Rosalind Russell | |
|---|---|
 Russell in 1955 | |
| Born | Catherine Rosalind Russell[1] (1907-06-04)June 4, 1907 Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | November 28, 1976(1976-11-28) (aged 69) |
| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery |
| Other names | C.A. McKnight |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1929–1972 |
| Known for | |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical Hollywood Walk of Fame |
Catherine Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907 – November 28, 1976) was an American actress,model, comedian, screenwriter, and singer,[2] known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson in theHoward Hawks screwball comedyHis Girl Friday (1940), oppositeCary Grant, as well as for her role of catty Sylvia Fowler inGeorge Cukor'sThe Women (1939), oppositeJoan Crawford andNorma Shearer, and for her portrayals of Mame Dennis in the1956 stage and1958 film adaptations ofAuntie Mame, andRose inGypsy (1962). A noted comedienne,[3] she received various accolades, including fiveGolden Globe Awards and aTony Award, in addition to nominations for fourAcademy Awards and aBAFTA Award. Russell has been honored with aJean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1973 andScreen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1975.
In addition to her comedic roles, Russell was known for playing dramatic characters, often wealthy, dignified, and stylish women. She was one of the few actresses of her time to portray women in professional roles such as judges, reporters, and psychiatrists.[4] Russell's career spanned from the 1930s to the 1970s and she attributed this longevity to the fact that, although she had many glamorous roles, she never became asex symbol.[5]
Catherine Rosalind Russell was one of seven children born inWaterbury, Connecticut, to James Edward, a lawyer,[6] and Clara A. Russell (née McKnight),[7] a teacher. The Russells were an Irish-American, Catholic family.[8] She was named aftera ship on which her parents had traveled.[8] Russell attended Catholic schools, including the women's-onlyRosemont College in Rosemont, Pennsylvania andMarymount College inTarrytown, New York. She then attended theAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Her parents thought Russell was studying to become a teacher and were unaware that she was planning to become an actress.[9] Upon graduation from the performing arts school, Russell acted insummer stock and joined a repertory company in Boston.
Russell began her career as a fashion model and was in many Broadway shows. Against parental objections, she took a job with a stock company for seven months at Saranac Lake, New York, and then Hartford, Connecticut.[9] Afterwards, she moved to Boston, where she acted for a year with a theater group run byEdward E. Clive. Later, she appeared in a revue in New York (The Garrick Gaieties). There, she took voice lessons and had a brief career in opera, which was cut short because she had difficulty reaching high notes.[9]
In the early 1930s, Russell went to Los Angeles, where she was hired as a contract player forUniversal Studios. When she first arrived on the lot, she was ignored by most of the crew and later told the press she felt terrible and humiliated at Universal, which affected her self-confidence.[10] Unhappy with Universal's leadership, and second-class studio status at the time, Russell set her sights onMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and was able to get out of her Universal contract on her own terms. When MGM first approached her for a screen test, Russell was wary, remembering her experience at Universal. However, when she met MGM'sBenny Thau and Ben Piazza, she was surprised; they were "the soul of understanding".[10] Her screen test was directed byHarold S. Bucquet, and she later recalled that she was hired because of a closeup he took of her.[10]
Under contract to MGM, Russell debuted inEvelyn Prentice (1934). Although the role was small, she received good notices, with one critic saying that she was "convincing as the woman scorned".[11] She starred in many comedies such asForsaking All Others (1934) andFour's a Crowd (1938), as well as dramas, includingCraig's Wife (1936) (the second of three film adaptations of theplay of the same name;Joan Crawford starred in the third) andThe Citadel (1938). Russell was acclaimed when she co-starred withRobert Young in the MGM dramaWest Point of the Air (1935). One critic wrote: "Rosalind Russell as the 'other woman' in the story gives an intelligent and deft handling to her scenes with Young."[12] She quickly rose to fame, and by 1935, was seen as a replacement for actressMyrna Loy, as she took many roles for which Loy was initially set.[13]
In her first years in Hollywood, Russell was characterized, both in her personal life and film career, as a sophisticated "lady". This dissatisfied Russell, who said in a 1936 interview:
