| Keri Russell | |
| Birth Name: | Keri Lynn Russell |
| Birth Date: | 23 March 1976 |
| Birth Place: | Fountain Valley, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Years Active: | 1991–present |
| Spouse: | |
| Children: | 3 |
Keri Lynn Russell (born March 23, 1976)[1] is an American actress. She played the title role in the drama series Felicity (1998–2002), which won her a Golden Globe Award, and later portrayed Elizabeth Jennings in the spy thriller series The Americans (2013–2018), which earned her nominations for several Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. For playing the title role in the political drama series The Diplomat (2023–present), she received further Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.
First appearing on The All New Mickey Mouse Club as a teen, she was a regular on the show from 1991 to 1994. She made her first film appearance in Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992). Russell's other film appearances include We Were Soldiers (2002), Waitress (2007), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) and (2019). On stage, she acted in the Neil LaBute's off-Broadway play Fat Pig (2004–2005), and made her Broadway debut in the Lanford Wilson revival Burn This (2019).
Russell was born on March 23, 1976, in Fountain Valley, California, to Stephanie Stephens, a housewife, and David Russell, a Nissan Motors executive.[2] She has an older brother and a younger sister. The family lived in Coppell, Texas; Mesa, Arizona; and Highlands Ranch, Colorado, moving frequently due to her father's work.
Russell's dancing earned her a spot on television at age 15 as a cast member of The All New Mickey Mouse Club on the Disney Channel.[3] [4] Fellow cast members on the show included Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, JC Chasez, and Justin Timberlake. Russell was on the show from 1991 to 1994, encompassing seasons four to six.
In 1992, she appeared in Honey, I Blew Up the Kid and in 1993, had a role on the sitcom Boy Meets World as Mr. Feeny's niece. She appeared on Married... with Children in a 1995 episode ("Radio Free Trumaine", production 9.24). She subsequently starred in several film and television roles, including the 1996 made-for-television film The Babysitter's Seduction. That year she also had a role on the short-lived soap opera series Malibu Shores.
In 1994, Russell appeared as the "other woman" in Bon Jovi's music video "Always".[5] In 1997, she appeared in two episodes of Roar.
From 1998 to 2002, Russell starred as the title character on the successful WB Network series Felicity, and in 1999 won a Golden Globe for the role.
During the show's run, Russell appeared in the films Eight Days a Week, The Curve and Mad About Mambo, all of which received only limited releases in North America. Her next role was in the film We Were Soldiers (2002), playing the wife of a United States serviceman during the Vietnam War. The film was released two months before the end of Felicitys run.
When Felicity ended, Russell moved to New York City and made her off-Broadway stage debut in 2004 in Neil LaBute's Fat Pig.[6] In 2005, she returned to television and film, beginning with an appearance in the Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie The Magic of Ordinary Days, the theatrical film The Upside of Anger, and the television miniseries Into the West. In 2005, director J. J. Abrams asked Russell to join the cast of , and she accepted. She was screen tested for the role of Lois Lane in Superman Returns but lost the part to Kate Bosworth.[7]
In mid-2006, Russell was chosen to be a celebrity spokeswoman for CoverGirl cosmetics.[8] In the summer of 2007, Russell appeared in The Keri Kronicles, a reality show sitcom sponsored by CoverGirl and airing on MySpace; the show was filmed at Russell's home in Manhattan and spotlighted her life. Also in 2007, she played Melody on the NBC show Scrubs.
Russell next starred in the film Waitress, which marked the fourth time she played a pregnant woman. Her performance was positively received by critics, with Michael Sragow of The Baltimore Sun writing that Russell's performance had "aesthetic character" and "wields tenderness and fierceness with quiet heat". In 2007, Russell also completed roles in Grimm Love and The Girl in the Park.
Russell next appeared in August Rush, released in November 2007. Russell later appeared in Bedtime Stories.[9] In an appearance on The View on December 15, 2008, Russell said she got the part because Adam Sandler's wife Jackie had seen her in Waitress and suggested her for the movie. Russell voiced Wonder Woman in a direct-to-video animated feature released on March 3, 2009.[10] Russell starred in the Tom Vaughan-helmed Extraordinary Measures[11] [12] for CBS Films. The drama, which started filming on April 6, 2009, and was released on January 22, 2010, was the first film to go into production for the new company.[13] Russell played Aileen Crowley, a mother who tries to build a normal home life for her sick children while her husband and an unconventional scientist race against time to find a cure.[14] Russell starred in the Fox series Running Wilde from 2010 to 2011.[15]
From 2013 to 2018, she starred in the FX drama series The Americans, playing Elizabeth Jennings, a deep-undercover Russian KGB spy living as an American in the 1980s Cold War era. She appeared opposite Matthew Rhys, who portrays her character's husband and spy partner. Russell and Rhys became partners in real life during this time. The series ended after six seasons.[16] For her performance she was nominated for three consecutive Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series as well as two Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. Emily St. James of Vox praised her performance describing it as "gorgeously restrained".[17]
In 2013, Russell starred in the science-fiction horror film Dark Skies and the romantic comedy film Austenland. In 2014, she starred in the science fiction action film Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, a sequel to 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes.[18] She starred as Serena Knight in the 2016 historical war film Free State of Jones starring Matthew McConaughey. In 2017, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[19] In July 2018, Russell was announced to have joined the cast of the film , which was released on December 20, 2019. The film reunited her with J.J. Abrams, with whom she had worked on Felicity and Mission: Impossible III.[20]
In March 2019, she starred opposite Adam Driver in first Broadway revival of Lanford Wilson's play Burn This at the Hudson Theatre.[21] Frank Rizzo of Variety wrote of her performance, "Russell, whose stage credits are slim but who’s proven her chops onscreen in “The Americans,” creates a vivid, if less flashy, performance." adding, "Still, she’s a force in her own right".[22]
In 2023, Russell began starring in The Diplomat, a political series on Netflix from writer and producer Debora Cahn.[23]
In 2006, Russell became engaged to Shane Deary, a Brooklyn-based contractor she met through mutual friends. They married in New York on February 14, 2007.[24] They have two children: a son born in 2007 and a daughter born in 2011.[25] [26] Russell and Deary separated in early 2013 and divorced in mid-2014.[27] [28] Since 2014, she has been in a relationship with Welsh actor Matthew Rhys, her co-star in The Americans.[29] They have a son, born in 2016.[30] [31] In interviews conducted in 2021, Russell and Rhys referred to each other as husband and wife.[32] [33]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Honey, I Blew Up the Kid | Mandy Park | ||
| 1998 | data-sort-value="Curve, The" | The Curve | Emma | Also known as Dead Man's Curve |
| 1999 | Eight Days a Week | Erica | ||
| 2000 | Mad About Mambo | Lucy McLoughlin | ||
| 2002 | We Were Soldiers | Barbara Geoghegan | ||
| 2005 | data-sort-value="Upside of Anger, The" | The Upside of Anger | Emily Wolfmeyer | |
| 2006 | Grimm Love | Katie | ||
| Lindsey Farris | ||||
| 2007 | August Rush | Lyla Novacek | ||
| data-sort-value="Girl in the Park, The" | The Girl in the Park | Celeste | ||
| Waitress | Jenna Hunterson | |||
| 2008 | Bedtime Stories | Jill Hastings | ||
| 2009 | Leaves of Grass | Janet | ||
| Wonder Woman | Diana Prince / Wonder Woman (voice) | Direct-to-video film | ||
| 2010 | Extraordinary Measures | Aileen Crowley | ||
| 2012 | Goats | Judy | ||
| 2013 | Austenland | Jane Hayes | ||
| Dark Skies | Lacy Barrett | |||
| 2014 | Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | Ellie | ||
| 2016 | Free State of Jones | Serena Knight | ||
| 2019 | Zorii Bliss | |||
| 2021 | Antlers | Julia Meadows | ||
| 2023 | Cocaine Bear | Sari |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–1993 | data-sort-value="All New Mickey Mouse Club, The" | The All New Mickey Mouse Club | Herself | Main role | |
| 1993 | Boy Meets World | Jessica | Episode: "Grandma Was a Rolling Stone" | ||
| 1994 | Daddy's Girls | Phoebe Walker | 3 episodes | ||
| 1995 | Clerks | Sandra | Television pilot | ||
