Russell Collins

Russell Collins (born Russell Henry Collins; October 11, 1897 – November 14, 1965) was an American actor whose 43-year career included hundreds of performances on stage, in feature films, and on television.
Early life
Born in 1897 in Indianapolis, Indiana, Russell Collins was the middle child of Emma (née Hughes) and Martin F. Collins' five children. He had a younger brother and sister, Raymond and Maxina, as well as an older brother and sister, Oren and Irene. By 1910, Russell's father had become disabled and jobless, so his mother supported him and the rest of the family by working as a seamstress from their home. Emma's responsibilities for the family were so predominant, in fact, that she is identified in the 1910 United States Census as "Head" of the Collins' household.
As a student in the Drama School at Carnegie Tech, Collins "first learned his trade in the days immediately following World War I." He also attended Indiana University and Northwestern University.
Career
Collins had roles in a few early Group Theatre productions with Success Story being his Broadway debut. Probably his most noted Broadway role was as the star of the 1935 musical play Johnny Johnson. He enjoyed a long career on Broadway, although by the late 1940s, he began to perform increasingly in Hollywood films and on television, where he appeared in teleplay dramas, as well as on Westerns, sitcoms, and on an array of other weekly series. He remained in high demand as a character actor and worked on television to shortly before his death. His 1957 appearance in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "The Night the World Ended" was a typical TV role, as was his 1962 role as a caring town doctor in “The Nancy Davis Story” on the TV Western Wagon Train (S5E33).
He played Doc in the 1950 London production of Mr. Roberts at the Coliseum Theatre with
Tyrone Power as Mr. Roberts and Jackie Cooper as Ensign Pulver.
Death
He died November 14, 1965, in West Hollywood, California. His gravesite is located in the Elsinore Valley Cemetery at Lake Elsinore, California.
Selected Broadway roles
Success Story (1932) as Harry Fisher
Both Your Houses (1933) as Peebles
Men in White (1933) as Dr. Cunningham
Gentlewoman (1934) as Havens
Gold Eagle Guy (1934) as a deserter and as Ed Walker
Till the Day I Die (1935) as Schlupp
Waiting For Lefty (1935) as Fatt and as Fayette and as Reilly
Paradise Lost (1935) as homeless man
Johnny Johnson (1935) as Johnny Johnson
The Star-Wagon (1937) as Hanus Wicks
Missouri Legend (1938) as Jim Cummins
Here Come the Clowns (1938) as John Dickinson
Morning's at Seven (1939) as Carl Bolton
The Moon is Down (1942) as Major Hunter
Carousel (1945) as Starkeeper and as Dr. Seldon
The Iceman Cometh (1946) as James Cameron
The Liar (1950) as Brighelia
Sabrina Fair (1953) as Fairchild
Sunrise at Campobello (1958) as Louis McHenry Howe (replacement)
Romulus (1962) as Achilles
Calculated Risk (1962) as Jonathan Travis
Filmography
References
External links
Russell Collins
Mr. Roberts
Johnny Johnson: An Appreciation
Museum of the City of New York photo of Russell Collins with Grouip Theatre members
1897 births
1965 deaths
American male stage actors
20th-century American male actors
American male film actors
American male telenovela actors
Male actors from Indianapolis
Indiana State University alumni