Being typed as a lady is the greatest misfortune possible to a motion picture actress. It limits your characterizations, confines you to play feminine sops and menaces and the public never highly approves of either. An impeccably dressed lady is always viewed with suspicion in real life and when you strut onto the screen with beautiful clothes and charming manners, the most naive of theatergoers senses immediately that you are in a position to do the hero no good. I earnestly want to get away from this. First, because I want to improve my career and professional life and, secondly because I am tired of being a clothes horse – a sort of hothouse orchid in a stand of wild flowers.[14]
Russell approached directorFrank Lloyd for help changing her image, but instead, Lloyd cast her as a wealthy aristocrat inUnder Two Flags (1936).[14] She was then cast as catty gossip Sylvia Fowler in the comedyThe Women (1939), directed byGeorge Cukor. The film was a major hit, boosting Russell's career and establishing her reputation as a comedienne.[citation needed]
Russell continued to display her talent for comedy in the classicscrewball comedyHis Girl Friday (1940), directed byHoward Hawks. In the film, a reworking of Ben Hecht's storyThe Front Page, Russell plays quick-witted ace reporter Hildy Johnson, who is also the ex-wife of her newspaper editor Walter Burns (Cary Grant). Russell had been, as she put it, "Everyone's fifteenth choice" for the role of Hildy in the film. Before her being cast, Howard Hawks had askedKatharine Hepburn,Irene Dunne,Claudette Colbert,Jean Arthur,Margaret Sullavan, andGinger Rogers if they would like to play the brash, fast-talking reporter in his film. All of them refused.[15] Russell found out about this while riding on a train to New York, when she read an article inThe New York Times stating that she had been cast in the film and listing all the actresses who had turned down the part.[citation needed]
In the early 1940s, Russell starred in therom-comsThe Feminine Touch (1941) andTake a Letter, Darling (1942). InAlexander Hall's comedy filmMy Sister Eileen (1942), she played older sister Ruth Sherwood. She received her firstAcademy Award nomination forMy Sister Eileen.[16] She then starred inSister Kenny (1946), portraying real-lifeSisterElizabeth Kenny, anAustralian bush nurse who fought to helppolio victims. She won her firstGolden Globe and received her secondAcademy Award nomination. InMourning Becomes Electra (1947), she plays a youngNew Englander who exacts vengeance after the murder of her father. She won her secondGolden Globe and got her thirdAcademy Award nomination; she was highly favored to win, to the point that Russell actually began to rise from her seat just before the winner's name was called. However, it wasLoretta Young, and not Russell, who was named Best Actress, for her performance inThe Farmer's Daughter.[17] She followed up with the murder mysteryThe Velvet Touch (1948).
Russell scored a big hit on Broadway with herTony Award-winning performance in the musicalWonderful Town (1953), a musical version of her successful film of a decade earlier,My Sister Eileen. Russell reprised her starring role for a 1958 television special.[citation needed]
Perhaps her most memorable performance was in the title role of the long-running stage comedyAuntie Mame (based on aPatrick Dennis novel) as well as the1958 film version, in which she played an eccentric aunt whose orphaned nephew comes to live with her. When asked with which role she was most closely identified, she replied that strangers who spotted her still called out, "Hey, Auntie Mame!". For the film version, she won theLaurel Award for Top Female Comedy Performance and her thirdGolden Globe, and received her firstBAFTA nomination and fourthAcademy Award nomination. For the stage version, she received a nomination for theTony Award for Best Actress in a Play. Patrick Dennis dedicated his secondAuntie Mame novel,Around the World with Auntie Mame, to "the one and only Rosalind Russell" in 1958.[18]
She continued to appear in movies through the mid-1960s, includingPicnic (1955),A Majority of One (1961),Five Finger Exercise (1962),Gypsy (1962; winning her fifthGolden Globe),The Trouble with Angels (1966), and its sequelWhere Angels Go, Trouble Follows (1968). Russell was the logical choice for reprising her role as Auntie Mame when the musical versionMame was set for a production on Broadway in 1966, but she declined for health reasons.[citation needed]
In addition to her acting career, Russell (under the name C.A. McKnight) also wrote the story for the filmThe Unguarded Moment (1956), a story of sexual harassment starringEsther Williams.[19] Russell used the pen name C.A. McKnight again in 1971, when she was credited as screenwriter for adapting the novelThe Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax into the screenplay forMrs. Pollifax-Spy, in which she also starred.[20] It was Russell's last big screen role.
