a cursed game awakens a dark power.
