Russell Simpson (actor)

Russell McCaskill Simpson (17 June 1880 – 12 December 1959) was an American actor.

Russell Simpson
Simpson in 1923
Born	(1880-06-17)June 17, 1880 San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died	December 12, 1959(1959-12-12) (aged 79) Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Years active	1914-1959
Spouse	Gertrude Aller (1910-1959) (his death) 1 child
Children	Russell Jr. Roberta (b. 1918)

Biography

Simpson was born in San Francisco, California. He is best known for his work in the movies of John Ford. He is most famous for his portrayal of Pa Joad in The Grapes of Wrath in 1940.

Simpson reportedly prospected for gold in Alaska in his youth. By 1909 he had gone into the theatre. He appeared in at least two plays on Broadway between 1909 and 1912. He made his motion picture debut in Cecil B. DeMille's 1914 original movieversion of The Virginian. He only had a minor role in that movie. By 1923, when the movie was remade, Simpson had progressed to playing the lead villain.

Simpson was a familiar character actor for almost forty-five years as a member of the John Ford Stock Company. He worked up to 1959. His final movie was The Horse Soldiers. It was his tenth movie for Ford. He died in Woodland Hills, California 12 December 1959.

He was survived by his wife Gertrude. Simpson had two children, Russell Jr. and Roberta.

Selected filmography

• The Virginian (1914) (uncredited)
• Lovely Mary (1916)
• Blue Jeans (1917)
• The Deadlier Sex (1920)
• Under the Lash (1921)
• Peg o' My Heart (1922)
• The Virginian (1923)
• Annie Laurie (1927)
• The First Auto (1927)
• Now We're in the Air (1927)
• The Trail of '98 (1928)
• Abraham Lincoln (1930)
• Billy the Kid (1930)
• Law and Order (1932)
• Call Her Savage (1932)
• Frontier Marshal (1934)
• The World Moves On (1934)
• Wild West Days (1937 serial)
• Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)
• The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
• Virginia City (1940)
• Three Faces West (1940)
• Swamp Water (1941)
• The Spoilers (1942)
• Border Patrol (1943)
• Moonlight in Vermont (1943)
• Man from Frisco (1944)
• They Were Expendable (1945)
• A Boy and His Dog (1946)
• My Darling Clementine (1946)
• Bowery Buckaroos (1947)
• The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947)
• Coroner Creek (1948)
• Tap Roots (1948)
• Albuquerque (1948)
• Wagon Master (1950)
• The Sun Shines Bright (1953)
• Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
• The Last Command (1955)
• The Tin Star (1957)
• The Horse Soldiers (1959)

Other websites

• Russell Simpson on IMDb
• Russell Simpson at the Internet Broadway Database
• Russell Simpson at Find a Grave