Lewis Lord Russell

Lewis Lord Russell
Born George Lewis Lord
September 10, 1889(1889-09-10)
Farmington, Illinois, U.S.
Died November 12, 1961(1961-11-12) (aged 72)
Reseda, California
Occupation Vaudeville, Broadway, and film actor

Lewis Lord Russell (September 10, 1889 – November 12, 1961) was an American actor of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s who starred in a number of vaudeville shows, Broadway dramas, and Hollywood films, including The Lost Weekend (1945) and the Marx Brothers film, A Night in Casablanca (1946).

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Early life and work

Born "George Lewis Lord" in Farmington, Illinois, USA, to British immigrants Samuel and Martha Jane (Wood) Lord, he was the only child of nine born in the United States and, curiously, the only one who developed an English accent.[1] His father was an Illinois coal miner. After running away from home as a teenager, he began his life in the restaurant business, becoming an avid cook and eventually owning two restaurants.[2] He also designed rugs and tapestries[2] and worked as a tailor in New York, creating elaborate costumes for the stage.[1]

Career

As a vaudeville actor, Russell toured the USA and played at the Palace Theater in Peoria, Illinois, at a time when the phrase "Will it play in Peoria?" was well-known to vaudevillians who tested out their routines and sketches in front of the demanding and often difficult-to-please Peoria crowds.

Billing himself as an actor from London,[3] Russell broke into the Broadway scene and starred as "The Squire" in the Broadway production of Emlyn Williams's The Corn is Green (1943) with leading lady Ethel Barrymore at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York.[3] He also toured with actress Glenda Farrell for several years in the New Rochelle Circuit.[2] According to legend, he declined the starring role in The Man who Came to Dinner (1942) with Bette Davis, and created the role of the janitor in My Sister Eileen (1942/1955).[2] He played Pancho Villa and had several starring roles in silent pictures, acting at least once opposite Pola Negri.[2] He also played Jane Wyman’s concerned father, Charles St. James, in The Lost Weekend, Ray Milland’s most popular film.

Later life

He designed his own home in Pasadena, CA, where he kept house, Ernest Hemingway-style, with his two dozen cats. He died in Reseda, California at the age of 72.[2]

Roles

Broadway

Film

References

  1. ^ a b Interview with Mrs. Frances Lord Robinson, niece. January 18, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Lord, James L. The Lord Family History. St. Louis: unpublished, 1976. Private Collection.
  3. ^ a b Lewis Lord Russell at the Internet Broadway Database. Accessed January 31, 2009.

External links