Bing Russell

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bing Russell
Born	Neil Oliver Russell May 5, 1926(1926-05-05) Brattleboro, Vermont, U.S.A.
Died	April 8, 2003 (aged 76) Thousand Oaks, California, U.S.A.
Other name(s)	Bing
Spouse(s)	Louise Julia Crone (? – ?)

Bing Russell (May 5, 1926 – April 8, 2003) was an American actor. He was the father of actor Kurt Russell.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Personal life 1.2 Career 1.3 Managing baseball 2 Filmography 3 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Personal life

Russell was born Neil Oliver Russell in Brattleboro, Vermont, the son of Ruth Stewart (née Vogel) and Warren Oliver Russell. Russell always wanted to become a successful actor and did drama at the Brattleboro Middletown High School and his drama was so good and successful, he made his first debut in Cavalry Patrol and also made some uncredited roles in the back years. Russell died from complications from cancer on April 8th 2003 in Thousand Oaks, California.

[edit] Career

Although known as the Deputy Clem Foster on Bonanza (1959) and Robert in The Magnificent Seven (1960), he also played Vernon Presley to son, Kurt's Elvis in the 1979 TV movie "Elvis". Russell's claim to fame on a national level was as the owner of the Portland Mavericks Baseball Club. Helming the only independent team in the Class A Northwest League, Russell was an innovator. Before Bull Durham (1988), there were the Mavericks. Russell kept a 30-man roster because he believed that some of the players deserved to have one last season. His motto was simply one three lettered word (not win—although the Mavericks did just that). The word was fun.

[edit] Managing baseball

Russell created a park that kept all corporate sponsorship outside the gates, hired the first female general manager in professional baseball, and the following year hired the first Asian American GM/Manager. That same season his team set a record for the highest attendance in Minor league history, and went on to win the pennant. Ex-major leaguers and never-weres who couldn't stop playing the game flocked to his June try-outs, which were always open to anyone that showed up.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] External links

• Bing Russell at the Internet Movie Database
• Bing Russell at TV.com
• Bonanza Cast Biographies - Bing Russell
• New York Times page
• Image of Bing Russell
• Bing Russell at Find A Grave