The Tragic Life of Gail Russell

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Cowboys, Creatures and Classics: The Story of Republic Pictures

One of Republic Pictures most popular actresses was one of the motion picture industries most troubled.  Her name was Gail Russell.  Russell, a beautiful brunette with dark, blue eyes, was a gifted talent who dreamed of becoming a commercial artist.  She was born Elizabeth L. Russell in Chicago on September 21, 1924.  Throughout her childhood she was painfully shy and often hid under her parents’ piano whenever guests came to their home.

The young girl only felt completely comfortable when she was sketching various people and places in her sphere of influence.  She began drawing at the age of five years old and was considered exceptional by most that saw her sketches and paintings.

When she was in her late teens, her mother, Gladys Russell, encouraged her to set aside her drawing pencils and venture into films.  Russell was fourteen when her parents moved to Los Angeles so their daughter could pursue their dream of her becoming a star.  She attended Santa Monica High School and as soon as she graduated, she auditioned for Paramount Pictures and signed a contract with the studio for $50 a week.

Russell’s shyness followed her as she began her career.  Acting instructors were hired to help her overcome her timidity, but it never completely subsided.

In 1946 Russell starred in the first of four films she made for Republic Pictures.  John Wayne coproduced The Angel and the Badman and specifically requested Gail Russell to play opposite him in the western written and directed by James Edward Grant.  Wayne was moved by her quiet, unassuming personality.  He treated her with the respect and kindness she’d not known from many other leading men or producers.  The two became good friends while working on the film.  Wayne was protective of Russell.  He recognized vulnerability in the actress some could have taken advantage of.  He was a father figure to Russell and she considered him to be a fiercely honest individual.

She was a success on screen, but her personal life was less so. Russell spent a month in a sanitarium learning to deal with the humiliation and hurt she experienced from a public divorce.  Once she was released, she resorted to drinking.  On November 26, 1953, Russell was arrested for drunk driving.  At her hearing two months later, the troubled actress was placed on two years’ probation with the condition she refrain from intoxicants, stay away from places where liquor was sold, and obtain medical treatment.  She was also ordered to pay a $150 fine.

On August 26, 1961, less than four years after her pledge about setting her life on a new course, Gail was found dead in her apartment.  She had lost her battle with alcohol.  Her body was discovered by neighbors that had stopped by to check on her.  Russell was lying on the floor next to an empty bottle of Vodka.  There were additional bottles of alcohol strewn about her home.

Gail Russell was thirty-six years old when she passed away.

To learn more about Western film actresses like Gail Russell read

Cowboys, Creatures and Classics: The Story of Republic Pictures