Five star turns Kick-ass Kurt…

Escape From New York 1981

The former Disney child star first worked with director John Carpenter on TV movie Elvis (1979) and won an Emmy nomination. But it was soldier-turned-crim Snake Plissken, busting into a walled-off New York to rescue the US President, that etched his name in history. “He’s the most iconic character I’ve ever played,” says Russell.

The Thing 1982

The third of five JC team-ups – Big Trouble

In Little China (ace) and Escape From LA (dire) were still to come – saw a bearded, hooded Russell fight a shapeshifting alien in the Antartic. “John didn’t remake

The Thing From Another World; he made [ source novella] Who Goes There?” Russell points out. A box-office flop, it became a VHS classic.

Backdraft 1991

Landing the lead of Chicago firefighter Lt. Stephen ‘Bull’ McCaffrey after Dennis Quaid passed on the role, Russell headed an ensemble that included Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland, Jennifer Jason Leigh and, er, William Baldwin. But the real star of Ron Howard’s drama is the fiery action: “We were getting burned every day,” he recalls.

Death Proof 2007

Russell played murderous driver Stuntman Mike in Quentin Tarantino’s half of the Grindhouse double bill. As always, the actor did many of his own stunts. “If you were an actor, you had one value; if you were a stunt kid, you had another value; if you could do both, you had greater value,” he says of his start-out days.

Fast & Furious 7 2015

Our man’s stunning 2015 comeback began with a small but pivotal role as government agent Mr. Nobody in this $1.5bn-guzzling action juggernaut. “We created this character that’s a mystery,” he says. “I’ve got an idea of what Vin wants to do in the future, and this character could be a good part of it.”