Russell Simpson
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.
Known For
Credits
- 1959 · The Horse Soldiers as Henry Goodbody
- 1958 · The Texan as Zeb Waters
- 1957 · The Tin Star as Clem Hall
- 1957 · Wagon Train as Mr. Carr
- 1957 · The Lonely Man as
- 1956 · The Brass Legend as Deputy 'Pop' Jackson
- 1956 · Friendly Persuasion as Brother Griffith - Elder (uncredited)
- 1955 · The 20th Century Fox Hour as Old Man
- 1955 · Sergeant Preston of the Yukon as
- 1955 · The Tall Men as Emigrant (uncredited)
- 1955 · The Last Command as The Parson
- 1954 · Broken Lance as Judge (uncredited)
- 1954 · Seven Brides for Seven Brothers as Fred Bixby
- 1954 · Public Defender as Lundquist
- 1953 · The Sun Shines Bright as Lewt Lake
- 1953 · Meet Me at the Fair as Sheriff Evans
- 1952 · The Ghost of Crossbone Canyon as Sam Stanton
- 1952 · Lone Star as Maynard Cole
- 1952 · Cavalcade of America as Quatermaster
- 1952 · Cavalcade of America as
- 1952 · Cavalcade of America as Judge Grant
- 1952 · Feudin' Fools as Grandpa Smith
- 1952 · Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair as Clem Johnson
- 1951 · Comin' Round the Mountain as Judge
- 1951 · The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok as Sam
- 1950 · Call of the Klondike as Andy McKay
- 1950 · Saddle Tramp as Pop
- 1950 · Wagon Master as Adam Perkins
- 1950 · The Outriders as Farmer (uncredited)
- 1949 · Free For All as Farmer
- 1949 · The Lone Ranger as Jack Brewster
- 1949 · The Gal Who Took the West as Bartender (as old Timer)
- 1949 · Tuna Clipper as Capt. Fergus MacLennan
- 1948 · Joan of Arc as Old Man with Pipe (uncredited)
- 1948 · Sundown in Santa Fe as Sheriff Jim Wyatt
- 1948 · The Untamed Breed as Minister
- 1948 · Tap Roots as Big Sam Dabney
- 1948 · Coroner Creek as Walt Hardison
- 1948 · Albuquerque as Abner Huggins
- 1947 · Bowery Buckaroos as Luke Barlow
- 1947 · The Fabulous Texan as Wade Clayton
- 1947 · The Romance of Rosy Ridge as Dan Yeary
- 1946 · A Boy and His Dog as Mr. Thornycroft
- 1946 · My Dog Shep as Mathew Hodgkins
- 1946 · My Darling Clementine as John Simpson
- 1946 · Death Valley as Old Silas Bagley
- 1946 · Bad Bascomb as Elijah Walker
- 1946 · California Gold Rush as Colonel Parker
- 1945 · They Were Expendable as 'Dad' Knowland
- 1945 · Along Came Jones as Pop de Longpre
- 1945 · Roughly Speaking as The Colonel - Drill Instructor (uncredited)
- 1944 · The Big Bonanza as Adam Parker
- 1944 · Roaring Guns as Farmer MacKenzie
- 1944 · Texas Masquerade as J.K. Trimble
- 1943 · The Woman of the Town as Sime
- 1943 · Moonlight in Vermont as Uncle Rufus
- 1943 · Riding High as Frenchy McGuire
- 1943 · Colt Comrades as Sheriff
- 1943 · Border Patrol as Orestes Krebs
- 1942 · Tennessee Johnson as Kirby
- 1942 · The Spoilers as Flapjack
- 1942 · Lone Star Ranger as Tom Duane
- 1942 · Nazi Agent as 2nd Captain (uncredited)
- 1942 · Shut My Big Mouth as Mayor Potter
- 1942 · Wild Bill Hickok Rides as Ned Nolan
- 1941 · Swamp Water as Marty McCord
- 1941 · Last of the Duanes as Tom Duane
- 1941 · Wild Geese Calling as Marshal Len Baker
- 1941 · Bad Men of Missouri as Hank Younger
- 1941 · Citadel of Crime as Jess Meekins
- 1941 · Meet John Doe as (uncredited)
- 1941 · Tobacco Road as Chief of Police
- 1940 · Santa Fe Trail as Shubel Morgan
- 1940 · Brigham Young as U.S. Army Major
- 1940 · Wyoming as Mr. Bronson
- 1940 · Three Faces West as Minister
- 1940 · Virginia City as Gaylord
- 1940 · The Grapes of Wrath as Pa Joad
- 1939 · Geronimo as Scout
- 1939 · Drums Along the Mohawk as Dr. Petry
- 1939 · Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as Kenneth Allen (uncredited)
- 1939 · Desperate Trails as Sheriff Big Bill Tanner
- 1939 · The Bill of Rights as Frontiersman
- 1939 · Western Caravans as Winchester Thompson
- 1939 · Young Mr. Lincoln as Woolridge (uncredited)
- 1939 · Dodge City as Orth
- 1938 · Heart of the North as Dave MacMillan
- 1938 · Valley of the Giants as McKenzie
- 1938 · The Girl of the Golden West as Fred - Outrider in Prologue
- 1938 · Gold Is Where You Find It as MacKenzie
