David Owen Russell is an American filmmaker. His early directing career includes the comedy films
Spanking the Monkey (1994),
Flirting with Disaster (1996),
Three Kings (1999), and
I Heart Huckabees (2004). He gained critical success with the biographical sports drama
The Fighter (2010), the romantic comedy-drama
Silver Linings Playbook (2012), and the dark comedy crime film
American Hustle (2013). The three films were commercially successful and acclaimed by critics, having earned Russell three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, as well as a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination for
Silver Linings Playbook and a Best Original Screenplay nomination for
American Hustle. Russell received his seventh Golden Globe nomination for the semi-biographical comedy-drama
Joy (2015).