Tony Russel

{{Short description|American actor}} {{Use American English|date=October 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Tony Russel | image =  | alt =  | caption = | birth_name = Antonio Pietro Russo | birth_date = {{Birth date|1925|11|23}} | birth_place = Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2017|03|18|1925|11|23}} | death_place = Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | resting_place = Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Boulder City, Nevada, U.S. | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1952–1992 | spouse = {{unbulleted list |{{marriage|Jodean Lawrence|1951|1974|reason=divorced}} |{{marriage|Sascha Corwin|1985|2017}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/kenoshanews/name/tony-russel-obituary?id=6646909 | title=Tony Russo AKA Russel Obituary (2017) Kenosha News | website=Legacy.com }}</ref> }} | children = 1<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/obituary-jodean-lawrence/ | title=Obituary: Jodean Lawrence | date=11 May 2010 }}</ref> }} '''Tony Russel''' (born '''Antonio Pietro Russo''', and sometimes credited as '''Tony Russo''' or '''Tony Russell'''; November 23, 1925 – March 18, 2017) was an American actor. He was noted for having worked extensively in the Italian film industry in the mid-1960s, and for his work as a voice actor where he was the founder and president of the English Language Dubbers Association (ELDA) in Italy. He was one of several American actors who turned down the lead of ''A Fistful of Dollars''.<ref name="watchdog">Barnum, Michael ''Tony Russel Our Man On Gamma 1 -The Wild Wild Interview'' ''Video Watchdog'' No. 128 Dec/Feb 2007</ref>

==Biography== Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, from Italian immigrants, Russel served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He then studied at University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Russel founded the English Languages Dubbers Association of Rome (ELDA)<ref name="watchdog" /> in 1954, providing dubbing services for films and becoming the leading English dubbing group in Europe.<ref>Variety advert from issue dated 12th May 1971.</ref> He was responsible for uniting all of the rival organizations operating in the city,<ref name="watchdog" /> and served as president until 1966, when he was succeeded by Roger Browne.<ref>[http://www.coolasscinema.com/2018/08/an-american-gladiator-in-rome-interview.html?m=1 Roger Browne interview]</ref>

After making Burt Topper's ''War is Hell'' (1963), he went to Italy first appearing in the title role of ''La leggenda di Fra Diavolo''. He then appeared in several sword and sandal and Eurospy films, including ''Secret of the Sphinx'' (1964) and ''Gladiators Seven'' (1964). Russel played Zorro in ''Behind the Mask of Zorro'' (1965); he had originally tested for the role of Walt Disney's ''Zorro'' but lost out to Guy Williams.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guywilliams.tv/book.html|title=Mary's Guy Williams Fan Site - Guy Williams: The Man Behind the Mask|website=guywilliams.tv|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305013823/http://www.guywilliams.tv/book.html|archivedate=2010-03-05}}</ref> Among Russel's starring roles are parts in the sci-fi epics ''Wild, Wild Planet'' (1965) and its sequel, ''War of the Planets'' filmed concurrently.

He left Italy for America in 1967, and later appeared in such films as ''The Hard Ride'' (1971) and ''Soul Hustler'' (1973).

He died on March 18, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada, aged 91, and is buried in Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery under his birth name, Antonio P. Russo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://obits.reviewjournal.com/obituaries/lvrj/obituary.aspx?https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tony_Russel&action=editn=tony-russo&pid=184692254&fhid=10864|title=TONY RUSSO's Obituary on Las Vegas Review-Journal|website=Las Vegas Review-Journal}}</ref>

==Filmography== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Year !Film !Role !Notes |- |1952 |''Hiawatha'' | |Uncredited role. Directed by Kurt Neumann. |- |1954 |''The Silver Chalice'' |Sicarii |Uncredited role. Directed by Victor Saville |- | rowspan="2" |1955 |''Jump into Hell'' |Radio Operator |Uncredited role. Directed by David Butler |- |''Highway Patrol'' |Jimmy Wilson<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Highway Patrol - Season 1, Episode 11: "Retired Gangster" on IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1106985/?ref_=ttfc_fcr_epp_sm_1 |access-date=2026-04-01 |website=www.imdb.com}}</ref> |Season 1, Episode 11: "Retired Gangster", directed by Alvin Ganzer.<ref name=":0" /> |- |1956 |''Anything Goes'' |French Sailor |Uncredited role. Directed by Robert Lewis. |- |1958 |''King Creole'' |Chico |Uncredited role. Directed by Michael Curtiz. |- | rowspan="2" |1959 |''Don't Give Up the Ship'' |Lieutenant (s.g.) |Uncredited role. Directed by Normal Taurog. |- |''Last Train from Gun Hill'' |Pinto |Uncredited role. Directed by John Sturges. |- |1961 |''War Is Hell'' |Sgt. Keefer |Directed by Burt Topper. |- |1962 |''{{Interlanguage link multi|La leggenda di Fra Diavolo|it}}'' |Fra Diavolo |Directed by Leopoldo Savona. |- | rowspan="2" |1963 |''Il terrore dei mantelli rossi'' |Paolo |Directed by Mario Costa. |- |''{{Interlanguage link multi|Gli invincibili sette|it}}'' |Leslio |Directed by Alberto De Martino. |- | rowspan="5" |1964 |''The Thief of Damascus'' |Jesen |Directed by Mario Amendola. |- |''{{Interlanguage link multi|L'ultima carica|it}}'' |Rocco Vardarelli |Directed by Leopoldo Savona. |- |''Gladiators Seven'' |Keros |Directed by Alberto De Martino. |- |''Hercules Against the Moon Men'' |Tirteo |Voice of the English version. Directed by Giacomo Gentilomo. |- |''Secret of the Sphinx'' |Thomas |Directed by Duccio Tessari. |- | rowspan="2" |1965 |''Behind the Mask of Zorro'' |Patriciao / Alfonso / Zorro |Directed by Ricardo Blasco. |- |''Three Weeks of Love'' |Bud |Directed by William E. Brusseau. |- | rowspan="4" |1966 |''Wild, Wild Planet'' | rowspan="2" |Cmdr. Mike Halstead | rowspan="2" |Directed by Antonio Margheriti. |- |''War of the Planets'' |- |''Target Goldseven'' |Alan Milner |Directed by Alberto Leonardi. |- |''Honeymoon, Italian Style'' |Barone Frescobaldi |Directed by Mario Amendola. |- |1971 |''The Hard Ride'' |Big Red |Directed by Burt Topper. |- | rowspan="2" |1973 |''{{Interlanguage link multi|Un ufficiale non si arrende mai nemmeno di fronte all'evidenza, firmato Colonello Buttiglione|it}}'' | |Directed by Mino Guerrini. |- |''Soul Hustler'' |Evin Calder |Directed by Burt Topper. |- |1984 |''The Vegas Strip War'' |Morgan Steinman |TV movie directed by George Englund. |}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{Find a Grave|177764002}} * {{IMDb name|id=0750968|name=Tony Russel}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russel, Tony}} Category:1925 births Category:2017 deaths Category:American male film actors Category:American male stage actors Category:American male television actors Category:American male voice actors Category:Male actors from Kenosha, Wisconsin Category:Members of the English Language Dubbers Association of Rome Category:Military personnel from Wisconsin Category:United States Army Air Forces soldiers Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni