David Owen Russell (born August 20, 1958) is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been praised for the loose, comic energy that characterizes his work, and is notorious for his explosive confrontations with cast members. He has won 2 Independent Spirit Awards for writing and directing as well as the Audience Award at Sundance, and a Writers Guild of America Award. Russell was awarded Best First Screenplay and Best First Feature from the Independent Spirit Awards for his first work, the independent dark comedy “Spanking the Monkey” (1994).  In addition, the film won him the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. His work in the early 2010s, "The Fighter" (2010), "Silver Linings Playbook" (2012) and "American Hustle" (2013), was highly critically acclaimed, with each film racking up multiple Academy Award nominations, including for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, and Editing. The films had their best success in the acting categories, however, with Christian Bale and Melissa Leo winning the Supporting Actor & Actress Oscars for "The Fighter," and Jennifer Lawrence winning the award for Best Actress in "Silver Linings Playbook."