Theresa Lynn Russell (née Paup; born March 20, 1957) is an American
actress. Russell made her film debut in The Last Tycoon (1976),
followed by a lead role in Straight Time (1978). She was then cast in
Nicolas Roeg's controversial thriller Bad Timing (1980), which earned
her critical praise. After marrying Roeg in 1982, she appeared in many
films directed by him, mainly arthouse and experimental films,
including Eureka (1983), Insignificance (1985), and Cold Heaven
(1991).Russell starred in Whore and Kafka, both released in 1991.
Russell appeared in the box-office hit thriller Wild Things (1998),
starred in the critically acclaimed drama The Believer (2001) and, in
the later 2000s, appeared in HBO miniseries Empire Falls (2005) and
had a minor role in Spider-Man 3 (2007).Russell was born Theresa Lynn
Paup in San Diego, California, the daughter of Carole Platt (née
Mall) and Jerry Russell Paup. Her parents divorced when she was five
years old, and she relocated with her mother and stepfather to
Burbank, where she was raised. Russell is the oldest of five siblings.
According to Russell, she grew up in poverty, and her family was on
food stamps to help support herself and her siblings. She attended
Burbank High School, but did not graduate. At sixteen, she dropped out
of high school and moved in with a 28-year-old boyfriend who was a
primal scream therapist. At age seventeen, Russell enrolled at the Lee
Strasberg Institute in West Hollywood to study acting.
actress. Russell made her film debut in The Last Tycoon (1976),
followed by a lead role in Straight Time (1978). She was then cast in
Nicolas Roeg's controversial thriller Bad Timing (1980), which earned
her critical praise. After marrying Roeg in 1982, she appeared in many
films directed by him, mainly arthouse and experimental films,
including Eureka (1983), Insignificance (1985), and Cold Heaven
(1991).Russell starred in Whore and Kafka, both released in 1991.
Russell appeared in the box-office hit thriller Wild Things (1998),
starred in the critically acclaimed drama The Believer (2001) and, in
the later 2000s, appeared in HBO miniseries Empire Falls (2005) and
had a minor role in Spider-Man 3 (2007).Russell was born Theresa Lynn
Paup in San Diego, California, the daughter of Carole Platt (née
Mall) and Jerry Russell Paup. Her parents divorced when she was five
years old, and she relocated with her mother and stepfather to
Burbank, where she was raised. Russell is the oldest of five siblings.
According to Russell, she grew up in poverty, and her family was on
food stamps to help support herself and her siblings. She attended
Burbank High School, but did not graduate. At sixteen, she dropped out
of high school and moved in with a 28-year-old boyfriend who was a
primal scream therapist. At age seventeen, Russell enrolled at the Lee
Strasberg Institute in West Hollywood to study acting.
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