🎬 Movies Mates PEOPLE
Russell Simpson
Acting
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Russell McCaskill Simpson (June 17, 1880, Danville, California – December 12, 1959, Woodland Hills, California) was an American character actor who appeared in over 500 movies. He is best known for his "grizzled old man" appearances. Gaunt, lanky, and rustic-sounding, Simpson was a familiar character actor for almost forty-five years, particularly as a member of the John Ford Stock Company.
At age 18 Simpson prospected for gold in Alaska. He began taking acting classes in Seattle, Washington. In 1910 he married Gertrude Alter from New York City.
By 1909, he had gone into the theatre. He appeared in at least two plays on Broadway between 1909 and 1912,…
Read full biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Russell McCaskill Simpson (June 17, 1880, Danville, California – December 12, 1959, Woodland Hills, California) was an American character actor who appeared in over 500 movies. He is best known for his "grizzled old man" appearances. Gaunt, lanky, and rustic-sounding, Simpson was a familiar character actor for almost forty-five years, particularly as a member of the John Ford Stock Company. At age 18 Simpson prospected for gold in Alaska. He began taking acting classes in Seattle, Washington. In 1910 he married Gertrude Alter from New York City. By 1909, he had gone into the theatre. He appeared in at least two plays on Broadway between 1909 and 1912, and made his motion picture debut in Cecil B. DeMille's 1914 original film version of The Virginian in a bit part. By 1923, when the film was remade, Simpson had progressed to playing the lead villain. Throughout his career, Simpson worked for 12 years in road shows, stock companies, and on Broadway. He didn't usually perform lead roles, but he did star in many movies throughout the silent movie era. He performed a lead role as the grandfather in Out of the Dust (1920). Simpson is best known for his work in the films of John Ford and, in particular, for his portrayal of Pa Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940). His final film was The Horse Soldiers, his tenth film for Ford. Simpson worked up to 1959, the year of his death. He was the president of the Overseas Phonograph Accessories Corporation.
Biography expanded
BODY OF WORK
Russell Simpson's Filmography
Select any movie to open its full Movies Mates details page.
The Horse Soldiers
as Henry Goodbody
The Tin Star
as Clem Hall
The Lonely Man
The Brass Legend
as Deputy 'Pop' Jackson
Friendly Persuasion
as Brother Griffith - Elder (uncredited)
Oklahoma!
as The Minister (uncredited)
The Tall Men
as Emigrant (uncredited)
The Last Command
as The Parson
Broken Lance
as Judge (uncredited)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
as Fred Bixby
The Sun Shines Bright
as Lewt Lake
Meet Me at the Fair
as Sheriff Evans
The Ghost of Crossbone Canyon
as Sam Stanton
Lone Star
as Maynard Cole
Feudin' Fools
as Grandpa Smith
Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair
as Clem Johnson
Comin' Round the Mountain
as Judge
Call of the Klondike
as Andy McKay
Saddle Tramp
as Pop
Wagon Master
as Adam Perkins
The Outriders
as Farmer (uncredited)
Free For All
as Farmer
The Gal Who Took the West
as Bartender (as old Timer)
Tuna Clipper
as Capt. Fergus MacLennan
Joan of Arc
as Old Man with Pipe (uncredited)
Sundown in Santa Fe
as Sheriff Jim Wyatt
The Untamed Breed
as Minister
Tap Roots
as Big Sam Dabney
Coroner Creek
as Walt Hardison
Albuquerque
as Abner Huggins
Bowery Buckaroos
as Luke Barlow
The Fabulous Texan
as Wade Clayton
The Romance of Rosy Ridge
as Dan Yeary
A Boy and His Dog
as Mr. Thornycroft
My Dog Shep
as Mathew Hodgkins
My Darling Clementine
as John Simpson
Death Valley
as Old Silas Bagley
Bad Bascomb
as Elijah Walker
California Gold Rush
as Colonel Parker
They Were Expendable
as 'Dad' Knowland
Along Came Jones
as Pop de Longpre
Roughly Speaking
as The Colonel - Drill Instructor (uncredited)
The Big Bonanza
as Adam Parker
Tall in the Saddle
as Pat Foster (uncredited)
Roaring Guns
as Farmer MacKenzie
Texas Masquerade
as J.K. Trimble
The Woman of the Town
as Sime
Moonlight in Vermont
as Uncle Rufus
Riding High
as Frenchy McGuire
Colt Comrades
as Sheriff
Border Patrol
as Orestes Krebs
Tennessee Johnson
as Kirby
The Spoilers
as Flapjack
Lone Star Ranger
as Tom Duane
Nazi Agent
as 2nd Captain (uncredited)
Shut My Big Mouth
as Mayor Potter
Wild Bill Hickok Rides
as Ned Nolan
Swamp Water
as Marty McCord
Last of the Duanes
as Tom Duane
Wild Geese Calling
as Marshal Len Baker
Bad Men of Missouri
as Hank Younger
Citadel of Crime
as Jess Meekins
