Gail Russell (born Betty Gale Russell; September 21, 1924 – August 26, 1961) was an American film and television actress.
Early years
Gail Russell was born to George and Gladys (Barnet) Russell in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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and then moved to the Los Angeles area when she was a teenager. Her father was initially a musician but later worked for
Lockheed Corporation
The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer. Lockheed was founded in 1926 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995. Its founder, Allan Lockheed, had earlier founded the similarly named but ot ...
. Before she ventured into acting, she had planned to be a commercial artist.
[ ] Her beauty saw her dubbed "the
Hedy Lamarr
Hedy Lamarr (; born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler; November 9, 1914 January 19, 2000) was an Austrian-born American film actress and inventor. A film star during Hollywood's golden age, Lamarr has been described as one of the greatest movie actresse ...
of
Santa Monica
Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...
."
Career and life
Russell's beauty brought her to the attention of
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
in 1942, and she signed a long-term contract with that studio when she was 18. Although she was almost clinically shy and had no acting experience, Paramount had great expectations for her and employed an acting coach to work with her.
She later said, "suddenly there was this terrific amount of work for myself and no time to myself. It was that way for ten years."
At the age of 19 she made her film debut in the 1943 film ''
Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour
''Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Hugh Bennett and written by Edwin Blum and Aleen Leslie. The film stars Jimmy Lydon, Charles Smith (actor), Charles Smith, John Litel, Olive Blakeney, Diana Lynn and France ...
''. She also had a small part in ''
Lady in the Dark
''Lady in the Dark'' is a musical with music by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book and direction by Moss Hart. It was produced by Sam Harris. The protagonist, Liza Elliott, is the unhappy female editor of a fictional fashion magazine ...
'' (1943) and was meant to play a role in ''
Henry Aldrich Haunts a House
''Henry Aldrich Haunts a House'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Hugh Bennett and written by Muriel Roy Bolton and Val Burton. The film stars Jimmy Lydon, Charles Smith, John Litel, Olive Blakeney, Joan Mortimer and Vaughan Glaser. Th ...
'' when, in March 1943, she was cast in a key role in ''
The Uninvited'' (1944) with
Ray Milland
Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985. He is remembered for his Academy Award and Cannes Film Festival Award-winning ...
. Joan Mortimer played her role in ''Henry Aldrich'' instead.
Stardom
''The Uninvited'' was directed by
Lewis Allen and was a big success. Producer
Charles Brackett
Charles William Brackett (November 26, 1892 – March 9, 1969) was an American screenwriter and film producer. He collaborated with Billy Wilder on sixteen films.
Life and career
Brackett was born in Saratoga Springs, New York, the son of ...
wrote that filming with Russell proved difficult; he said that she would cry on set with her mother, claiming she had a sore throat, but in fact, Russell was crying because Director
Lewis Allen had made her wear a hat for a scene which she did not want to wear. Allen said that
Ray Milland
Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985. He is remembered for his Academy Award and Cannes Film Festival Award-winning ...
would take Russell aside and continuously practice her lines with her. Allen also said, "She could only do about five or six lines, and then she'd burst into tears."
[Weaver, Tom (September 1997). "Welcoming the Uninvited". Fangoria. No. 166. p.15] According to Allen, Russell, who had not drunk alcohol before, began drinking it to calm herself at the suggestion of the head of make-up on set.
[
According to the ''National Box Office Digest'', it was among the highest-grossing pictures in the United States with rentals of over $500,000.] A delighted Paramount announced Russell for ''Her Heart in her Throat'' and ''True to the Navy'' with Eddie Bracken
Edward Vincent Bracken (February 7, 1915 – November 14, 2002) was an American actor. Bracken became a Hollywood comedy legend with lead performances in the films ''Hail the Conquering Hero'' and ''The Miracle of Morgan's Creek'' both from ...
.
Allen directed Russell in ''Our Hearts Were Young and Gay
''Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'' is a book by actress Cornelia Otis Skinner and journalist Emily Kimbrough, published in 1942. The book presents a description of their European tour in the 1920s, when they were fresh out of college from Bryn M ...
