Charles Russell, 1952 - 2026

Director Charles “Chuck” Russell, 74, died on July 22. Russell directed The Mask, featuring one of Jim Carrey’s most annoying performances (and that’s up against some pretty stiff competition). His other vehicles included A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, The Blob, Eraser, The Scorpion King, and, most recently, 2024’s Witchboard. Russell started his career as a production assistant and assistant director (Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Hell Night, Back to School), working his way up to directing producing, and writing. Russell told the Cryptic Rock website, “A bit of a magical mystery tour and a bit of an adventure. I always compare a career in films to running away to join the circus; there are amazing people to work with; from truck drivers to ballerinas to movie stars, everyone is essential to the process and eternally fascinating to me. People have mentioned in my career how people have done different genres. It’s been a joy in that regard.”