Russell Simpson

Acting · 0.8 popularity

Age

146

Movies

198

Born: June 16, 1880 – December 12, 1959
From: Danville, California, USA

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Russell McCaskill Simpson (June 17, 1880, Danville, California – December 12, 1959, Woodland Hills, California) was an American character actor who appeared in over 500 movies. He is best known for his "grizzled old man" appearances. Gaunt, lanky, and rustic-sounding, Simpson was a familiar character actor for almost forty-five years, particularly as a member of the John Ford Stock Company. At age 18 Simpson prospected for gold in Alaska. He began taking acting classes in Seattle, Washington. In 1910 he married Gertrude Alter from New York City. By 1909, he had gone into the theatre. He appeared in at least two plays on Broadway between 1909 and 1912, and made his motion picture debut in Cecil B. DeMille's 1914 original film version of The Virginian in a bit part. By 1923, when the film was remade, Simpson had progressed to playing the lead villain. Throughout his career, Simpson worked for 12 years in road shows, stock companies, and on Broadway. He didn't usually perform lead roles, but he did star in many movies throughout the silent movie era. He performed a lead role as the grandfather in Out of the Dust (1920). Simpson is best known for his work in the films of John Ford and, in particular, for his portrayal of Pa Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940). His final film was The Horse Soldiers, his tenth film for Ford. Simpson worked up to 1959, the year of his death. He was the president of the Overseas Phonograph Accessories Corporation.

Works

198 films

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

19397.8

The Grapes of Wrath

19407.8

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

19547.1

The Tin Star

19577.0

The Tall Men

19556.5

My Darling Clementine

19467.5

Joan of Arc

19486.2

Oklahoma!

19556.6

The Horse Soldiers

19596.9

Friendly Persuasion

19566.6

Tall in the Saddle

19446.6

Tap Roots

19486.9

The Barrier

1917

Wagon Master

19506.7

Susan Lenox

19316.1

Meet John Doe

19417.3

Dodge City

19396.9

Young Mr. Lincoln

19397.2

Lovely Mary

1916

The Spoilers

19426.2

Santa Fe Trail

19405.8

Broken Lance

19546.5

They Were Expendable

19456.5

Lone Star

19525.7

Hello Trouble

19327.0

San Francisco

19366.6

Brigham Young

19404.6

Along Came Jones

19455.8

Carolina

19346.7

The Sun Shines Bright

19536.5

The Gal Who Took the West

19496.0

The Ghost of Crossbone Canyon

19529.0

Drums Along the Mohawk

19396.5

Breakers Ahead

1918

Snowblind

19219.0

The Lonely Man

19576.1

Swamp Water

19416.4

Defying Destiny

19236.7

Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair

19526.6

The Outriders

19507.3

The Last Command

19556.7

Desire

19237.0

Tobacco Road

19416.8

Parnell

19374.6

Painted People

192410.0

Virginia City

19406.3

Fighting Cressy

191910.0

Abraham Lincoln

19305.5

Coroner Creek

19486.2

Lahoma

192010.0

Gold Is Where You Find It

19387.0

Call Her Savage

19325.8

Saddle Tramp

19506.5

Comin' Round the Mountain

19516.1

Death Valley

19465.7

Geronimo

19395.3

Noisy Neighbors

19299.0

The Girl of the Golden West

19385.3

Law and Order

19325.0

Valley of the Giants

19386.7

Wild Bill Hickok Rides

19425.5

Oh, Johnny!