'' (1944), in which she co-starred with Diana Lynn
Diana Marie Lynn (born Dolores Eartha Loehr, July 5, 1926 – December 18, 1971) was an American actress.
Early years
Lynn was born in Los Angeles, California. Her father, Louis Loehr, was an oil supply executive, and her mother, Martha Loe ...
. It was another success.
Russell co-starred opposite Alan Ladd
Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake ...
in ''Salty O'Rourke
''Salty O'Rourke'' is a 1945 American drama film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Alan Ladd and Gail Russell. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1946.
Plot
In New Orleans, racetrack gambler Salty O'Rourke is pursued by gangster Doc Ba ...
'' (1945), a horse racing drama.
''Her Heart in Her Throat'' became the third film Russell made with Allen, '' The Unseen'' (1945), an unofficial follow up to ''The Uninvited''. ''True to the Navy'' became '' Bring On the Girls''; Russell did not appear in that film.
Then she and Lynn were in ''Our Hearts Were Growing Up
''Our Hearts Were Growing Up'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by William D. Russell and written by Melvin Frank, Norman Panama and Frank Waldman. It is the sequel to the 1944 film ''Our Hearts Were Young and Gay''. The film stars Gail ...
'' (1946), a sequel to ''Our Hearts Were Young and Gay''. Paramount announced her as the female lead in '' The Virginian'' (1946) but she did not appear in the final movie.
She was reunited with Ladd in ''Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
'' (1947), shot in 1945 but not released until two years later. She made a cameo as herself in two all-star Paramount films, ''Duffy's Tavern
''Duffy's Tavern'' is an American radio situation comedy that ran for a decade on several networks ( CBS, 1941–42; NBC-Blue Network, 1942–44; and NBC, 1944–51), concluding with the December 28, 1951, broadcast.
The program often featured ...
'' (1945) and ''Variety Girl
''Variety Girl'' is a 1947 American musical comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Mary Hatcher, Olga San Juan, DeForest Kelley, Frank Ferguson, Glenn Tryon, Nella Walker, Torben Meyer, Jack Norton, and William Demarest. It was prod ...
'' (1947).
Loan-outs
Russell was borrowed by Andrew Stone for ''The Bachelor's Daughters
''The Bachelor's Daughters'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Andrew L. Stone and written by Stone and Frederick J. Jackson. It stars Gail Russell, Claire Trevor, Ann Dvorak, Adolphe Menjou, Billie Burke, Jane Wyatt and Eugene List. The ...
'' (1946) at United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...
.
Republic Pictures borrowed her to be John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...
's leading lady in a film Wayne was producing, ''Angel and the Badman
''Angel and the Badman'' is a 1947 American Western film written and directed by James Edward Grant and starring John Wayne, Gail Russell, Harry Carey and Bruce Cabot. The film is about an injured gunfighter who is nursed back to health by a ...
'' (1947). Also at Republic she did ''Moonrise
Moonrise and moonset are times when the upper limb of the Moon appears above the horizon and disappears below it, respectively. The exact times depend on the lunar phase and declination, as well as the observer's location. As viewed from outside ...
'' (1948) for Frank Borzage
Frank Borzage (; April 23, 1894 – June 19, 1962) was an Academy Award-winning American film director and actor, known for directing '' 7th Heaven'' (1927), '' Street Angel'' (1928), '' Bad Girl'' (1931), '' A Farewell to Arms'' (1932), ''Man's ...
.
Russell returned to Paramount for ''Night Has a Thousand Eyes
''Night Has a Thousand Eyes'' is a 1948 American horror film directed by John Farrow and starring Edward G. Robinson, Gail Russell and John Lund. The screenplay was written by Barré Lyndon and Jonathan Latimer. The film is based on the nov ...
'' (1948), directed by John Farrow
John Villiers Farrow, KGCHS (10 February 190427 January 1963) was an Australian film director, producer, and screenwriter. Spending a considerable amount of his career in the United States, in 1942 he was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...
, who had made ''Calcutta''. She reteamed with Wayne at Republic for ''Wake of the Red Witch
''Wake of the Red Witch'' is a 1948 American adventure film directed by Edward Ludwig, produced by Edmund Grainger and starring John Wayne, Gail Russell, Gig Young, Adele Mara and Luther Adler. It is based upon the 1946 novel of the same name wri ...
