John Russell

John Russell was born January 3, 1921 in Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of California as a drama student and a student athlete. In 1942, he joined the United States Marine Corps and was decorated for valor at Guadalcanal. In 1943, he married for the first time. He was honorably discharged from the Corps in 1944. In 1945, he was "discovered" and cast in a number of B-movies as villains or secondary leads.

In 1955-1956, Russell starred as handsome Tim Kelly, adventurer for hire, in the syndicated half-hour TV series Soldiers of Fortune. When the series ended, Russell performed in other movies and made guest appearances in Maverick, Cheyenne, and Sugarfoot before starring in Lawman as the taciturn, morally upright, unbending Marshal Dan Troop.

During the 4 year run of Lawman Russell starred in two feature films Yellowstone Kelly with Clint Walker and Rio Bravo with John Wayne. He later appeared with Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider. He made guest appearances in a variety of television series over the years.

Russell's marriage fell apart after Lawman was canceled. He made another stab at marriage around 1970 but the marriage lasted less than a year. He died of emphysema on January 19, 1991 and received a military funeral. He was buried at a military cemetery in Westwood California.