ACTOR · BORN 1921 · DIED 1991
John Russell
- Born
- 3 January 1921
- Died
- 19 January 1991
- Known for
- Lawman (1958), Alias Smith and Jones (1971), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
8 archived facts 2 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
John Russell (3 January 1921 – 19 January 1991) was an actor best known for Lawman, Alias Smith and Jones and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
8 Interesting Facts About John Russell
Interesting Facts (7)
- #001
In World War II, John Russell joined the US Marine Corps and at Guadalcanal won a medal for bravery and a battlefield promotion to lieutenant. Wounded there and suffering from a severe case of malaria, he was shipped back to the United States, hospitalized and eventually given a medical discharge.
John Russell: portraitImage: Wikimedia Commons · Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain - #002
A talent agent spotted John Russell in a Beverly Hills (CA) restaurant.
- #003
John Russell often played tall, sardonic villains in westerns.
- #004
John Russell was one of many Hollywood stars who regularly spent weekends at Ralph Helfer's Africa USA exotic animal ranch in Soledad Canyon, CA, helping with chores and playing with the animals.
- #005
Some sources give John Russell's birth name as William Lawrence Russell, but US Census records and California birth and death records show it was John Lawrence Russell.
- #006
Actor John Russell (1921-1991) is buried in Los Angeles National Cemetery, not Westwood Village Memorial Park; as a World War II Marine Corps veteran he was entitled to a military burial.
- #007
His 1930 address was 338 S. Hobart Blvd., Los Angeles, CA.
Life & Family (1)
- #008
In adult westerns and other "A" pictures after WWII, John Russell was a supporting actor who looked strikingly like John Trent (1906-66), star of 1930s and 1940s "B" action films such as the "Tailspin Tommy" serials, though the two were not related (Trent's real name was LaVerne Brown).
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work