Russ Smith
Russell Smith began his career producing plays for Steppenwolf Theatre Company. In a five year period, he produced fifty plays, notable among them: True West and Balm in Gilead. During that time Steppenwolf became known as one of America's finest theatres. The notable alumni of Steppenwolf include Academy Award® nominees John Malkovich, Gary Sinise and Joan Allen.
For three summers, Smith worked as an arts consultant producing the First National Bank of Chicago's famed summer concert series. He produced the hit play, Orphans off- Broadway. In 1987, Gary Sinise and Russell Smith made their first film together, Miles From Home. In 1988, he produced the film Queen's Logic.
In 1989, Smith became the head of production for New Visions Pictures and oversaw the production of five films, among them: The Long Walk Home and Mortal Thoughts. His other film credits include the award winning short film The Witness and the acclaimed Of Mice and Men. In 1994, Mr. Smith formed a company with longtime friend John Malkovich. In 1997 he produced the blockbuster United Artists film The Man in the Iron Mask which starred Leonardo Di Caprio, John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu, Gabriel Byrne and Jeremy Irons.
In April of 1998, Russ joined partners Lianne Halfon and John Malkovich in forming the company Mr. Mudd. In 2001, Mr. Mudd produced Ghost World, a live action feature based on Dan Clowes' comic, directed by Terry Zwigoff (Crumb) and starring Thora Birch and Steve Buscemi. Ghost World was released to critical acclaim and earned an Academy Award® nomination for best adapted screenplay. The Dancer Upstairs, directed by John Malkovich and starring Academy Award® nominee Javier Bardem was released in May 2003 by Fox Searchlight.
Along with his partners, Russ Smith serves as Executive Producer on the documentary How to Draw a Bunny; a portrait of artist Ray Johnson. How to Draw a Bunny won the Jury Prize at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and the Prix de Public at the famed Recontre Film Festival in Paris. The film was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for best documentary in 2003.
Set in 17th Century London, ,The Libertine starring Johnny Depp, John Malkovich and Samantha Morton was produced in 2004, and tells the true story of the Earl of Rochester (Depp), famed poet, sexual provocateur and wit. The film garnered seven Britsh Independent Film Award nominations and one win. In the same year, Halfon and partners wrapped production on the eagerly anticipated Art School Confidential, reuniting the Ghost World team of Zwigoff and Clowes. Dan Clowes adapted his comic serial for Terry Zwigoff to direct. The film stars ingenues Max Minghella and Sophia Myles along with veteran actors John Malkovich, Angelica Huston, and Jim Broadbent. Both The Libertine, and Art School Confidential were released domestically in the spring of 2004.
In 2008, Fox Searchlight released the Mandate/Mr. Mudd produced picture Juno.. Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody, Lianne Halfon, Russell Smith and John Malkovich produced along with Mason Novick. Juno became the third biggest indie release of all-time. It received Oscar nomination for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay.
Which Way Home, a documentary by Sundance award winner Rebecca Cammisa, is the story of children crossing the border from Mexico into the United States and was developed with HBO. Shot in Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala and the American southwest, it will be released in the fall 2009.
Mr. Mudd, along with Canana, recently finished a 15-week sold-out run of Zach Helm's play, The Good Canary. Directed by John Malkovich and starring Diego Luna, The Good Canary toured through several major Mexican cities including: Mexico City, Guadalajara, Aguascalientes, Monterrey, Leon. It's critical acclaim and financial success set a new precedent in Mexican theater.