In 1979, she was cast as Milena Flaherty in the thriller Bad Timing (1980), the first of six films starring Russell directed by Nicolas Roeg, whom she married in 1982. Though Bad Timing was controversial upon release, Russell’s performance was praised by critic Roger Ebert, who wrote: “If there is any reason to see this film, however, it is the performance by Theresa Russell (who was Dustin Hoffman’s lover in Straight Time). She is only 22 or 23, and yet her performance is astonishingly powerful. She will be in better films, I hope, and is the only participant who need not be ashamed of this one.” Other Roeg/Russell collaborations include Insignificance, Eureka, Track 29, Cold Heaven, and Aria. Overall, however, Russell and Roeg’s film collaborations were box-office failures and critically divisive.

Russell married English film director Nicolas Roeg in February 1982 in Westminster, London. The couple had two sons, Statten (born 1983) and Maximillian (born 1985); Roeg and Russell divorced at an unspecified date.

In 1987, she played Catharine Peterson, a serial killer who seduces and murders wealthy men in the noir thriller Black Widow, co-starring Debra Winger. Russell’s performance earned praise; Vincent Canby of The New York Times said Russell’s “clear-eyed sweetness…adds unexpected dimension to the homicidal Catharine.” She has also received positive comment for her roles in The Razor’s Edge (1984) and Impulse (1990).

In the early 2000s, Russell mainly appeared in low-budget and independent films, such as The House Next Door (2002), Now & Forever (2002), and The Box (2003). In 2005, she was cast in the role of Charlene in the HBO mini-series Empire Falls, opposite Ed Harris. She also appeared in the supporting role of Emma Marko in Spider-Man 3 as the wife of Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church). Spider-Man 3 was a major box office success, grossing nearly $900 million worldwide. The following year, she appeared in the independent drama Jolene, starring Jessica Chastain, and also had a minor role playing the mother of Scarlett Johansson’s character in the romantic comedy He’s Just Not That into You (2009), though her scenes were eventually cut from the film.

In 2012, she appeared in the Lifetime television film Liz & Dick, playing Sara Taylor, the mother of Elizabeth Taylor (portrayed by Lindsay Lohan).