Editing Aaron Russo

{{Short description|American film producer (1943–2007)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Aaron Russo
| image       = Aaron russo-cannes.jpg
| caption     = Russo promoting his film ''[[America: Freedom to Fascism]]''
| birth_date  = February 14, 1943
| birth_place = [[Brooklyn]], New York, U.S.
| death_date  = {{Death date and age|2007|8|24|1943|2|14}}
| death_place = [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S.
| known_for   = Music manager, film producer, [[Libertarian Party (United States)|libertarian]] politician and activist
}}

'''Aaron Russo''' (February 14, 1943 – August 24, 2007) was an American entertainment businessman, film producer, director, and [[activism|political activist]]. He was best known for producing movies including ''[[Trading Places]]'', ''[[Wise Guys (1986 film)|Wise Guys]]'', and ''[[The Rose (film)|The Rose]]''. Later in life, he created various [[Libertarianism|libertarian-leaning]] political documentaries including ''Mad as Hell'' and ''[[America: Freedom to Fascism]]''.

After a six-year battle with cancer, Russo died on August 24, 2007.

==Early life==
Russo was born in [[Brooklyn]], New York.  Growing up in [[Lawrence, Nassau County, New York]], on [[Long Island]],<ref>Parker, Jerry. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-profile-of-aaron-russo-part-i/149744369/ "Star Maker Turns Movie Maker"], ''[[Newsday]]'', June 5, 1983. Accessed June 20, 2024, via [[Newspapers.com]]. "Russo, a Brooklyn native reared in Lawrence, was a novice at management, who managed discotheques in Chicago and Detroit."</ref> Russo worked for his family's undergarment business.<ref name=Variety /><ref name="rockprosopography" /> He played prep football at [[Lawrence High School (Cedarhurst, New York)|Lawrence High School]].<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-profile-of-aaron-russo/149730509/ "Russo moves from Midler to movies"], ''[[Newsday]]'', June 5, 1983. Accessed June 20, 2024, via [[Newspapers.com]]. "Russo has long had faith in his own instincts, even when others had their doubts At Lawrence High School, he played football, had lots of girlfriends and was no scholar."</ref>

==Entertainment career==
In April 1968, Russo opened the nightclub [[Kinetic Playground]] in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], originally naming it the Electric Theater.  He booked numerous prominent rock groups and musicians at the club such as [[Grateful Dead|The Grateful Dead]], [[Iron Butterfly]], [[Jefferson Airplane]], [[Janis Joplin]], [[Led Zeppelin]], [[King Crimson]], [[Vanilla Fudge]], [[Rotary Connection]], and [[The Who]].<ref name=Variety>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2007/film/markets-festivals/manager-aaron-russo-dies-at-64-1117970904/|date=August 26, 2007|title=Manager Aaron Russo dies at 64|publisher=Variety}}</ref><ref name="rockprosopography">{{cite web|url=http://rockprosopography101.blogspot.com/2010/03/kinetic-playground-chicago-il-4812-n.html|title=Kinetic Playground, Chicago, IL 4812 N. Clark Street: Performance List 1968-69|date=March 3, 2010|access-date=2011-11-22}}</ref>

In addition to owning his own nightclub, Russo managed several musical acts throughout the 1970s including [[The Manhattan Transfer]] and [[Bette Midler]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.betteontheboards.com/boards/magazine-20.htm|title=Bette Midler in "The Rose"|access-date=August 24, 2007|publisher=Bette on the Boards|date=November 1979|author=Mahoney, John C.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807045751/http://www.betteontheboards.com/boards/magazine-20.htm|archive-date=August 7, 2007|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Russo then moved into producing and directing movies, six of them receiving [[Academy Award]] nominations and two receiving [[Golden Globe Award]] nominations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/member/28213|title=Aaron Russo|publisher=Hollywood Foreign Press Association|access-date=February 11, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202062841/http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/member/28213|archive-date=December 2, 2008|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> His first producing credit was for Midler's ''Clams on the Half-Shell Revue''. Other notable feature films he produced include ''The Rose'' (1979), starring Midler, and also ''[[Trading Places]]'' (1983), starring [[Eddie Murphy]] and [[Dan Aykroyd]].<ref name=Variety /> His final film would be ''[[America: Freedom to Fascism]]'', a political documentary critical of the [[Internal Revenue Service]] and the [[Federal Reserve System]] and warning about the coming of the [[New World Order (conspiracy theory)|New 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 to [[Orion Pictures]] for the U.S. and Canada theatrical rights. He then named Irwin Russo as senior vice president of the [[Los 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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Silverman |first=Mark |date=1987-04-29 |title=Aaron Russo Sets Up N.Y.-Based Operation To Produce Features; TV, Record Divisions To Follow |pages=3, 34 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>