Meet John Doe
as (uncredited)
Tobacco Road
as Chief of Police
Santa Fe Trail
as Shubel Morgan
Brigham Young
as U.S. Army Major
Wyoming
as Mr. Bronson
Three Faces West
as Minister
Virginia City
as Gaylord
The Grapes of Wrath
as Pa Joad
Geronimo
as Scout
Drums Along the Mohawk
as Dr. Petry
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
as Kenneth Allen (uncredited)
Desperate Trails
as Sheriff Big Bill Tanner
The Bill of Rights
as Frontiersman
Western Caravans
as Winchester Thompson
Young Mr. Lincoln
as Woolridge (uncredited)
Dodge City
as Orth
Heart of the North
as Dave MacMillan
Valley of the Giants
as McKenzie
The Girl of the Golden West
as Fred - Outrider in Prologue
Gold Is Where You Find It
as MacKenzie
That I May Live
as Bish Plivens
Paradise Isle
as Baxter
Wild West Days
as Matt Keeler
Yodelin' Kid from Pine Ridge
as Bayliss Baynum
Parnell
as Dead Child's Father
Mountain Justice
as Matthew Turnbull
Green Light
as Sheep Man
Maid of Salem
as Village Marshal (Uncredited)
Ramona
as Scroggs
Back to Nature
as Sheriff
San Francisco
as 'Red' Kelly
Girl of the Ozarks
as Bascomb Rogers
The Harvester
as Abner Prewett
Man Hunt
as Jeff Parkington
Paddy O'Day
as Benton
Way Down East
as Squire Amasa Bartlett
Motive for Revenge
as McAllister
The Hoosier Schoolmaster
as Doc Small
West of the Pecos
as Roy Neal
Radio Scout
as Pappy Tolliver
The World Moves On
as Notary (1825)
Ever Since Eve
as Jim Wood
Three on a Honeymoon
as Ezra MacDuff
Carolina
as Richards
Frontier Marshal
as Editor Pickett
Sixteen Fathoms Deep
as A.B. Crockett
The Power and the Glory
as Professor (uncredited)
Stolen by Gypsies or Beer and Bicycles
as Speaker
Secrets
as Doctor (uncredited)
Face in the Sky
as Pa Nathan Brown
Silver Dollar
as Hamlin
Call Her Savage
as Old Man in Wagon Train
The Cabin in the Cotton
as Uncle Joe
Hello Trouble
as Jonathan Kenyon
The Honor of the Press
as Dan Perkins
Flames
as Jake
The Riding Tornado
as Sheriff
The Famous Ferguson Case
as Banker Craig
Lena Rivers
as Grandfather Nichols
Law and Order
as Judge R.W. Williams
Ridin' for Justice
as Marshal Joseph Slyde
Susan Lenox
as Doctor
Alexander Hamilton
as Harvey Taylor - First Ex-Soldier
The Great Meadow
as Thomas Hall
Man to Man
as Uncle Cal
Abraham Lincoln
as Lincoln's Employer
Billy the Kid
as Angus McSween
The Lone Star Ranger
as Colonel John Aldridge
After the Fog
as Joshua Barker
The Sap
as The Banker
My Lady's Past
All Faces West
as Gunner Bill
Noisy Neighbors
as Ebenezer
Innocents of Paris
as Emile Leval
Tropical Nights
as Singapore Joe
No Poster
The Bushranger
as Sir Eric
No Poster
Life's Mockery
as Wolf Miller
Wild Geese
as Caleb Gare
Now We're in the Air
as Lord Abercrombie McTavish
The First Auto
as Hank Armstrong
The Frontiersman
as Andrew Jackson
No Poster
The Heart of the Yukon
as 'Cash' Cynon
Annie Laurie
as Sandy
Lovey Mary
as Stubbins
The Social Highwayman
as The Mayor's Partner
Rustlin' for Cupid
as Hank Blatchford
The Earth Woman
as Ezra Tilden
No Poster
Ship of Souls
as Angus Garth
The Splendid Road
as Capt. Lightfoot
The Eagle
as The Eagle's Lieutenant / Coach Driver (uncredited)
Why Women Love
as Silas Martin
Thunder Mountain
as Si Pace
Paint and Powder
as Riley
Faint Perfume
as Grandpa Crumb
No Poster
Old Shoes
Beauty and the Bad Man
as Chuckwalla Bill
The Re-Creation of Brian Kent
as Jap Taylor
The Narrow Street
as Garvey
Painted People
as Fred Lane
Desire
as Patrick Ryan
No Poster
Defying Destiny
as Mr. Wilkens
The Virginian
as Trampas
The Huntress
as Big Jack Skinner
Circus Days
as Eben Holt
The Girl of the Golden West
as Jack Rance
Hearts Aflame
as Black Joe
No Poster
The Kingdom Within
as Caleb Deming
Peg o' My Heart
as Jim O'Connell
Rags to Riches
as The Sheriff
Human Hearts
as Paul Logan
Across the Dead-Line
as Enoch Kidder
Under the Lash
as Simeon Krillet
Snowblind
as Hugh Garth
Bunty Pulls the Strings
as Tammas Biggar
Godless Men
as 'Black' Pawl
The Branding Iron
as John Carver
Lahoma
as 'Brick' Willock
The Deadlier Sex
as Jim Willis
Fighting Cressy
as Hiram McKinstry
Desert Gold
as Ladd
The Blue Bandanna
as Jim Yancy
Bill Apperson's Boy
as Bill Apperson
The Brand
as Dan McGill
The Challenge Accepted
as Uncle Zeke Sawyer
Oh, Johnny!
as Adele's Father
Riders of the Night
as Sally's Grandfather
No Poster
The Uphill Path
as James Lawton
The Border Legion
as Overland Bradley
Breakers Ahead
as Captain Scudder
A Weaver of Dreams
as Martin Chandler
Blue Jeans
as Jacob Tutwiler
The Food Gamblers
as Samuel Sloane
The Barrier
as John Gaylord / John Tale
Lovely Mary
as Peter Nelson
No Poster
The Old Homestead
as Sheriff
The Virginian
as Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)