Controversial director Ken Russell passed away in his sleep over the weekend at the age of 84. Born 3 July 1927 in Southampton, England, filmmaking was not his first profession. Having served in her majesty's army, trying his hand as a dancer, and a photographer, he eventually began to dabble in short films before getting into television in the early 1960s. His BBC series Monitor and Omnibus garnered a great deal of attention and acclaim, but it's films like Oscar-nominated Women in Love (1969), the Cannes favorite Mahler (1974), The Who's rock opera Tommy (1975), and cult classics Altered States (1980) and Lair of the White Worm (1988) for which he will be most remembered. He is survived by his fourth wife Lisi Tribble, five children by his first wife, costume designer Shirley Russell, and one unreleased film still in post-production -- Invasion of the Not Quite Dead, in which he stars and executive produced.