David Owen Russell (born August 20, 1958) is an American movie director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his movies "Spanking the Monkey" (1994), "Flirting with Disaster" (1996), "Three Kings" (1999), "I Heart Huckabees" (2004), "The Fighter" (2010), "Silver Linings Playbook" (2012), and "American Hustle" (2013). He also directed 2015's Accidental Love under the pseudonym "Stephen Greene" after Kristin Gore, daughter of Al Gore and Russell disowned the film. He also made Joy also in 2015. In 2020 he is working on a new film.