- 1937 · That I May Live as Bish Plivens
- 1937 · Paradise Isle as Baxter
- 1937 · Wild West Days as Matt Keeler
- 1937 · Yodelin' Kid from Pine Ridge as Bayliss Baynum
- 1937 · Mountain Justice as Matthew Turnbull
- 1937 · Green Light as Sheep Man
- 1937 · Maid of Salem as Village Marshal (Uncredited)
- 1936 · Ramona as Scroggs
- 1936 · Back to Nature as Sheriff
- 1936 · San Francisco as 'Red' Kelly
- 1936 · Girl of the Ozarks as
- 1936 · The Harvester as Abner Prewett
- 1936 · Man Hunt as Jeff Parkington
- 1936 · Paddy O'Day as Benton
- 1935 · Way Down East as Squire Amasa Bartlett
- 1935 · Motive for Revenge as McAllister
- 1935 · The Hoosier Schoolmaster as Doc Small
- 1934 · West of the Pecos as Roy Neal
- 1934 · The World Moves On as Notary (1825)
- 1934 · Ever Since Eve as Jim Wood
- 1934 · Three on a Honeymoon as Ezra MacDuff
- 1934 · Carolina as Richards
- 1934 · Frontier Marshal as Editor Pickett
- 1934 · Sixteen Fathoms Deep as A.B. Crockett
- 1933 · The Power and the Glory as Professor (uncredited)
- 1933 · Stolen by Gypsies or Beer and Bicycles as Speaker
- 1933 · Face in the Sky as Pa Nathan Brown
- 1932 · Silver Dollar as Hamlin
- 1932 · Call Her Savage as Old Man in Wagon Train
- 1932 · The Cabin in the Cotton as Uncle Joe
- 1932 · Hello Trouble as Jonathan Kenyon
- 1932 · The Honor of the Press as Dan Perkins
- 1932 · Flames as Jake
- 1932 · The Riding Tornado as Sheriff
- 1932 · The Famous Ferguson Case as Banker Craig
- 1932 · Lena Rivers as Grandfather Nichols
- 1932 · Law and Order as Judge R.W. Williams
- 1932 · Ridin' for Justice as Marshal Joseph Slyde
- 1931 · Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) as Doctor
- 1931 · Alexander Hamilton as Harvey Taylor - First Ex-Soldier
- 1931 · The Great Meadow as Thomas Hall
- 1930 · Man to Man as Uncle Cal
- 1930 · Abraham Lincoln as Lincoln's Employer
- 1930 · Billy the Kid as Angus McSween
- 1930 · The Lone Star Ranger as Colonel John Aldridge
- 1929 · After the Fog as Joshua Barker
- 1929 · The Sap as The Banker
- 1929 · My Lady's Past as
- 1929 · All Faces West as Gunner Bill
- 1929 · Innocents of Paris as Emile Leval
- 1928 · Tropical Nights as Singapore Joe
- 1927 · Wild Geese as Caleb Gare
- 1927 · Now We're in the Air as Lord Abercrombie McTavish
- 1927 · The First Auto as Hank Armstrong
- 1927 · The Frontiersman as Andrew Jackson
- 1927 · Annie Laurie as Sandy
- 1926 · Lovey Mary as Stubbins
- 1926 · Rustlin' for Cupid as Hank Blatchford
- 1926 · The Earth Woman as Ezra Tilden
- 1925 · The Splendid Road as Capt. Lightfoot
- 1925 · The Eagle as The Eagle's Lieutenant / Coach Driver (uncredited)
- 1925 · Why Women Love as Silas Martin
- 1925 · Thunder Mountain as Si Pace
- 1925 · Paint and Powder as Riley
- 1925 · Faint Perfume as Grandpa Crumb
- 1925 · Old Shoes as
- 1925 · The Narrow Street as Garvey
- 1924 · Painted People as Fred Lane
- 1923 · The Virginian as Trampas
- 1923 · Defying Destiny as Mr. Wilkens
- 1923 · The Huntress as Big Jack Skinner
- 1923 · Circus Days as Eben Holt
- 1923 · The Girl of the Golden West as Jack Rance
- 1922 · The Kingdom Within as Caleb Deming
- 1922 · Peg o' My Heart as Jim O'Connell
- 1922 · Rags to Riches as The Sheriff
- 1922 · Human Hearts as Paul Logan
- 1922 · Across the Dead-Line as Enoch Kidder
- 1921 · Under the Lash as Simeon Krillet
- 1921 · Snowblind as Hugh Garth
- 1921 · Bunty Pulls the Strings as Tammas Biggar
- 1920 · Godless Men as 'Black' Pawl
- 1920 · The Branding Iron as John Carver
- 1920 · Lahoma as 'Brick' Willock
- 1920 · The Deadlier Sex as Jim Willis
- 1919 · Desert Gold as Ladd
- 1919 · Bill Apperson's Boy as Bill Apperson
- 1919 · The Brand as Dan McGill
- 1918 · Riders of the Night as Sally's Grandfather
- 1918 · The Uphill Path as James Lawton
- 1918 · The Border Legion as Overland Bradley
- 1918 · Breakers Ahead as Captain Scudder
- 1918 · A Weaver of Dreams as Martin Chandler
- 1917 · Blue Jeans as Jacob Tutwiler
- 1915 · The Old Homestead as Sheriff
- 1914 · The Virginian as Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
- Future · Radio Scout as Pappy Tolliver