'' (1948), which was a hit.
She appeared in a Western with John Payne for Pine-Thomas Productions Pine-Thomas Productions was a prolific B-picture unit of Paramount Pictures from 1940–1957, producing 81 films. Co-producers William H. Pine (February 15, 1896 – April 29, 1955) and William C. Thomas (August 11, 1903 – April 2, 1984) were kno ...
, a production outfit who released through Paramount, ''El Paso
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...
'' (1949). Pine-Thomas normally made lower-budgeted films but ''El Paso'' was made on a bigger scale.
Russell did '' Song of India'' (1949) for Columbia and '' The Great Dan Patch'' (1949) for United Artists.
Russell married actor Guy Madison
Guy Madison (born Robert Ozell Moseley; January 19, 1922 – February 6, 1996) was an American film, television, and radio actor. He is best known for playing Wild Bill Hickok in the Western television series ''The Adventures of Wild Bill Hicko ...
on 1 August 1949. They separated in less than six months but later reunited, then separated in 1953, and divorced in 1954.
She made some more Pine-Thomas films: ''Captain China
''Captain China'' is a 1950 American adventure film directed by Lewis R. Foster and written by Lewis R. Foster and Gwen Bagni. The film stars John Payne, Gail Russell, Jeffrey Lynn, Lon Chaney Jr., Edgar Bergen, Michael O'Shea and Ellen Corb ...
'' (1950) with Payne, and ''The Lawless
''The Lawless'' is a 1950 American film noir directed by Joseph Losey and features Macdonald Carey, Gail Russell and Johnny Sands.
A newspaper editor in California becomes concerned about the plight of the state's fruit pickers, mostly immigrant ...
'' (1951) with Macdonald Carey
Edward Macdonald Carey (March 15, 1913 – March 21, 1994) was an American actor, best known for his role as the patriarch Dr. Tom Horton on NBC's soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''. For almost three decades, he was the show's central cast member.
...
directed by Joseph Losey
Joseph Walton Losey III (; January 14, 1909 – June 22, 1984) was an American theatre and film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Wisconsin, he studied in Germany with Bertolt Brecht and then returned to the United States. Blackliste ...
.
By 1950 it was well known that she had become a victim of alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...
. According to Yvonne de Carlo
Margaret Yvonne Middleton (September 1, 1922January 8, 2007), known professionally as Yvonne De Carlo, was a Canadian-American actress, dancer and singer. She became a Hollywood film star in the 1940s and 1950s, made several recordings, and late ...
, actress Helen Walker
Helen Marion Walker (July 17, 1920 – March 10, 1968) was an American actress.Obituary ''Variety'', March 13, 1968, page 79.
Biography 1920–1940: Early life
Helen Marion Walker was born July 17, 1920 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the daughter ...
took Russell "under her wing and introduced her to the tranquilizing benefits of vodka" when they were Paramount contractees together. Russell was already drinking on set by her third film, 1944's ''The Uninvited'', to ease her paralyzing stage fright and lack of confidence. Paramount did not renew her contract.
She made '' Air Cadet'' (1951) for Universal then did not act for a number of years.
Legal troubles
In 1953 John Wayne's then-wife claimed during her divorce proceedings that Wayne and Russell had spent the night together. Wayne and Russell denied this.
In November 1953 she was held in jail overnight after being arrested for drunk driving. The following month she and Madison separated permanently.
In January 1954, in a court in Santa Monica, California, Russell pleaded guilty to a charge of drunkenness, receiving a $150 fine (). The fine was in lieu of a jail sentence, with the provision that she not use intoxicants or attend night spots for two years. In the same court session, she received a continuance on a charge of driving while drunk.
She sued Madison for divorce in May 1954. The divorce was finalized in October 1954. During the court proceedings Madison claimed that Russell would never do any housework and would not allow visitors or servants in the house.
In October 1954 she was admitted to a hospital in a coma after an attack of hepatitis.