| Married... with Children | April Adams | Episode: "Radio Free Trumaine" | |||
| 1996 | data-sort-value="Babysitter's Seduction, The" | The Babysitter's Seduction | Michelle Winston | Television film | |
| data-sort-value="Lottery, The" | The Lottery | Felice Dunbar | Television film | ||
| Malibu Shores | Chloe Walker | Main role | |||
| 1997 | Roar | Claire | 2 episodes | ||
| data-sort-value="Seventh Heaven" | 7th Heaven | Camille | Episode: "Choices" | ||
| When Innocence Is Lost | Erica French | Television film | |||
| 1998–2002 | Felicity | Felicity Porter | Main role | ||
| 2000 | CinderElmo | Princess | Television film | ||
| 2005 | Into the West | Naomi Wheeler | Episode: "Manifest Destiny" | ||
| data-sort-value="Magic of Ordinary Days, The" | The Magic of Ordinary Days | Olivia "Livvy" Dunne | Television film | ||
| 2007 | Scrubs | Melody O'Harra | 2 episodes | ||
| 2010–2011 | Running Wilde | Emmy Kadubic | Main role | ||
| 2013 | Arrested Development | Widow Carr (voice) | Episode: "Señoritis" | ||
| 2013–2018 | data-sort-value="Americans, The | The Americans | Elizabeth Jennings | Main role | |
| 2017 | Secret History of Comics | Narrator | Episode: "The Truth About Wonder Woman" | ||
| 2018 | Running Wild with Bear Grylls | Herself | Episode: "Canary Islands" | ||
| 2021 | Explained | Narrator | Episode: "Sugar" | ||
| 2023 | Extrapolations | Olivia Drew | Episode: "2059 Part II: Nightbirds" | ||
| 2023–present | data-sort-value="Diplomat, The" | The Diplomat | Kate Wyler | Main role; also executive producer |
| Year | Play | Role | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–2005 | Fat Pig | Jeannie | Lucille Lortel Theatre | |
| 2019 | Burn This | Anna Mann | Hudson Theatre |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Young Artist Awards | Best Young Actress Co-Starring in a Motion Picture | Honey, I Blew Up the Kid | |||
| Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Youth Series or Variety Show | data-sort-value="All New Mickey Mouse Club, The" | The All New Mickey Mouse Club | ||||
| 1999 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series – Drama | Felicity | |||
| 1999 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Breakout TV Star | ||||
| Choice TV Actress | ||||||
| 2000 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress | ||||
| 2001 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress | ||||
| 2002 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress Drama | ||||
| 2005 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | data-sort-value="Magic of Ordinary Days, The" | The Magic of Ordinary Days | ||
| 2006 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actress: Drama/Action Adventure | ||||
| 2008 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actress: Drama | August Rush | |||
| 2013 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actress in a Drama Series | The Americans | |||
| 2013 | Women's Image Network Awards | Outstanding Actress Drama Series | ||||
| 2014 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress – Television Series Drama | ||||
| 2014 | Saturn Awards | Best Actress on Television | ||||
| 2014 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actress in a Drama Series | ||||
| 2015 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress – Television Series Drama | ||||
| 2015 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actress in a Drama Series | ||||
| 2016 | Television Critics Association Awards | Individual Achievement in Drama | ||||
| 2016 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | ||||
| 2016 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actress in a Drama Series | ||||
| 2017 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress – Television Series Drama | ||||
| 2017 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Cable TV Actress | ||||
| 2017 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | ||||
| 2018 | Television Critics Association Awards | Individual Achievement in Drama | ||||
| 2018 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | ||||
| 2019 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress – Television Series Drama | ||||
| 2019 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actress in a Drama Series | ||||
| 2019 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | ||||
| 2019 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress – Television Series Drama | [34] | |||
| 2024 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress – Television Series Drama | The Diplomat | [35] | ||
| 2024 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actress in a Drama Series | [36] | |||
| 2024 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | [37] | |||
| 2024 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | [38] |