In 1972, Russell received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement.[21] She also has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.
Russell is honored at the Rosalind Russell Medical Research Center for Arthritis. Her portrait and a description of her work hang in the lobby, as Congress made a grant in 1979 to establish the research center, in honor of her Congressional appointment to the National Commission on Arthritis.[22]
On October 25, 1941, Russell married Danish-American producer Frederick Brisson (1912–1984), son of actorCarl Brisson.[23]Cary Grant was responsible for the couple having met and was the best man at Frederick and Rosalind's wedding. Brisson had been traveling from England to the United States by ship in 1939, andThe Women was playing on an endless loop during the voyage. After hearing the audio for the film day after day while traveling, Brisson decided he had better sit down and watch the whole film. He became so enamored with Russell's performance as Sylvia Fowler that he turned to his friends and proclaimed: "I'm either gonna kill that girl, or I'm gonna marry her."[24]
Brisson stayed with Cary Grant in his guest house while Grant was filmingHis Girl Friday. Upon hearing that Grant was making the movie with Russell, Brisson asked his friend if he could meet her.[24] Cary Grant then spent weeks greeting Russell each morning on set with the question "Have you met Freddie Brisson?" in an effort to pique the actress's curiosity. One night, when Russell opened her door to let Grant in before they went dancing, as they often did, she found him standing next to a stranger. Grant sheepishly explained that the odd fellow was Freddie Brisson, the man whom he had mentioned so often, and they set off for dinner, with Freddie in tow.
Russell and Brisson were married for 35 years, until her death. They had one child in 1943, a son, Carl Lance Brisson.[1][25]
Russell was a registeredRepublican who supportedRichard Nixon's 1960 presidential campaign.[26]
Russell was a devoutCatholic and a member of the Good Shepherd Parish and the Catholic Motion Picture Guild inBeverly Hills, California.[27]
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Russell died of breast cancer on November 28, 1976.[25] She was survived by her husband and her son. She is buried inHoly Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.[28]
Russell has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame in the 1700 block of Vine Street.[29]
Her autobiographyLife Is a Banquet, written withChris Chase, was published a year after her death. The foreword (written by her husband) states that Russell had a mental breakdown in 1943. She did not act in films in 1944. Details are scant, but the book indicates that health problems and the deaths of a sister and a brother were major factors leading to her breakdown.[30] Russell had rheumatoid arthritis, and an arthritis research center at theUniversity of California, San Francisco bears her name.[31]
In 2009, the documentary filmLife Is a Banquet: The Life of Rosalind Russell, narrated byKathleen Turner, was shown at film festivals across the U.S. and on some PBS stations.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Guest | episode:Never Wave at a WAC |
| 1953 | What's My Line? | Mystery Guest | Air date: January 4, 1953 |
| 1955 | The Loretta Young Show | Guest Hostess | episode:Week-End in Winnetka episode:Fear Me Not |
| 1956 | General Electric Theater | Cynthia | episode:The Night Goes On |
| 1958 | Wonderful Town | Ruth Sherwood | TV movie |
| 1959 | Startime | Host | episode:The Wonderful World of Entertainment |
| 1972 | The Crooked Hearts | Laurita Dorsey | TV movie Last appearance in any medium |
| Production Dates | Title | Role | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 16, 1930 – October 1930 | The Garrick Gaieties | Performer | Musical revue | |
| April 20, 1931 – April 1931 | Company's Coming | Miss Mallory | Comedy | |
| February 25, 1953 – July 3, 1954 | Wonderful Town | Ruth Sherwood | Musical | Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical |
| October 31, 1956 – June 28, 1958 | Auntie Mame | Auntie Mame | Comedy | Nominated -Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play |
| Year | Program | Episode/Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Lux Radio Theatre | Stage Door role of Terry[32] |
| 1940 | Screen Guild Players | Ninotchka[33] |
| 1941 | Lux Radio Theatre | Craig's Wife[32] |
| 1951 | Screen Directors Playhouse | Take a Letter, Darling[34] |
| 1952 | Theatre Guild on the Air | The Damask Cheek[35] |
