BEVERLY HILLS, CA - MAY 21: Director Ken Russell attends the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) presents the 35th Anniversary of The Who’s “Tommy” on May 21, 2010 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ken Russell
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Russell, known for his outlandish and provocative filmmaking style — plus a particularly iconic “naked wrestling” scene — died Sunday after a series of strokes. His 1969 adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s Women in Love became famous for the aforementioned wrestling and earned Russell a Best Director Oscar nomination; he courted controversy for most of his career, most notably with sexually explicit movies like The Devils and Crimes of Passion. Russell also directed the Who’s seminal 1975 rock opera Tommy, plus a number of classical music biopics and documentaries. He was 84.