19188.0

Wild Geese Calling

19416.5

The Brand

1919

The Eagle

19256.3

Maid of Salem

19376.2

The Romance of Rosy Ridge

19476.7

Shut My Big Mouth

19428.3

Meet Me at the Fair

19538.5

The Lone Star Ranger

19307.0

Yodelin' Kid from Pine Ridge

19376.7

Albuquerque

19486.8

Nazi Agent

19426.6

Way Down East

19354.3

The Narrow Street

19258.0

The World Moves On

19345.9

Sundown in Santa Fe

194810.0

Man Hunt

193610.0

Secrets

19335.2

Green Light

19376.7

Old Shoes

19259.0

Colt Comrades

19435.9

Three on a Honeymoon

19347.0

Wild West Days

19378.0

Mountain Justice

19376.3

Annie Laurie

19276.8

Peg o' My Heart

19227.3

A Boy and His Dog

19465.9

The Social Highwayman

19268.0

Bad Bascomb

19467.3

Border Patrol

19436.2

Three Faces West

19405.7

Sixteen Fathoms Deep

19344.0

Tennessee Johnson

19426.4

Riding High

19435.6

Man to Man

19306.2

The Woman of the Town

19436.4

The Branding Iron

19207.0

The Untamed Breed

19486.5

Bad Men of Missouri

19416.2

Paddy O'Day

19367.0

Feudin' Fools

19525.5

Under the Lash

19219.0

Wyoming

19406.7

The Frontiersman

19279.0

Motive for Revenge

19356.3

Citadel of Crime

19419.0

Billy the Kid

19304.7

Flames

19324.3

Godless Men

19204.0

The Great Meadow

19316.0

Blue Jeans

19175.9

The Kingdom Within

192210.0

The Bill of Rights

19396.5

Now We're in the Air

19277.5

Texas Masquerade

19446.5

Girl of the Ozarks

19366.5

The Brass Legend

19566.3

The Virginian

19145.6

Face in the Sky

19335.8

Desperate Trails

19395.7

Heart of the North

19385.2

The Big Bonanza

19446.3

Bowery Buckaroos

19476.6

The Huntress

19238.0

Beauty and the Bad Man

19257.0

The Cabin in the Cotton

19326.3

Bill Apperson's Boy

1919

Free For All

19496.3

Lena Rivers

19327.0

Ramona

19365.8

Roughly Speaking

19456.8

Roaring Guns

19448.0

Moonlight in Vermont

19436.5

The Earth Woman

19268.0

The Honor of the Press

19328.0

The Deadlier Sex

19207.5

The Famous Ferguson Case

19326.6

The Heart of the Yukon

19277.0

The Old Homestead

1915

Paint and Powder

19257.0

After the Fog

19298.0

My Dog Shep

19466.3

Alexander Hamilton

19314.4

The Challenge Accepted

19188.0

Call of the Klondike

19507.3

Life's Mockery

19287.0

Back to Nature

19369.0

The Sap

192910.0

The Girl of the Golden West

19238.0

Rags to Riches

192210.0

Human Hearts

192210.0

Tuna Clipper

19497.8

Tropical Nights

19288.0

The Power and the Glory

19335.9

The Fabulous Texan

19476.5

Wild Geese

192710.0

West of the Pecos

19347.0

Innocents of Paris

19298.0

The Hoosier Schoolmaster

19354.3

Circus Days

19237.3

The First Auto

19275.8

The Border Legion

1918

Silver Dollar

19326.2

Stolen by Gypsies or Beer and Bicycles

19331.0

Thunder Mountain

19257.0

Faint Perfume

19257.0

The Harvester

19369.0

Frontier Marshal

19347.0

California Gold Rush

19467.5

My Lady's Past

19297.0

Lone Star Ranger

19425.3

Bunty Pulls the Strings

19218.0

Western Caravans

19397.0

Last of the Duanes

19416.5

Why Women Love

19259.0

Desert Gold

19199.0

Ever Since Eve

19349.0

The Food Gamblers

1917

The Bushranger

192810.0

The Blue Bandanna

1919

That I May Live

19377.3

The Riding Tornado

19327.0

The Re-Creation of Brian Kent

19257.0

Across the Dead-Line

19228.0

Ridin' for Justice

193210.0

A Weaver of Dreams

1918

Rustlin' for Cupid

19269.0

The Virginian

19236.5

Paradise Isle

19376.0

Lovey Mary

19268.0

All Faces West

19299.0

Riders of the Night

19187.0

The Splendid Road

19257.0

Radio Scout

1934

The Uphill Path

19187.0

Hearts Aflame

19239.0

Ship of Souls

19255.0