David Owen Russell (born August 20, 1958) is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been praised for the loose, comic energy that characterizes his work, and is notorious for his explosive confrontations with cast members. He has won 2 Independent Spirit Awards for writing and directing as well as the Audience Award at Sundance, and a Writers Guild of America Award.
Russell was awarded Best First Screenplay and Best First Feature from the Independent Spirit Awards for his first work, the independent dark comedy “Spanking the Monkey” (1994). In addition, the film won him the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. His work in the early 2010s, "The Fighter" (2010), "Silver Linings Playbook" (2012) and "American Hustle" (2013), was highly critically acclaimed, with each film racking up multiple Academy Award nominations, including for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, and Editing. The films had their best success in the acting categories, however, with Christian Bale and Melissa Leo winning the Supporting Actor & Actress Oscars for "The Fighter," and Jennifer Lawrence winning the award for Best Actress in "Silver Linings Playbook."
In December 2011, Russell's 19-year-old transgender niece, Nicole Peloquin, filed a police report alleging Russell had sexually assaulted her. The case was closed without any charges being filed because the alleged assault had no witnesses. According to the police report, Russell offered to help Peloquin with abdominal exercises, during which his hand hovered above her genitals. After inquiring about the hormones she used to increase breast size, Russell slipped his hands under her shirt and felt both breasts.
Russell confirmed that the incident happened, but told police that Peloquin was "acting very provocative toward him" and invited him to feel her breasts. He also admitted to being "curious about the breast enhancement." This incident was also directly mentioned in the 2014 Sony Pictures hack.
