Charles Russell (actor)

Charles Russell (March 31, 1918 – January 18, 1985) was an American movie and radio actor who appeared in 17 movies between 1943 and 1950. He was also a television producer who worked in Hollywood and Australia.

Acting career
Born in New York City, Russell made his debut in an uncredited part as a ball player in Ladies' Day (1943). His last film was Chinatown at Midnight (1949). He originated the role of insurance investigator Johnny Dollar in the CBS Radio series Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar in 1949, playing the role until being replaced by Edmond O'Brien in 1950.

Russell married fellow 20th Century-Fox contract player Nancy Guild in 1947, and they had one child, a daughter, Elizabeth, in 1949. They divorced in 1950.

Producer
Russell moved into television producing working on shows such as The Untouchables and Naked City.

He worked for a number of years in Australia at the ABC. John Cameron, head of drama at the ABC in the 1970s, said Russell "was a man of great talents, who had developed a drinking problem to help him cope with the pressures of Network American television. He was winning his battle, but still had bad spells. He gave the ABC a great shot in the arm, and built a degree of professionalism in its drama filming that continued to pay dividends long after he returned to America." Russell died in Beverly Hills, California.

Select Producing Credits

 * The Untouchables (1959-60) - producer
 * The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962) - producer
 * Arrest and Trial (1962)
 * Naked City (1962-63) - producer
 * Judd for the Defense (1967-68) - producer
 * Devlin (1971) - executive producer
 * The Survivor (1972) - script editor
 * Seven Little Australians (1973) - executive producer
 * Ben Hall (1974) - producer
 * Games for Parents and Other Children (1975) - producer