Russell Simpson (actor)

Russell Simpson (actor)
Russell McCaskill Simpson (June 17, 1880 – December 12, 1959) was an American character actor.
Early life
Russell Simpson was born on June 17, 1880 (other sources indicate 1877) in Danville, California. He attended grammar school in the Danville District in Contra Costa County, California; he graduated on July 2, 1892. At age 18, Simpson prospected for gold in Alaska. He began taking acting classes in Seattle, Washington. He was married to Gertrude Aller from New York City on January 19, 1910.
Career
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. Simpson didn't usually perform lead roles, but he did star in many movies throughout the silent movie era. He did perform a lead role as the grandfather in Out of the Dust (1920) and the father in The First Auto (1927).
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 in 1940. He was 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. He worked up to 1959, the year of his death. His final film was The Horse Soldiers, his tenth film for Ford. Simpson was the president of the Overseas Phonograph Accessories Corporation. He died on December 12, 1959, in Woodland Hills, California. Simpson had appeared in over 500 movies throughout his life.
Selected filmography
The Old Homestead (1915) as Sheriff
Lovely Mary (1916) as Peter Nelson
The Feud Girl (1916) as Zeb Bassett
The Barrier (1917) as John Gaylord / John Tale
The Food Gamblers (1917) as Samuel Sloane
Blue Jeans (1917) as Jacob Tutwiler
A Weaver of Dreams (1918) as Martin Chandler
Breakers Ahead (1918) as Captain Scudder
Riders of the Night (1918) as Sally's Grandfather
The Uphill Path (1918) as James Lawton
The Border Legion (1918) as Overland Bradley
Oh, Johnny! (1918) as Adele's Fatther
The Challenge Accepted (1918) as Uncle Zeke Sawyer
Fighting Cressy (1919) as Hiram McKinstry
Desert Gold (1919) as Ladd
The Deadlier Sex (1920) as Jim Willis
Lahoma (1920) as Brick Willock
The Branding Iron (1920) as John Carver
Godless Men (1920) as 'Black' Pawl
Bunty Pulls the Strings (1921) as Tammas Biggar
Under the Lash (1921) as Simeon Krillet
Shadows of Conscience (1921) as Jim Logan
Across the Dead-Line (1922) as Enoch Kidder
Fools of Fortune (1922) as Magpie Simpkins
Human Hearts (1922) as Paul Logan
Rags to Riches (1922) as The Sheriff
Peg o' My Heart (1922) as Jim O'Connell
The Kingdom Within (1922) as Caleb Deming
Hearts Aflame (1923) as Black Joe
The Girl of the Golden West (1923) as Jack Rance
Circus Days (1923) as Eben Holt
The Huntress (1923) as Big Jack Skinner
Defying Destiny (1923) as Mr. Wilkens
The Virginian (1923) as Trampas
Desire (1923)
Painted People (1924) as Fred Lane
The Narrow Street (1925) as Gaarvey
Beauty and the Bad Man (1925) as Chuckwalla Bill
Old Shoes (1925)
Paint and Powder (1925) as Riley
Thunder Mountain (1925) as Si Pace
The Splendid Road (1925) as Capt. Lightfoot
The Ship of Souls (1925) as Angus Garth
The Earth Woman (1926) as Ezra Tilden
Rustling for Cupid (1926) as Hank Blatchford
The Social Highwayman (1926) as The Mayor's Partner
Lovey Mary (1926) as Stubbins
God's Great Wilderness (1927) as Richard Stoner
Annie Laurie (1927) as Sandy
The Heart of the Yukon (1927) as 'Cash' Cynon
The Frontiersman (1927) as Andrew Jackson
The First Auto (1927) as Hank Armstrong
Now We're in the Air (1927) as Lord Abercrombie McTavish
Wild Geese (1927) as Caleb Gare
The Trail of '98 (1928) as Old Swede (scenes deleted)
Life's Mockery (1928) as Wolf Miller
The Bushranger (1928) as Sir Eric
Tropical Nights (1928) as Singapore Joe
Noisy Neighbors (1929) as Ebenezer
All Faces West (1929) as Gunner Bill
Innocents of Paris (1929) as Emile Leval
After the Fog (1929) as Joshua Barker
The Lone Star Ranger (1930) as Colonel John Aldridge
Abraham Lincoln (1930) as Lincoln's Employer
Billy the Kid (1930) as Angus McSween
Man to Man (1930) as Uncle Cal
The Great Meadow (1931) as Thomas Hall
Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) (1931) as Doctor
Ridin' for Justice (1932) as Marshal Joseph Slyde
Law and Order (1932) as Judge R.W. Williams
Lena Rivers (1932) as Grandfather Nichols
The Riding Tornado (1932) as Sheriff
The Famous Ferguson Case (1932) as Banker Craig
The Honor of the Press (1932) as City Editor Dan Perkins
Hello Trouble (1932) as Jonathan Kenyon
Cabin in the Cotton (1932) as Uncle Joe
Call Her Savage (1932) as Old Man in Wagon Train
Silver Dollar (1932) as Hamlin
Face in the Sky (1933) as Pa Nathan Brown
Sixteen Fathoms Deep (1934) as A.B. Crockett
Frontier Marshal (1934) as Editor Pickett
Carolina (1934) as Richards
Three on a Honeymoon (1934) as Ezra MacDuff
Ever Since Eve (1934) as Jim Wood
The World Moves On (1934) as Notary (1825)
West of the Pecos (1934) as Roy Neal
The County Chairman (1935) as Vance Jimmison
The Hoosier Schoolmaster (1935) as Doc Small
Motive for Revenge (1935) as McAllister
Way Down East (1935) as Squire Amasa Bartlett
Paddy O'Day (1936) as Benton
Man Hunt (1936) as Jeff Parkington
The Harvester (1936) as Abner Prewett
Girl of the Ozarks (1936) as Bascomb Rogers
San Francisco (1936) as Red Kelly
The Crime of Dr. Forbes (1936) as Sheriff Neil
Back to Nature (1936) as Sheriff (uncredited)
Ramona (1936) as Scroggs
Wild Brian Kent (1936) as Race Judge (uncredited)
Green Light (1937) as Sheep Man
Maid of Salem (1937) as Village Marshal (uncredited)
Mountain Justice (1937) as Mr. Matthew Turnbull
That I May Live (1937) as Bish Plivens
Parnell (1937) as Dead Child's Father (uncredited)
Yodelin' Kid from Pine Ridge (1937) as Bayliss Baynum
Wild West Days (1937) as Matt Keeler
Paradise Isle (1937) as Baxter
Gold is Where You Find It (1938) as MacKenzie
Valley of the Giants (1938) as McKenzie
Heart of the North (1938) as Dave MacMillan
Dodge City (1939) as Jack Orth
Desperate Trails (1939) as Sheriff Big Bill Tanner
Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) as Dr. Petry
The Grapes of Wrath (1940) as Pa Joad
Virginia City (1940) as Frank Gaylord
Three Faces West (1940) as Minister
Brigham Young (1940) as U.S. Army Major
Tobacco Road (1941) as Chief of Police
Citadel of Crime (1941) as Jess Meekins
Bad Men of Missouri (1941) as Hank Younger
Wild Geese Calling (1941) as Marshal Len Baker
Last of the Duanes (1941) as Tom Duane
Swamp Water (1941) as Marty McCord
Nazi Agent (1942) as 2nd Captain (uncredited)
Wild Bill Hickok Rides (1942) as Edward 'Ned' Nolan
Shut My Big Mouth (1942) as Mayor Potter
The Lone Star Ranger (1942) as Tom Duane
The Spoilers (1942) as Flapjack Sims
Tennessee Johnson (1942) as Kirby
Border Patrol (1943) as Orestes Krebs
Colt Comrades (1943) as Sheriff (uncredited)
Moonlight in Vermont (1943) as Uncle Rufus
The Woman of the Town (1943) as Sime
Texas Masquerade (1944) as J.K. Trimble
Man from Frisco (1944) as Dr. Hershey
The Big Bonanza (1944) as Adam Parker
Along Came Jones (1945) as Pop de Longpre
Incendiary Blonde (1945) as Jenkins (uncredited)
They Were Expendable (1945) as 'Dad' Knowland
California Gold Rush (1946) as Colonel Parker
Bad Bascomb (1946) as Elijah Walker
Death Valley (1946) as Old Silas Bagley
My Darling Clementine (1946) as John Simpson
My Dog Shep (1946) as Matt Hodgkins
A Boy and His Dog (1946, Short) as Mr. Thornycroft
The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947) as Dan Yeary
Bowery Buckaroos (1947) as Sheriff Luke Barlow
The Fabulous Texan (1947) as Wade Clayton
Albuquerque (1948) as Abner Huggins
Coroner Creek (1948) as Walt Hardison
Tap Roots (1948) as Big Sam Dabney
Sundown in Santa Fe (1948) as Sheriff Jim Wyatt
Tuna Clipper (1949) as Capt. Fergus MacLennan
The Gal Who Took the West (1949) as Bartender (as old Timer)
Free for All (1949) as Farmer
Wagon Master (1950) as Adam Perkins
Saddle Tramp (1950) as Pop
Call of the Klondike (1950) as Andy McKay
Comin' Round the Mountain (1951) as Judge
Lone Star (1952) as Senator Maynard Cole
Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair (1952) as Clem Johnson
Feudin' Fools (1952) as Grandpa Smith
Meet Me at the Fair (1953) as Sheriff Evans
The Sun Shines Bright (1953) as Dr. Lewt Lake
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) as Mr. Bixby
Broken Lance (1954) as Judge (uncredited)
The Last Command (1955) as The Parson
The Brass Legend (1956) as Deputy 'Pop' Jackson
The Tin Star (1957) as Clem Hall
The Horse Soldiers (1959) as Sheriff Goodbody
References
External links
Russell Simpson papers at L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Brigham Young University
1880 births
1959 deaths
20th-century American male actors
American male film actors
American male stage actors
American male silent film actors
Male Western (genre) film actors
Male actors from San Francisco
Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
People from Danville, California