Theresa Lynn Russell (née Paup; born March 20, 1957)[1][3][4][5] is an American actress whose career spans over four decades.

Born in San Diego, Russell was raised in the Los Angeles suburb of Burbank, where she had a turbulent upbringing marked by poverty, and dropped out of high school at age 16.

Her next role was a lead in English filmmaker Nicolas Roeg's controversial thriller Bad Timing (1980), which earned critical praise.

Russell continued to collaborate with Roeg throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, appearing in a Roeg-directed segment of the anthology film Aria (1987), as well as the features Track 29 (1989) and Cold Heaven (1991).

After appearing in a number of independent films in the mid-1990s, Russell had a supporting role in the commercially successful neo-noir Wild Things (1998), and the critically-acclaimed drama The Believer (2001).

[6] Her mother subsequently remarried, and moved the family to Los Angeles County, where Russell was raised primarily in Burbank.

"[9] At age 14, while a student at Burbank High School, Russell was approached while walking on a street in Los Angeles by a photographer who suggested she model.

"[6] Russell dropped out of high school at 16 and moved in with a 28-year-old boyfriend who worked as a primal scream therapist,[10] whom she later described as "one of the most fucked-up people I have ever met.

[7] Spiegel suggested that Russell audition for the role of Cecilia Brady, the daughter of a studio executive (played by Robert Mitchum), a part in which she was ultimately cast.

"[7] The following year, after completing The Last Tycoon, Russell was cast as a troubled young woman who becomes associated with a criminal (played by Dustin Hoffman) in the drama Straight Time.

[14] Russell was subsequently cast as Milena Flaherty, a young American living in Vienna who enters a dysfunctional relationship with a psychoanalyst (played by Art Garfunkel) in Bad Timing (1980).

[6] Following her role in Roeg's Bad Timing, Russell performed the English audio dubbing of Daria Nicolodi's character in the giallo film Tenebre (1982), directed by Dario Argento.

[17] Her next on-screen role was in Nicolas Roeg's drama Eureka (1983), portraying the daughter of a Klondike prospector, played by Gene Hackman.

[18] The following year, Russell appeared in John Byrum's The Razor's Edge, an adaptation of the W. Somerset Maugham novel of the same name, in which she co-starred with Bill Murray.

[20] She then portrayed Marilyn Monroe in Roeg's experimental alternate history film Insignificance (1985), based on the play by Terry Johnson, in which she appeared opposite Gary Busey and Tony Curtis.

[23] In 1987, Russell gained mainstream exposure for her portrayal of Catharine Peterson, a serial killer who seduces and murders wealthy men in Bob Rafelson's noir thriller Black Widow, co-starring Debra Winger.

[25] Roger Ebert, commenting on her performance, wrote: "Russell, who has survived the convoluted terrain of many of Roeg’s movies (he is her husband), seems at home in this twisted landscape, and [she and Oldman] work their characters up into an orgy of mutual laceration.

"[25] Next, Russell portrayed a public defender in the crime drama Physical Evidence (1988), starring Burt Reynolds and directed by Michael Crichton.

[26] The film received largely unfavorable reviews from critics,[27] with some, such as Rita Kempley of The Washington Post, singling out Russell's acting as a primary fault.

[31] Though the film received a mixed reception from critics, Russell's performance was praised by The New York Times[32] and Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times.

[41] The following year, she appeared in the independent drama Jolene, starring Jessica Chastain, and also had a minor role playing the mother of Scarlett Johansson's character in the romantic comedy He's Just Not That into You (2009), though her scenes were eventually cut from the film.