Elizabeth Russell (actress)

American actress (1916–2002)

John Russell

(m. 1937; div. 1942)

Children1

Elizabeth Russell (August 2, 1916 – May 4, 2002) was an American actress. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was best known for her roles in several of producer Val Lewton's low-budget horror films produced at RKO Pictures in the mid-1940s. She was the sister-in-law of Rosalind Russell.

Career

Russell worked as a photographer's model in New York City before she became an actress.^[1] When she was chosen for a part in Cat People (1942), Russell was a model who acted part-time. In his book Fearing the Dark: The Val Lewton Career, Edmund G. Bansak wrote, "Although lasting only moments, the economy of Russell's cameo is wondrous and it remains etched in viewers' memories long after the more essential concerns of plot and character have been all but forgotten."^[2]

Personal life

Russell married advertising man John Russell in 1937, they had a young son.^[3] In 1942, she was already divorced.^[4]

Partial filmography

Forgotten Faces (1936) - Girl
Girl of the Ozarks (1936) - Gail Rogers
My American Wife (1936) - Miss Van Dusen (uncredited)
Lady Be Careful (1936) - Dancer (uncredited)
Hideaway Girl (1936) - Cellette
Forty Naughty Girls (1937) - Woman Watching Piper Enter Theater (uncredited)
Miss Polly (1941) - Woman at Civic League Meeting (uncredited)
A Date with the Falcon (1942) - Girl On Plane (uncredited)
So's Your Aunt Emma (1942) - Zelda
The Corpse Vanishes (1942) - Countess Lorenz
Cat People (1942) - The Cat Woman (uncredited)
The McGuerins from Brooklyn (1942) - Jealous Woman (uncredited)
Stand by for Action (1942) - Expectant Mother (uncredited)
She Has What It Takes (1943) - Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Hitler's Madman (1943) - Maria Bartonek - Anton's Wife
The Seventh Victim (1943) - Mimi (uncredited)
A Scream in the Dark (1943) - Muriel
The Uninvited (1944) - The Ghost of Mary Meredith (uncredited)
Weird Woman (1944) - Evelyn Sawtelle
The Curse of the Cat People (1944) - Barbara Farren
Summer Storm (1944) - Dinner Guest Offended by Kuzma (uncredited)
Youth Runs Wild (1944) - Mabel Taylor
Keep Your Powder Dry (1945) - WAC Sergeant (uncredited)
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945) - Kola Hanson
Adventure (1945) - Dame #1 (uncredited)
Bedlam (1946) - Mistress Sims
Wild Stallion (1952) - Dan's School Teacher (uncredited)
Feudin' Fools (1952) - Ma Smith (uncredited)
So Big (1953) - Elsie (uncredited)
From the Terrace (1960) - Frolick's Woman (uncredited) (final film role)

References

^ Lane, Linda (July 3, 1936). "The Sun Tan Vogue Again Hits Film Capital". The Capital Journal. Oregon, Salem. p. 18. Retrieved November 23, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Bansak, Edmund G. (2003). Fearing the Dark: The Val Lewton Career. McFarland. p. 127. ISBN 9780786417094. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
^ "Lee, Flynn, Bergen". The St. Louis Star and Times. October 8, 1937. p. 23. Retrieved November 23, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Mank, Gregory William (2014). The Very Witching Time of Night: Dark Alleys of Classic Horror Cinema. McFarland. p. 234. ISBN 9780786449552. Retrieved October 11, 2017.