Gail Russell
Encyclopedia
Gail Russell was an American film and television actress.
, Illinois
, and then moved to the Los Angeles, California
, area when she was a teenager. Russell's extraordinary beauty brought her to the attention of Paramount Pictures
in 1942. 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.
At the age of 19 she appeared in her first film, Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour (1943). Russell appeared in several more films in the early and mid 1940s, the most notable being The Uninvited
(1944) with Ray Milland
and Our Hearts Were Young and Gay
(1944), in which she co-starred with Diana Lynn
. Russell later appeared in the more popular films Calcutta
(1947) with Alan Ladd
and the two with John Wayne
, Angel and the Badman
(1947) and Wake of the Red Witch
(1948).
in 1949, but by 1950 it was well known that she had become a victim of alcoholism
, and Paramount did not renew her contract. She started drinking on the set of The Uninvited to ease her paralyzing stage fright and lack of self-confidence. Alcohol made a shambles of her career and personal life. She was divorced by Madison in 1954 and, after a five-year absence, returned to work in a co-starring role with Randolph Scott
in the western Seven Men from Now
(1956), produced by her friend Wayne, and had a substantial role in The Tattered Dress
(1957).
On July 5, 1957, she was photographed by a Los Angeles Times
photographer after she drove her convertible into the front of Jan's coffee shop at 8424 Beverly Blvd. Russell was driving under the influence.
She appeared in two more films after that but was not able to control her addiction, and on August 26, 1961, Russell was found dead in her apartment in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California
, at the age of 36. She died from liver damage attributed to alcohol. She was found to have been suffering from malnutrition at the time of her death. She was buried in Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
in North Hollywood, California.
Career
She was born Elizabeth L. Russell to George and Gladys (Barnet) Russell in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, and then moved to the Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, area when she was a teenager. Russell's extraordinary beauty brought her to the attention of Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
in 1942. 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.
At the age of 19 she appeared in her first film, Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour (1943). Russell appeared in several more films in the early and mid 1940s, the most notable being The Uninvited
The Uninvited (1944 film)
The Uninvited is a 1944 American supernatural mystery/romance film directed by Lewis Allen. It is based on the Dorothy Macardle novel Uneasy Freehold.Charles Lang was nominated for a 1945 Academy Award for Best Black and White Cinematography.-Plot:...
(1944) with Ray Milland
Ray Milland
Ray Milland was a Welsh actor and director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985, and he is best remembered for his Academy Award–winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend , a sophisticated leading man opposite a corrupt John Wayne in Reap the Wild Wind , the murder-plotting...
and Our Hearts Were Young and Gay
Our Hearts Were Young and Gay
Our Hearts Were Young and Gay is the title of 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 Mawr. Skinner wrote of Kimbrough, "To know...
(1944), in which she co-starred with Diana Lynn
Diana Lynn
Diana Lynn was an American actress.Born Dolores Marie Loehr in Los Angeles, California, Lynn was considered a child prodigy because of her exceptional abilities as a pianist at an early age, and by the age of 12 was playing with the Los Angeles Junior Symphony Orchestra.-Film career:Dolores Loehr...
. Russell later appeared in the more popular films Calcutta
Calcutta (1947 film)
Calcutta is an American crime film noir directed by John Farrow, and written and produced by Seton I. Miller. The drama features Alan Ladd, Gail Russell and William Bendix.-Cast:* Alan Ladd as Neale Gordon* Gail Russell as Virginia Moore...
(1947) with Alan Ladd
Alan Ladd
-Early life:Ladd was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He was the only child of Ina Raleigh Ladd and Alan Ladd, Sr. He was of English ancestry. His father died when he was four, and his mother relocated to Oklahoma City where she married Jim Beavers, a housepainter...
and the two with John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, Angel and the Badman
Angel and the Badman
Angel and the Badman is a 1947 black-and-white Western film, starring John Wayne, Gail Russell, Harry Carey and Bruce Cabot which examines the ability of a gunman to renounce violence. This film, which was the first one Wayne produced as well as starred in, was a departure for this genre at the...
(1947) and Wake of the Red Witch
Wake of the Red Witch
Wake of the Red Witch is a 1948 drama film from Republic Pictures starring John Wayne and Gail Russell, produced by Edmund Grainger, and based upon the novel by Garland Roark...
(1948).
Later career and personal life
She continued working after 1947, and married actor Guy MadisonGuy Madison
Guy Madison was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born Robert Ozell Moseley in Pumpkin Center, California, Madison attended Bakersfield College, a junior college, for two years and then worked briefly as a telephone lineman before joining the United States Coast Guard in...
in 1949, but by 1950 it was well known that she had become a victim of alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, and Paramount did not renew her contract. She started drinking on the set of The Uninvited to ease her paralyzing stage fright and lack of self-confidence. Alcohol made a shambles of her career and personal life. She was divorced by Madison in 1954 and, after a five-year absence, returned to work in a co-starring role with Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned 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 genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals , adventure tales, war films, and even a few...
in the western Seven Men from Now
Seven Men from Now
Seven Men from Now is a 1956 Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and produced by John Wayne's Batjac Productions.-Plot summary:Ben Stride walks into an encampment in the desert at night during a rainstorm. He encounters two men taking shelter next to a fire and asks to join them...
(1956), produced by her friend Wayne, and had a substantial role in The Tattered Dress
The Tattered Dress
-Plot:In a California resort community, the wealthy Michael Reston is charged with the murder of a man he claimed attacked his wife, Charleen.Reston hires a high-priced lawyer, James Gordon Blane, a man known to do anything it takes to win a case. Blane makes few friends in the community because...