In February 1955 she hit another car containing a couple and their baby while driving. She was fined $50. The couple later sued her for $30,000 () and settled out of court.
Comeback
Russell returned to work in a co-starring role with Randolph Scott
George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor whose career spanned the years from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of ...
in the western '' Seven Men from Now'' (1956), produced by her friend Wayne and directed by Budd Boetticher
Oscar "Budd" Boetticher Jr. ( ; July 29, 1916 – November 29, 2001) was an American film director. He is best remembered for a series of low-budget Westerns he made in the late 1950s starring Randolph Scott.
Early life
Boetticher was born in ...
. The film and Russell's performance were lauded and she seemed poised to make a comeback.
Russell was expected to follow '' Seven Men from Now'' with ''Madame Courage'', again with Boetticher as director, but the film was never made.
Instead Russell appeared in an episode of ''Studio 57
''Studio 57'' (also known as ''Heinz Studio 57'') is an American anthology series that was broadcast on the now-defunct DuMont Television Network from September 1954 to July 1955, and in syndication from 1955 to 1958.
"It's a Small World", the ...
'' and had a substantial role in ''The Tattered Dress
''The Tattered Dress'' is a 1957 American CinemaScope film noir crime film released by Universal Pictures and directed by Jack Arnold. It stars Jeff Chandler, Jeanne Crain, Jack Carson, Gail Russell and Elaine Stewart.
Plot
In a California r ...
'' (1957).
In April 1957 she was found unconscious on the floor at her home.
On July 5, 1957, she was photographed by a ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' photographer after she drove her convertible into the front of Jan's Coffee Shop at 8424 Beverly Boulevard, injuring a janitor. After failing a sobriety test, Russell was arrested and charged with driving under the influence
Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...
. The janitor sued her for $75,000. She failed to appear at a court appearance and was discovered at home passed out due to drinking. She was fined $420, given a 30-day suspended sentence and put on three years' probation.
She appeared in '' No Place to Land'' (1958) for Republic.
She had roles in episodes of '' The Rebel'' and ''Manhunt
Manhunt may refer to:
Search processes
* Manhunt (law enforcement), a search for a dangerous fugitive
* Manhunt (military), a search for a high-value target by special operations forces or intelligence agencies
Social organisations
* Manhun ...
''. "I guess there are still a lot of doubts about me", she said in April 1960. "And this is one of the reasons why I want to get back to the business to prove to people I can do a picture. I'm stronger now. The future looks pretty good."
In November 1960 she was announced for a film with Mark Stevens and George Raft called ''Cause of Death'' but it appears to have not been made. She was top billed in her last film, the low-budget ''The Silent Call
''The Silent Call'' is a 1961 American drama film directed by John A. Bushelman and written by Tom Maruzzi. The film stars Gail Russell (in her final role), David McLean, Roger Mobley, Roscoe Ates, Milton Parsons and Dal McKennon.
It was rele ...
'' (1961).
Death
Russell moved to a small house where she lived alone. She would periodically try to stop drinking then start again. On one occasion she was hospitalized. On August 26, 1961, Russell was found dead in her apartment in Brentwood, Los Angeles
Brentwood is a suburban neighborhood in the Los Angeles Westside, Westside region of Los Angeles.
History
General
Modern development began after the establishment of the Sawtelle Veterans Home, Pacific Branch of the National Home for Disab ...
, California, at the age of 36. She was found by two neighbors who were concerned they had not seen her for several days. An empty vodka bottle was by her side, and the house was full of empty bottles.
She died from liver damage attributed to "acute and chronic alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...
" with aspiration of stomach contents as an additional cause. She was also found to have been suffering from malnutrition
Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...
at the time of her death. She was buried in Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 10621 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood and Burbank, California.
The cemetery has an entrance called the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation that is the final resting place for aviation ...
in North Hollywood
North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...
.
Filmography
Television appearances
Radio appearances
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Gail
Actresses from Chicago
Alcohol-related deaths in California
American film actresses
American television actresses
Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
1924 births
1961 deaths
Paramount Pictures contract players
20th-century American actresses
People from Brentwood, Los Angeles
California Democrats
Illinois Democrats