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William Russell
William Russell
	Russell in 1923
Born	William Lerche; April 12, 1884; New York City, NY, U.S.
Died	February 18, 1929 (aged 44); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1892–1929
Spouses	; Charlotte Burton (m. 1917; div. 1921) ; Helen Ferguson (m. 1925)

William Russell (born William Lerche;^[1] April 12, 1884 – February 18, 1929) was an American actor, film director, film 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.

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.

Russell's Broadway credits include Princess Flavia (1925), Cyrano de Bergerac (1923), and The Tenderfoot (1904).^[2]

His career came to a stop when he was 16, however, when he became an invalid. Through rigorous physical therapy, he recovered his health 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 its 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.^[3]

William Russell died at the age of 44 from pneumonia at Hollywood Hospital in Los Angeles.^[4] 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

A Doll's House (1911; short film)^[5]
The Railroad Builder (1911)
The Colonel and the King (1911)
The Higher Law (1911)
David Copperfield (1911) as Ham Peggotty (in part two)
Put Yourself in His Place (1912) as Squire Raby
The Little Girl Next Door (1912) as The Other Father
The Star of Bethlehem (1912)
Some Fools There Were (1913)
For Her Boy's Sake (1913)
Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight (1913)
Some Fools There Were (1913) as Second Unsuspecting Bachelor
The Caged Bird (1913) as The Farmer
The Dilemma (1914)
The Straight Road (1914)
Under the Gaslight (1914) as Ray Trafford
The Dancing Girl (1915) as John Christison
The Diamond from the Sky (1915) as Blair Stanley
The Garden of Lies (1915)
Sequel to the Diamond from the Sky (1916) as Arthur
The Thoroughbred (1916) as Kelso Hamilton
The Smugglers of Santa Cruz (1916)
The Craving (1916) as Foster Calhoun
The Bruiser (1916) as "Big Bill" Brawley
Soul Mates (1916; also director) as Lowell Sherman
The Highest Bid (1916; also director) as Oliver Strong
The Strength of Donald McKenzie (1916; also director) as Donald McKenzie
The Man Who Would Not Die (1916; also director) as Clyde Kingsley/Ward Kingsley
The Torch Bearer (1916; also director) as John Huntley-Knox
The Love Hermit (1916) as Tom Weston
The Twinkler (1916) as Bob Stephany
My Fighting Gentleman (1917) as Frank Carlisle
Pride and the Man (1917; also screenwriter) as Jack Hastings
All the World to Nothing (1918)
Hobbs in a Hurry (1918)
Up Romance Road (1918)
Hearts or Diamonds? (1918; also producer) as Larry Hanrahan
Brass Buttons (1919)
Six Feet Four (1919)
This Hero Stuff (1919)
Some Liar (1919)
The Lincoln Highwayman (1919) as Jimmy Clunder
Where the West Begins (1919)
Twins of Suffering Creek (1920) as Bill Lark
The Iron Rider (1920)
The Challenge Of The Law (1920)
The Valley of Tomorrow (1920)
The Lady from Longacre (1921)
The Cheater Reformed (1921)
Desert Blossoms (1921)
Bare Knuckles (1921)
Singing River (1921)
A Self-Made Man (1922)
Mixed Faces (1922)
The Men of Zanzibar (1922)
Strength of the Pines (1922)
Boston Blackie (1923) as Boston Blackie
Anna Christie (1923) as Matt Burke
Man's Size (1923)
Good-By Girls! (1923)
The Beloved Brute (1924)
On Thin Ice (1925)
The Way of a Girl (1925) as Brand
My Neighbor's Wife (1925) as Eric von Greed
Big Pal (1925; also producer)
Before Midnight (1925)
The Still Alarm (1926)
The Blue Eagle (1926) as "Big Tim" Ryan
Wings of the Storm (1926)
The Desired Woman (1927) as Captain Maxwell
The Girl from Chicago (1927) as Big Steve Drummond
Brass Knuckles (1927) as 'Brass Knuckles' Lamont
State Street Sadie (1928) as the Bat
Woman Wise (1928)
Danger Patrol (1928)
The Head of the Family (1928)
Girls Gone Wild (1929) as Dan Brown

References

^ "Secrets of the Movies Revealed". Detroit Free Press. Thompson Feature Service. February 7, 1923. p. 12. Retrieved March 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "William Russell". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
^ "Dan Cupid Bowls Over Film Husky. Film "Strong Man" Weds." Los Angeles Times. June 22, 1925. p A 1.
^ "Russell Rites To Be Saturday." Los Angeles Times. February 19, 1929. p. A 1.
^ A Doll's House at IMDb

External links

[1] "Secrets of the Movies Revealed". Detroit Free Press. Thompson Feature Service. February 7, 1923. p. 12. Retrieved March 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[2] "William Russell". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.

[3] "Dan Cupid Bowls Over Film Husky. Film "Strong Man" Weds." Los Angeles Times. June 22, 1925. p A 1.

[4] "Russell Rites To Be Saturday." Los Angeles Times. February 19, 1929. p. A 1.

[5] A Doll's House at IMDb

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