Austin Lee Russell (born September 8, 1982), better known by his stage name Chumlee, is an American businessman and reality television personality, best known for his appearances on the
History Channel
History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Dis ...
television show ''
Pawn Stars'', which depicts day-to-day business at the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...
where he works.
Chumlee went to work at the pawn shop five years before filming the first season,
having been a childhood friend of
Corey Harrison[ whose father and grandfather founded the shop.]pinball machines
Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...
, sneakers, and video games.[Chumlee displays the ability to repair a gas-powered toy car in "Never Surrender" (Episode 3.25) and expert knowledge in discerning a fake pair of Air Jordan V sneakers in the following episode "Honest Abe" (Episode 3.26). Corey refers to Chumlee's knowledge of pinball machines, as well.][Fralic, Shelly (September 17, 2011]
"How, in the name of Brad Pitt, did Chumlee become a rock star?"
''The Vancouver Sun''.[Chareunsy, Don (September 8, 2012)]
"Austin ‘Chumlee’ Russell to celebrate 30th birthday tonight at LAX"
. ''Las Vegas Sun''.[Brunner, Rob]
"The 'Pawn Stars' Guide to Las Vegas"
'' Men's Journal''. Retrieved December 1, 2013.["Pawn Stars: When you negotiate with a Pawn Star, you lose..."]
'' Maxim'' (Australia). April 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
Early life
Russell was born on September 8, 1982, in Henderson, Nevada
Henderson is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, about southeast of downtown Las Vegas. It is the second largest city in Nevada, after Las Vegas, with an estimated population of 320,189 in 2019. The city is part of the Las Vegas Va ...
. When he was about 12 years old, he was given the nickname "Chumlee" due to his large face and chin, which prompted the father of one of his friends to remark that he looked like Chumley, the walrus
The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the f ...
from the animated TV series '' Tennessee Tuxedo''.[Harrison, Rick; Keown, Tim (2011). ''License to Pawn: Deals, Steals, and My Life at the Gold & Silver''. Hyperion. 2011. New York. pp. 3, 151 and 204. ] As a child, he became good friends with Corey Harrison,[ whose father, Rick Harrison, and grandfather, Richard Harrison, opened the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in 1989.][
]
Career
Chumlee began working for the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop at age 21. He worked there for five years before filming the first season of the reality television series '' Pawn Stars'' in July 2009.[ His duties include behind-the-counter work at the shop, such as testing items, loading items, and writing tickets for items purchased by customers.][Profile for Austin "Chumlee" Russel]
. Gold and Silver Pawn Shop, Retrieved August 25, 2010
In the series, he is depicted as the comic foil, often made the butt of the others' jokes for his perceived lack of intelligence and his incompetence,[Examples include the Old Man's remarks in "Plane Crazy" that Chumlee probably can't spell the word "art" and can barely tie his own shoelaces.] for which he has been referred to as a "village idiot".[Long, Christopher (December 29, 2009)]
"PAWN STARS (TV SERIES) - DVD review"
Movie Metropolis.[ Chumlee has responded by explaining that he is underestimated and points to his expertise in ]pinball machines
Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...
, which he utilizes in the second-season episode "Pinball Wizards", much to Corey's surprise, as an example of an area in which he is knowledgeable.[
Chumlee emerged as the breakout cast member,][ and a fan favorite of the series.][Bourdeau, Annette (March 12, 2012). Has a large fan base in many countries like India, China, Sri lanka. Once Samanvay Lamba remarked him as his favourite characte]
"'Pawn Stars': 13 Things You Didn't Know About Chumlee, Rick And Corey"
''The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
''.[
Chumlee appeared as himself, alongside Rick and Corey Harrison, in the episode "iLost My Head in Vegas", on the American TV series '' iCarly.''
In May 2017, Chumlee opened a candy shop, ''Chumlee's Candy on the Boulevard'', across the street from the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas.
]
Personal life
Chumlee enjoys collecting shoes, owning more than 200 pairs. He also enjoys sports, the Pokémon Trading Card Game
The , abbreviated as ''PTCG'' or ''Pokémon TCG'', is a collectible card game developed by Creatures Inc. based on the ''Pokémon'' franchise. It was first published in October 1996 by Media Factory in Japan. In the US, it was first published ...
, video games, and skateboarding. He is a fan of both punk rock and rap music
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
.Breaking Bad
''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White ( Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited ...
''.[ He enjoys driving his 1986 Buick Regal, which he has customized with hydraulic lifts on the front and back.][ , he owned a collection of cars which included a Rolls-Royce Phantom, Maserati GranTurismo, Cadillac Escalade, Range Rover, and a 1964 ]Impala SS
The Chevrolet Impala () is a full-size car built by Chevrolet for model years 1958 to 1985, 1994 to 1996, and 2000 to 2020. The Impala was Chevrolet's popular flagship passenger car and was among the better-selling American-made automobiles in ...
.[
By September 2013, Chumlee had altered his lifestyle habits and lost in a year by exercising at a gym six days a week and improving his diet, including drinking more juice, eating more vegetables and abstaining from ]red meat
In gastronomy, red meat is commonly red when raw and a dark color after it is cooked, in contrast to white meat, which is pale in color before and after cooking. In culinary terms, only flesh from mammals or fowl (not fish) is classified as ...
, a change that was inspired by his father's death at age 54 from pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. A number of types of panc ...
, two weeks before ''Pawn Stars'' debuted.[ Chumlee's diet has enabled him to be able to ride a hovercraft he had purchased earlier in the series, which had a maximum weight restriction of . He later regained the weight, weighing as much as in January 2019. He had ]gastric sleeve surgery
Sleeve gastrectomy is a Bariatric surgery, surgical weight-loss procedure in which the stomach is reduced to about 15% of its original size, by surgical removal of a large portion of the stomach along the Curvatures of the stomach, greater curvatu ...
, leading to him losing by October 2021.
Legal troubles
On March 9, 2016, Chumlee's home was raided during the course of an investigation into sexual assault allegations. During searches of his residence, police found crystal meth
Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...
, marijuana
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in variou ...
, Xanax
Alprazolam, sold under the brand name Xanax, among others, is a fast-acting, potent tranquilizer of medium duration in the triazolobenzodiazepine (TBZD) class, which are benzodiazepines (BZDs) fused with a triazole ring. It is most commonl ...
, and multiple firearms. Evidence of possible cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...
use was also found. Chumlee was arrested but released on bond the following day, and scheduled for appear in court days later.
On May 23, 2016, Chumlee was charged with 20 felony counts, including drug and weapons charges. David Chesnoff, Russell's lawyer, confirmed that Russell had pleaded guilty to a felony weapons charge (unlawful possession of a firearm) and a gross misdemeanor of attempted drug possession in a deal that calls for three years of probation and counseling.
References
External links
*
"About The Series"
History Channel Online.
{{authority control
1982 births
Living people
Participants in American reality television series
Place of birth missing (living people)
Pawn Stars
People from Henderson, Nevada