==Political career==
Russo became involved in political issues in the mid-1990s when he produced and starred in the documentary entitled ''Mad As Hell'' in which he criticized the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (NAFTA), the federal government's [[War on Drugs]], the concept of a National Identity Card, and government [[regulation of alternative medicine]].<ref name="Reuters">{{cite news |title=Vengeful investor and cheating wife testify in trial |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pellicano/vengeful-investor-and-cheating-wife-testify-in-trial-idUSN0230401020080402 |work=Reuters}}</ref>

In 1998, Russo took his political interests to a higher level, running for governor of the state of [[Nevada]] as a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]].  Placing second in the Republican primary with 26% of the vote to candidate [[Kenny Guinn]], Russo later endorsed the [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] nominee, then-[[Las Vegas]] mayor [[Jan Laverty Jones]], who would eventually lose to Guinn.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}} Russo was planning to run again for Nevada governor in 2002 as either an [[Independent politician|independent]] or [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]], but was sidelined by cancer.

In January 2004, Russo declared his [[2004 United States presidential election|candidacy 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 to [[Michael Badnarik]]'s 256 votes and [[Gary Nolan (radio host)|Gary 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.

[[File:Aaron Russo Gold Commemorative Memorial Piece.jpg|thumb|right|The Aaron Russo Gold Commemorative Memorial Piece.]]

==Death==
On August 24, 2007, Russo died at the age of 64 of cancer at [[Cedars-Sinai Medical Center]] in Los Angeles.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-aug-26-me-russo26-story.html Former Bette Midler manager and film producer dies at 64] ''[[The Associated Press]]''. August 26, 2007.</ref>

==Filmography==
''He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.''

===Film===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes
|-
| 1979 || ''[[The Rose (film)|The Rose]]'' ||
|-
| 1982 || ''[[Partners (1982 film)|Partners]]'' ||
|-
| 1983 || ''[[Trading Places]]'' ||
|-
| 1984 || ''[[Teachers (film)|Teachers]]'' ||
|-
| 1986 || ''[[Wise Guys (1986 film)|Wise Guys]]'' ||
|-
| 1989 || ''[[Rude Awakening (film)|Rude Awakening]]'' ||
|-
|rowspan=2| 1991 || ''[[Off and Running]]'' ||
|-
| ''[[Missing Pieces (1992 film)|Missing Pieces]]'' || Final film as a producer
|}

;As director

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film
|-
| 1989 || ''[[Rude Awakening (film)|Rude Awakening]]''
|-
| 2006 || ''[[America: Freedom to Fascism]]''
|}
;As an actor

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes
|-
| 1989 || ''[[Rude Awakening (film)|Rude Awakening]]'' || The Fish || Voice role
|}

;Music department

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes
|-
| 1984 || ''[[Teachers (film)|Teachers]]'' || Soundtrack album producer || <small>Uncredited</small>
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Credit
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes
|-
| 1975 || ''Manhattan Transfer'' || Executive producer ||
|-
|rowspan=2| 1976 || ''[[The Bette Midler Show]]'' || Executive producer || Television special
|-
| ''[[Standing Room Only (TV series)|Standing Room Only]]'' || ||
|-
| 1977 || ''Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back'' || Executive producer || Television special
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060327023459/http://www.freedomtofascism.com/ America: ''Freedom to Fascism'', Russo's last film]
* {{C-SPAN|84809}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160925032502/http://www.arm.iwarrior.net/ Virtual Memorial]
* {{IMDb name|0751567}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russo, Aaron}}
[[Category:1943 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]
[[Category:Activists from New York (state)]]
[[Category:American documentary filmmakers]]
[[Category:American entertainment industry businesspeople]]
[[Category:American libertarians]]
[[Category:American people of Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in California]]
[[Category:Filmmakers from Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Film producers from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Lawrence High School (Cedarhurst, New York) alumni]]
[[Category:Nevada Libertarians]]
[[Category:Nevada Republicans]]
[[Category:People from the Las Vegas Valley]]
[[Category:People from Lawrence, Nassau County, New York]]