A Family Affair

Russell's family work with Ken in many films.

Shirley Russell

Russell's first wife who provided the costumes for his major films. Born Shirley Kingdon, she met Russell while they were both students at the School of Art Walthamstow, he was studying photography and she was in the fashion department. When he worked a photographer she helped on his early photo-films and then on the amateur films Amelia (costumes) and Peepshow where she plays the marionette. She was costume designer on Russell's most famous work including the television films Isadora, Dante, Song of Summer and all the cinema films up to Valentino when the marriage broke up. She since worked on Boorman´s Hope and Glory (in which Sammi Davis also appears), Beatty's Reds and with Charles Sturrige (one of the Aria directors) on Gulliver's Travels, FairyTale and Longitude.  She died in 2002.

Lisi Tribble/ Elize Russell

Ken Russell's wife. She acts in The Fall of the Louse of Usher (Madeline Usher, the Egyptian mummy etc), also singing and writing lyrics and the new Elgar film.

Hetty Baynes

Ken Russell's third wife. She acts in The Insatiable Mrs Kirsch (one of the Tales of Erotica), Lady Chatterley, The Secret Life of Sir Arnold Bax, Classic Widows and Treasure Island. Other work includes Privateer 2 and Agatha Christie's Seven Dials Mystery, Red Dwarf as well as the BBC´s radio soap Citizens. She and Ken have one child, Rex.

Victoria Russell

Ken Russell's daughter. As a child/ teenager she appeared as herself in A British Picture, and in roles in Tommy (Sally Simpson) and Crimes of Passion as well as earlier in The Music Lovers. She developed to costume designer for Gothic and some of Russell's television work including A British Picture and the Bax and Bruckner films. She used to go out with Bryan Adams, having met him on the Run to You video. Ken directed his Diana video. She appears in his photography book Haven. She currently works for the BBC.

Vivian Russell

Ken Russell's second wife, Vivian Jolly. She appears as herself in A British Picture along with stars Molly and Rupert Russell. Victoria co-wrote with Ken both Rainbow and Salome's Last Dance.

Alex and James Russell Xavier and Toby Russell

Ken Russell's children in Savage Messiah. For more on Xavier see "Behind the Camera" and for Alex see below. Note Toby's sailor suit.

Alex Russell

Alex Alien, son of Ken Russell, and Shirley Russell. As a child he appeared in much of Ken's work (as Alexander Russell) including Isadora, Billion Dollar Brain, Women in Love, The Music Lovers (as Von Meck's son), The Devils, Tommy, Savage Messiah, Valentino and Mahler. He was heavily involved in The Lion's Mouth and The Fall of the Louse of Usher.

Xavier Russell

Ken Russell´s son. Editor of Russell´s later work including A British Picture, Arnold Bax, Mrs Kirsch, Mindbender, Classic Widows and Dogboys. He used to write for the magazine Kerrang. As a child he appeared in The Music Lovers.