// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Tony Russel? A star with a ton of mass appeal.
Tony Russel | |
|---|---|
 Russel in War Is Hell (1961) | |
| Born | Antonio Pietro Russo November 23, 1925 Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | March 18, 2017 (aged 91) |
Resting place | Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Boulder City, Nevada, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1952–1992 |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 1[2] |
Tony Russel (born Antonio Pietro Russo, and sometimes credited as Tony Russo or Tony Russell; November 23, 1925 – March 18, 2017) was an American actor. He was noted for having worked extensively in the Italian film industry in the mid-1960s, and for his work as a voice actor where he was the founder and president of the English Language Dubbers Association (ELDA) in Italy. He was one of several American actors who turned down the lead of A Fistful of Dollars.[3]
Biography
[edit]Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, from Italian immigrants, Russel served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He then studied at University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Russel founded the English Languages Dubbers Association of Rome (ELDA)[3] in 1954, providing dubbing services for films and becoming the leading English dubbing group in Europe.[4] He was responsible for uniting all of the rival organizations operating in the city,[3] and served as president until 1966, when he was succeeded by Roger Browne.[5]
After making Burt Topper's War is Hell (1963), he went to Italy first appearing in the title role of La leggenda di Fra Diavolo. He then appeared in several sword and sandal and Eurospy films, including Secret of the Sphinx (1964) and Gladiators Seven (1964). Russel played Zorro in Behind the Mask of Zorro (1965); he had originally tested for the role of Walt Disney's Zorro but lost out to Guy Williams.[6] Among Russel's starring roles are parts in the sci-fi epics Wild, Wild Planet (1965) and its sequel, War of the Planets filmed concurrently.
He left Italy for America in 1967, and later appeared in such films as The Hard Ride (1971) and Soul Hustler (1973).
He died on March 18, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada, aged 91, and is buried in Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery under his birth name, Antonio P. Russo.[7]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Hiawatha | Uncredited role. Directed by Kurt Neumann. | |
| 1954 | The Silver Chalice | Sicarii | Uncredited role. Directed by Victor Saville |
| 1955 | Jump into Hell | Radio Operator | Uncredited role. Directed by David Butler |
| Highway Patrol | Jimmy Wilson[8] | Season 1, Episode 11: "Retired Gangster", directed by Alvin Ganzer.[8] | |
| 1956 | Anything Goes | French Sailor | Uncredited role. Directed by Robert Lewis. |
| 1958 | King Creole | Chico | Uncredited role. Directed by Michael Curtiz. |
| 1959 | Don't Give Up the Ship | Lieutenant (s.g.) | Uncredited role. Directed by Normal Taurog. |
| Last Train from Gun Hill | Pinto | Uncredited role. Directed by John Sturges. | |
| 1961 | War Is Hell | Sgt. Keefer | Directed by Burt Topper. |
| 1962 | La leggenda di Fra Diavolo | Fra Diavolo | Directed by Leopoldo Savona. |
| 1963 | Il terrore dei mantelli rossi | Paolo | Directed by Mario Costa. |
| Gli invincibili sette | Leslio | Directed by Alberto De Martino. | |
| 1964 | The Thief of Damascus | Jesen | Directed by Mario Amendola. |
| L'ultima carica | Rocco Vardarelli | Directed by Leopoldo Savona. | |
| Gladiators Seven | Keros | Directed by Alberto De Martino. | |
| Hercules Against the Moon Men | Tirteo | Voice of the English version. Directed by Giacomo Gentilomo. | |
| Secret of the Sphinx | Thomas | Directed by Duccio Tessari. | |
| 1965 | Behind the Mask of Zorro | Patriciao / Alfonso / Zorro | Directed by Ricardo Blasco. |
| Three Weeks of Love | Bud | Directed by William E. Brusseau. | |
| 1966 | Wild, Wild Planet | Cmdr. Mike Halstead | Directed by Antonio Margheriti. |
| War of the Planets | |||
| Target Goldseven | Alan Milner | Directed by Alberto Leonardi. | |
| Honeymoon, Italian Style | Barone Frescobaldi | Directed by Mario Amendola. | |
| 1971 | The Hard Ride | Big Red | Directed by Burt Topper. |
| 1973 | Un ufficiale non si arrende mai nemmeno di fronte all'evidenza, firmato Colonello Buttiglione | Directed by Mino Guerrini. | |
| Soul Hustler | Evin Calder | Directed by Burt Topper. | |
| 1984 | The Vegas Strip War | Morgan Steinman | TV movie directed by George Englund. |
References
[edit]- ↑ "Tony Russo AKA Russel Obituary (2017) Kenosha News". Legacy.com.
- ↑ "Obituary: Jodean Lawrence". May 11, 2010.
- 1 2 3 Barnum, Michael Tony Russel Our Man On Gamma 1 -The Wild Wild Interview Video Watchdog No. 128 Dec/Feb 2007
- ↑ Variety advert from issue dated 12th May 1971.
- ↑ Roger Browne interview
- ↑ "Mary's Guy Williams Fan Site - Guy Williams: The Man Behind the Mask". guywilliams.tv. Archived from the original on March 5, 2010.
- ↑ "TONY RUSSO's Obituary on Las Vegas Review-Journal". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
- 1 2 "Highway Patrol - Season 1, Episode 11: "Retired Gangster" on IMDb". www.imdb.com. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1925 births
- 2017 deaths
- American male film actors
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- Male actors from Kenosha, Wisconsin
- Members of the English Language Dubbers Association of Rome
- Military personnel from Wisconsin
- United States Army Air Forces soldiers
- University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni