- Gail Russell
Infobox actor
bgcolour =
name = Gail Russell
caption = in "Wake of the Red Witch " (1948)
imagesize =
birthname = Elizabeth L. Russell
birthdate = birth date|1924|9|21
location = Chicago,Illinois , U.S.
deathdate = death date and age|1961|8|26|1924|9|21
deathplace = Brentwood,California , U.S.
occupation =
spouse =Gail Russell (
September 21 ,1924 -August 26 ,1961 ) was an Americanactress .Career rise
She was born Elizabeth L. Russell to George and Gladys (Barnet) Russell in
Chicago, Illinois , and then moved to theLos Angeles, California area when she was a teenager. Russell's extraordinary beauty brought her to the attention ofParamount 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) withRay Milland , and "Our Hearts Were Young and Gay " (1944), in which she co-starred withDiana Lynn . Russell later appeared in the more popular films, "Calcutta" (1947) withAlan Ladd , and two films withJohn Wayne , "Angel and the Badman " (1947) and "Wake of the Red Witch " (1948).Later career and personal life
She continued working after 1947, and married actor
Guy Madison in 1949, but by 1950, it was well known that she had become a victim ofalcoholism , 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.She was dragged into the nasty divorce trial of John Wayne and his wife, who accused Wayne of having an affair with Russell. Both Wayne and Russell strenuously denied the accusation.
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).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 inBrentwood, Los Angeles, California at the age of 36. She died from a heart attack attributed to alcohol. She was found to have been suffering from malnutrition at the time of her death. She was buried inValhalla Memorial Park Cemetery inNorth Hollywood, California .Filmography
*"Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour" (1943)
*"The Uninvited" (1944)
*"Our Hearts Were Young and Gay " (1944)
*"Salty O'Rourke" (1945)
*"The Unseen" (1945)
*"Our Hearts Were Growing Up" (1946)
*"The Bachelor's Daughters" (1946)
*"Angel and the Badman " (1947)
*"Calcutta" (1947)
*"Moonrise" (1948)
*"Night Has a Thousand Eyes " (1948)
*"Wake of the Red Witch " (1948)
*"Song of India " (1949)
*"El Paso" (1949)
*"The Great Dan Patch" (1949)
*"Captain China" (1950)
*"The Lawless" (1950)
*"Air Cadet" (1951)
*"Seven Men from Now " (1956)
*"The Tattered Dress" (1957)
*"No Place to Land" (1958)
*"The Silent Call" (1961)External links
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*Persondata
NAME= Russell, Gail
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Russell, Elizabeth L.
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Actress
DATE OF BIRTH=September 21 ,1924
PLACE OF BIRTH= Chicago,Illinois
DATE OF DEATH=August 27 ,1961
PLACE OF DEATH= Brentwood,California
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