William Russell (American actor)
- For the British actor, see William Russell.
William Russell | |
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File:Motion Picture Studio Directory and Trade Annual (1916) (1916) (14576694998).jpg
William Russell in Motion Picture Studio Directory and Trade Annual, 1916
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Born | William Francis Lerche April 12, 1884 New York City, New York, USA |
Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Los Angeles, California, USA |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | c. 1892 to 1929 |
Spouse(s) | Charlotte Burton (1917–1921) (divorce) Helen Ferguson (1925–1929) (his death) |
William Russell (April 12, 1884 – February 18, 1929), born William Francis Lerche, was an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He appeared in over two hundred silent era motion pictures between 1910 and 1929, directing five of them in 1916 and producing two through his own production company in 1918 and 1925.
Contents
Early life and career
Born in the Bronx borough of New York City, Russell began his acting career on the stage when he was eight years old. He appeared with such notables as Ethel Barrymore, Chauncey Olcott, Blanche Bates, Maude Adams and others.
His career came to a stop at age 16, however, when he became an invalid. Through rigorous physical therapy, he became well again six years later. He then became an amateur boxing champion.
Motion pictures
Russell began his screen career in New York with the Biograph Company, where he worked for nine months before signing with the Thanhouser Company. He was also part of the company of players for the American Film Manufacturing Company and their Flying "A" Studios in Santa Barbara.
In 1917, he and actress Charlotte Burton were married. They divorced in 1921. He and actress Helen Ferguson were married on June 21, 1925, at the Wilshire Boulevard Congregational Church, after a six-year romance.[1]
William Russell died at age 44 from pneumonia at Hollywood Hospital in Los Angeles.[2] He is entombed in the Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Love, at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale. His brother, director Albert Russell, died two weeks later from pneumonia.
Selected filmography
Actor
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Director
- Soul Mates (1916)
- The Highest Bid (1916)
- The Strength of Donald McKenzie (1916)
- The Man Who Would Not Die (1916)
- The Torch Bearer (1916)
Producer
- Hearts or Diamonds? (1918)
- Big Pal (1925)
Screenwriter
- Pride and the Man (1917)
References
- ↑ "Dan Cupid Bowls Over Film Husky. Film "Strong Man" Weds." Los Angeles Times. Jun. 22, 1925. p A 1.
- ↑ "Russell Rites To Be Saturday." Los Angeles Times. Feb. 19, 1929. p. A 1.
External links
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- 1884 births
- 1929 deaths
- 19th-century American male actors
- American male stage actors
- American male silent film actors
- Male actors from New York City
- Deaths from pneumonia
- Infectious disease deaths in California
- 20th-century American male actors
- Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
- People from the Bronx