Charles Russell (March 31, 1918 – January 18, 1985) was a movie and radio actor who appeared in 17 movies between 1943 and 1950. He was also a television producer who worked in Hollywood and Australia.
Acting Career
Born in New York City, Russell made his debut in an uncredited part as a ball player in ''Ladies' Day'' (1943). His last film was ''Chinatown at Midnight'' (1949). He originated the role of insurance investigator Johnny Dollar in the
CBS Radio series ''
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
''Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar'' is a radio drama that aired on CBS Radio from February 18, 1949 to September 30, 1962.
The first several seasons imagined protagonist Johnny Dollar as a private investigator drama, with Charles Russell, Edmond O'B ...
'' in 1949, playing the role until being replaced by
Edmond O'Brien
Eamon Joseph O'Brien (September 10, 1915 – May 9, 1985) was an American actor and film director. His career spanned almost 40 years, and he won one Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
O'Brien w ...
in 1950.
Russell married fellow
20th Century-Fox contract player
Nancy Guild in 1947,
and they had one child, a daughter, Elizabeth, in 1949. They divorced in 1950.
Producer
Russell moved into television producing working on shows such as ''The Untouchables'' and ''Naked City''.
He worked for a number of years in Australia at the ABC.
John Cameron, head of drama at the ABC in the 1970s, said Ryssell "was a man of great talents, who had developed a drinking problem to help him cope with the pressures of Network American television. He was winning his battle, but still had bad spells. He gave the ABC a great shot in the arm, and built a degree of professionalism in its drama filming that continued to pay dividends long after he returned to America."
Russell died in
Beverly Hills, California.
Filmography as Actor
Select Producing Credits
*''The Untouchables'' (1959-60) - producer
*''
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was re ...
'' (1962) - producer
*''Arrest and Trial'' (1962)
*''
Naked City'' (1962-63) - producer
*''
Judd for the Defense
''Judd, for the Defense'' is an American legal drama originally broadcast on the ABC network on Friday nights from September 8, 1967, to March 21, 1969.
Synopsis
The show stars Carl Betz, who had previously spent eight years in the role of Dr. A ...
'' (1967-68) - producer
*''
Devlin'' (1971) - executive producer
*''
The Survivor'' (1972) - script editor
*''
Seven Little Australians
''Seven Little Australians'' is a classic Australian children's literature novel by Ethel Turner, published in 1894. Set mainly in Sydney in the 1880s, it relates the adventures of the seven mischievous Woolcot children, their stern army father ...
'' (1973) - executive producer
*''Ben Hall'' (1974) - producer
*''
Games for Parents and Other Children
''Games for Parents and Other Children'' is a 1975 Australian TV movie.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p66
Cast
* John Clayton
* Colleen Fitzpatrick
* Vincent Ball
* Garry McDonald
* Melis ...
'' (1975) - producer
References
External links
*
*
1918 births
1985 deaths
American male radio actors
American male film actors
Male actors from New York City
20th-century American male actors
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