Aaron Russo | |
|---|---|
 Russo promoting his filmAmerica: Freedom to Fascism | |
| Born | February 14, 1943 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 24, 2007(2007-08-24) (aged 64) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Known for | Music manager, film producer,libertarian politician and activist |
Aaron Russo (February 14, 1943 – August 24, 2007) was an American entertainment businessman, film producer, director, andpolitical activist. He was best known for producing movies includingTrading Places,Wise Guys, andThe Rose. Later in life, he created variouslibertarian-leaning political documentaries includingMad as Hell andAmerica: Freedom to Fascism.
Russo was born inBrooklyn, New York. Growing up inLawrence, Nassau County, New York, onLong Island,[1] Russo worked for his family's undergarment business.[2][3] He played prep football atLawrence High School.[4]
In April 1968, Russo opened the nightclubKinetic Playground inChicago,Illinois, originally naming it the Electric Theater. He booked numerous prominent rock groups and musicians at the club such asThe Grateful Dead,Iron Butterfly,Jefferson Airplane,Janis Joplin,Led Zeppelin,King Crimson,Vanilla Fudge,Rotary Connection, andThe Who.[2][3]
In addition to owning his own nightclub, Russo managed several musical acts throughout the 1970s includingThe Manhattan Transfer andBette Midler.[5]
Russo then moved into producing and directing movies, which received sixAcademy Award nominations; two of the films received multipleGolden Globe Award nominations.[6] His first producing credit was for Midler'sClams on the Half-Shell Revue. Other notable feature films he produced includeThe Rose (1979), starring Midler, and alsoTrading Places (1983), starringEddie Murphy andDan Aykroyd.[2] His final film would beAmerica: Freedom to Fascism, a political documentary critical of theInternal Revenue Service and theFederal Reserve System and warning about the coming of theNew World Order.
In 1987, Aaron Russo had set up his own entertainment company, Aaron Russo Entertainment with self-financing so they would not have to disclose the participants' contributions to the production kitty, and all of the ARE productions were gone toOrion Pictures for the U.S. and Canada theatrical rights. He then named Irwin Russo as senior vice president of theLos Angeles-based Aaron Russo Films and the company had set up feature projects by 1988, with record division Aaron Russo Films and Aaron Russo Television set to follow.[7]
Russo became involved in political issues in the mid-1990s when he produced and starred in the documentary entitledMad As Hell in which he criticized theNorth American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the federal government'swar on drugs, the concept of a National Identity Card, and governmentregulation of alternative medicine.[8]
In 1998, Russo took his political interests to a higher level, running for governor of the state ofNevada as aRepublican. Placing second in the Republican primary with 26% of the vote to candidateKenny Guinn, Russo later endorsed theDemocratic nominee, then-Las Vegas mayorJan Laverty Jones, who would eventually lose to Guinn.[citation needed] Russo was planning to run again for Nevada governor in 2002 as either anindependent orLibertarian, but was sidelined by cancer.
In January 2004, Russo declared hiscandidacy for the President of the United States initially as an independent, but then as a Libertarian. At the Libertarian National Convention in May 2004, Russo received 258 votes toMichael Badnarik's 256 votes andGary Nolan's 246 votes, short of the majority required to receive the presidential nomination. Russo would eventually lose the nomination on the convention's third and final ballot to Badnarik by a vote of 423–344.
On August 24, 2007, Russo died at the age of 64 after a six-year battle with cancer atCedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.[9]
He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | The Rose | |
| 1982 | Partners | |
| 1983 | Trading Places | |
| 1984 | Teachers | |
| 1986 | Wise Guys | |
| 1989 | Rude Awakening | |
| 1991 | Off and Running | |
| Missing Pieces | Final film as a producer |
| Year | Film |
|---|---|
| 1989 | Rude Awakening |
| 2006 | America: Freedom to Fascism |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Rude Awakening | The Fish | Voice role |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Teachers | Soundtrack album producer | Uncredited |
| Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Manhattan Transfer | Executive producer | |
| 1976 | The Bette Midler Show | Executive producer | Television special |
| Standing Room Only | |||
| 1977 | Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back | Executive producer | Television special |