(1957).
On July 5, 1957, she was photographed by a Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
photographer after she drove her convertible into the front of Jan's coffee shop at 8424 Beverly Blvd. Russell was driving under the influence.
She appeared in two more films after that but was not able to control her addiction, and on August 26, 1961, Russell was found dead in her apartment in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California
Brentwood, Los Angeles, California
Brentwood is a district in western Los Angeles, California, United States. The district is located at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains, bounded by the San Diego Freeway on the east, Wilshire Boulevard on the south, the Santa Monica city limits on the southwest, the border of Topanga State...
, at the age of 36. She died from liver damage attributed to alcohol. She was found to have been suffering from malnutrition at the time of her death. She was buried in Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 10621 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood, California.The cemetery has a special section called the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation that is the final resting place for a number of aviation pioneers — barnstormers, daredevils and...
in North Hollywood, California.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1943 | Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour | Virginia Lowry | Alternative title: Henry Gets Glamour |
| 1944 | Lady in the Dark Lady in the Dark (film) Lady in the Dark is a 1944 Technicolor musical film directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring Ginger Rogers. It was nominated for three Academy Awards; for Best Cinematography, Best Music and Best Art Direction .... |
Barbara (at 17) | |
| The Uninvited The Uninvited (1944 film) The Uninvited is a 1944 American supernatural mystery/romance film directed by Lewis Allen. It is based on the Dorothy Macardle novel Uneasy Freehold.Charles Lang was nominated for a 1945 Academy Award for Best Black and White Cinematography.-Plot:... |
Stella Meredith | ||
| Our Hearts Were Young and Gay Our Hearts Were Young and Gay Our Hearts Were Young and Gay is the title of 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 Mawr. Skinner wrote of Kimbrough, "To know... |
Cornelia Otis Skinner | ||
| 1945 | Salty O'Rourke | Barbara Brooks | |
| The Unseen The Unseen (1945 film) The Unseen is a 1945 film directed by Lewis Allen. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Recording , and is based on the novel Midnight House by Ethel Lina White. The film was Paramount's follow-up to the film The Uninvited .-Cast:... |
Elizabeth Howard | ||
| 1946 | Our Hearts Were Growing Up | Cornelia Otis Skinner | |
| The Bachelor's Daughters | Eileen | Alternative title: Bachelor Girls | |
| 1947 | Angel and the Badman Angel and the Badman Angel and the Badman is a 1947 black-and-white Western film, starring John Wayne, Gail Russell, Harry Carey and Bruce Cabot which examines the ability of a gunman to renounce violence. This film, which was the first one Wayne produced as well as starred in, was a departure for this genre at the... |
Penelope Worth | Alternative title: Angel and the Outlaw |
| Calcutta | Virginia Moore | ||
| 1948 | Moonrise Moonrise (film) -Plot:Dane Clark plays Danny Hawkins, the son of a murderer who was hanged for his crimes. Haunted by his father's past, the young man is tormented by the young people of the small southern town in which he lives. Hawkins' only friend is Gilly Johnson , a girl who is quickly falling in love with... |
Gilly Johnson | |
| Night Has a Thousand Eyes Night Has a Thousand Eyes Night Has a Thousand Eyes is a 1948 film noir, starring Edward G. Robinson and directed by John Farrow. The screenplay was written by Barré Lyndon and Jonathan Latimer. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Cornell Woolrich.- Plot :... |
Jean Courtland | ||
| Wake of the Red Witch Wake of the Red Witch Wake of the Red Witch is a 1948 drama film from Republic Pictures starring John Wayne and Gail Russell, produced by Edmund Grainger, and based upon the novel by Garland Roark... |
Angelique Desaix | ||
| 1949 | Song of India Song of India Song of India may refer to:* Dracaena reflexa, a popular ornamental plant* Song of India , a 1949 film starring Sabu Dastagir* "Song of India", aria in 1896 opera Sadko... |
Princess Tara | |
| El Paso | Susan Jeffers | ||
| The Great Dan Patch | Cissy Lathrop | Alternative title: Ride a Reckless Mile | |
| 1950 | Captain China | Kim Mitchell | |
| The Lawless The Lawless The Lawless is a 1950 American drama film directed by Joseph Losey and starring Macdonald Carey, Gail Russell and Johnny Sands. A newspaper editor in California becomes concerned about the plight of the state's fruit pickers, mostly illegal immigrants from Mexico... |
Sunny Garcia | Alternative title: The Dividing Line | |
| 1951 | Air Cadet Air Cadet (1951 film) Air Cadet is a 1951 American drama film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Stephen McNally and Gail Russell. The movie had a small early role for Rock Hudson.-Plot:... |
Janet Page | Alternative title: Jet Men of the Air |
| 1956 | Seven Men from Now Seven Men from Now Seven Men from Now is a 1956 Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and produced by John Wayne's Batjac Productions.-Plot summary:Ben Stride walks into an encampment in the desert at night during a rainstorm. He encounters two men taking shelter next to a fire and asks to join them... |
Annie Greer | |
| 1957 | The Tattered Dress | Carol Morrow | |
| 1958 | No Place to Land | Lynn Dillon | Alternative title: Man Mad |
| 1961 | The Silent Call | Flore Brancato | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1956 | Studio 57 | 1 episode | |
| 1960 | The Rebel The Rebel (TV series) The Rebel is an American Western television series that ran originally on the ABC network from 1959 to 1961. The program was produced by Goodson-Todman Productions, marking one of their few non-game show ventures... |
Cassandra | 1 episode |
| Manhunt | Mrs. Clarke | 1 episode | |