Russell was born in Fountain Valley, California to David Russell, a Nissan Motors executive, and Stephanie Stephens. She has an older brother, Todd, and a younger sister, Julie. Russell grew up in Dallas, Texas; Mesa, Arizona; and Denver, Colorado, moving frequently because of her father's job.

Career

Russell first appeared on television as a cast member of the New Mickey Mouse Club variety show on the Disney Channel. She was on the show from 1991 to 1993 and co-starred with future pop stars Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, JC Chasez, and Justin Timberlake. Russell subsequently appeared in several film and television roles, including the 1996 made-for-television film The Babysitter's Seduction. She also had a role on the short-lived soap opera series Malibu Shores the same year. In 1994, she appeared in Jon Bon Jovi's music video "Always" with Jack Noseworthy and on Married with Children.

From 1998 to 2002, Russell starred as the title character on the successful WB Network series Felicity; she won a Golden Globe for the role in 1999. Russell's long and curly hair was one of her character's defining characteristics, and a drastic hairstyle change at the beginning of the show's second season was considered to be the cause of a significant drop in the show's ratings. As a result, new policies were enacted at the network requiring hairstyle changes by cast to be approved by the network's executives. Felicity's ratings drop also coincided with the show's move to a Sunday night time slot, so it is unclear exactly how much effect the hairstyle change actually had. During the show's run, Russell appeared in the films Eight Days a Week, The Curve and Mad About Mambo, all of which received only limited releases in North America. Her next role was in the Mel Gibson-directed film We Were Soldiers, playing the wife of an American serviceman. The film was released in March 2002, two months before the end of Felicity's run.

When Felicity ended, Russell took a break from acting and even considered quitting the profession. She moved to New York City and took two years off to avoid the business of Hollywood, spending time with friends. Russell subsequently made her off-Broadway stage debut in 2004, appearing opposite Jeremy Piven, Andrew McCarthy, and Ashlie Atkinson in Neil LaBute's Fat Pig. In 2005, she returned to television and film, beginning with an appearance in the Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie The Magic of Ordinary Days and in the theatrical film The Upside of Anger, where she appeared alongside Kevin Costner, Joan Allen and Evan Rachel Wood. In the same year, Russell also appeared in the television miniseries Into the West.

Although a number of her Felicity co-stars went on to appear in producer J. J. Abrams' series, Alias, Russell declined invitations to be part of the show. In a seminar at the Museum of Television and Radio, Abrams said, "I've asked Keri if she would ever do it, and I usually get this, sort of like, giggle—and then she hangs up". In 2005, Abrams asked Russell to join the cast of Mission: Impossible III, a film he directed, and she accepted. The film was released on May 5, 2006. In the summer of 2006, Russell was chosen to be a celebrity spokeswoman for CoverGirl Cosmetics. Before she was in Mission Impossible: III she was screen tested for the role of "Lois Lane" in Superman Returns but lost the role to Kate Bosworth with whom she is co-starring in The Girl In The Park.

Russell has taped two episodes as a guest character on the NBC show Scrubs in 2007. She plays Melody, a sorority sister and good friend of Elliot (Sarah Chalke). The first episode aired on April 26, while the second will air on May 3.

Russell has also starred in three films that are scheduled for 2007 releases: Waitress , an independent film in which she plays a pregnant waitress in the American South, August Rush, a drama, and Butterfly: A Grimm Love Story (titled Rohtenburg for its German release), in which she plays Katie Armstrong, a graduate student who writes a thesis paper on an infamous cannibal murder case. Butterfly: A Grimm Love Story was set to open in Germany on March 9, 2006, but a German court issued an injunction banning the film in that country. She was most recently cast opposite Sigourney Weaver, Kate Bosworth and Alessandro Nivola in the thriller The Girl In The Park, which began filming in New York City on November 13, 2006.

Personal Life

As of 2006, Russell resides in New York City. Russell and contractor Shane Deary, both 30, became engaged last year. Russell and Deary wed on February 14, 2007 in New York City.