Anecdotes

Enlisted in the US Marine Corps during WW II, was decorated for valor and received a field promotion to lieutenant during the battle of Guadalcanal. It was there he was wounded and also contracted a severe case of malaria. He was sent back to the US, hospitalized, and eventually received a medical discharge from the Corps.

Buried at a military cemetery in Westwood, CA.

Discovered by a talent agent while in a Beverly Hills (CA) restaurant.

Appeared in three Clint Eastwood movies.

Married twice. His first marriage lasted over 20 years before ending in divorce. His second marriage, to a much younger woman, lasted less than a year. He had three children.

Was frequently seen in westerns as tall, sneering villains.

He was one of many Hollywood celebrities who liked to make regular weekend visits to Ralph Helfer's Africa U.S.A. Exotic Animal Ranch in Soledad Canyon, CA, to pitch in with the chores and play with the animals.

Some references state his birth name as William Lawrence Russell, but U.S. Census records and California birth and death records confirm his birth name as John Lawrence Russell.

A supporting actor in adult westerns and other "A"-budget films after WWII, he was a lookalike for John Trent (1906-66), star of "B" action films of the 1930s and 1940s, such as the "Tailspin Tommy" series. The two men were not related (Trent's real name was LaVerne Brown).

In 1930 he lived at 338 S. Hobart Blvd., Los Angeles, CA.

Born at 12:5am-PST