Chuck Russell, director of The Mask and Scorpion King dies unexpectedly at 74

The Hollywood filmmaking community is in mourning, with the sudden loss of director Chuck Russell, who died on Wednesday at 74.The filmmaker died unexpectedly at his home in the San Diego area, his family told TMZ, which also reported that the local fire department responded to a call at his address.The Wednesday afternoon call involved a medical emergency for an unconscious male, though no details about the cause of death were reported at the time.His family was said to be flying in to California to determine answers regarding his death, as he leaves behind a legacy of successful films starring Jim Carrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dwayne Johnson.Born May 9, 1952 in Park Ridge, Illinois, Russell left his home state and moved to Los Angeles after graduating from the University of Illinois Chicago.He started his career by working in various production capacities such as a second unit production assistant on 1976’s “Cannonball!” and second unit director on 1976’s “Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw”.Russell was also writing screenplays during this time while cutting his teeth as a producer on indie films such as 1981’s “Hell Night,” where he met his longtime friend and collaborator Frank Darabont.California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story His first writing credit came on 1984’s “Dreamscape,” alongside David Loughery and director Joseph Ruben, and he produced the Rodney Dangerfield comedy “Back to School” in 1986.Making his directorial debut with 1987’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors”, which Russell co-wrote with Darabont, Bruce Wagner and franchise creator Wes Craven.Russell returned to the director’s chair a year later with the 1988 cult horror classic “The Blob,” which he also co-wrote with Darabont.The director ...