Chuck Russell, director of The Mask and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, dies at 74

Chuck Russell, the director who helped launch the careers of Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, was found dead at his home in San Diego, California, on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. He was 74. His attorney confirmed the death to Variety, and family members told TMZ that local firefighters had responded to a report of an unconscious man. No cause of death has been disclosed.

Early horror roots

Russell was born in Park Ridge, Illinois, and entered the film industry as an executive producer on the 1981 slasher Hell Night. He co-wrote the 1984 sci-fi adventure Dreamscape, starring Dennis Quaid. His directorial debut came in 1987 with A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, which he also co-wrote alongside Wes Craven, Bruce Wagner, and Frank Darabont. The film grossed $44.8 million domestically, making it the most successful entry in the Freddy Krueger franchise at that point, and helped launch the career of Patricia Arquette. Russell followed it with the 1988 remake of The Blob, a box office disappointment that later gained a cult following.

The Mask and global stardom

Russell's breakthrough arrived with the 1994 superhero comedy The Mask, starring Jim Carrey and introducing Cameron Diaz in her first film role. The movie became a worldwide phenomenon, earning $351.8 million on an $18 million production budget and receiving an Academy Award nomination for visual effects created by George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic. Russell later recalled that the studio initially wanted a horror film.

New Line wanted another shocking horror film. There was a comic book of The Mask that was quite terrifying. I said it's going to be too much like Freddy Krueger. It's going to be horrible.

He reworked the script to fit Carrey's comedic energy, a decision that paid off handsomely.

Action and the Rock

After The Mask, Russell directed Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1996 action thriller Eraser and the 2000 horror film Bless the Child with Kim Basinger and Christina Ricci. In 2002, he helmed The Scorpion King, a spin-off of The Mummy franchise that gave WWE star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson his first leading role and cemented his transition to Hollywood action hero.

Later years and final films

Following The Scorpion King, Russell took an eight-year hiatus from feature directing, returning only for a 2010 episode of the TV series Fringe. His later output included the widely panned I Am Wrath (2016) with John Travolta, the Hindi-language action film Junglee (2019), and Paradise City (2022) starring Travolta and Bruce Willis. His final film was the 2024 horror remake Witchboard.

Russell also served as a producer on cult comedies like Girls Just Want to Have Fun and Back to School, and on Michael Mann's Collateral. He is survived by his family.