\JOHN RUSSELL
THE LAWMAN
\
(January 3, 1921 – January 19, 1991)
American actor most noted for playing Marshal Dan Troop in the western television series Lawman from 1958 to 1962.
Born John Lawrence Russell in
Los Angeles, California,
he fit the
Hollywood image of tall,
dark, and handsome. He attended the
University of California as a student athlete.
Following the outbreak of
World War II, he joined
the
United States Marines,
received a battlefield commission as lieutenant at Guadalcanal, and returned
home after the war, a highly decorated veteran.
In 1955 Russell was given the lead role in a television drama called "Soldiers of Fortune." The half-hour adventure show placed him and his sidekick, played by Chick Chandler, in a dangerous jungle setting. While the show proved popular with young boys, it did not draw enough adult viewers to its prime slot and was canceled in 1957.
A year later, Russell was cast in his most memorable role as Marshal Dan Troop, the lead character in Lawman, an ABC western series that ran for five years. Co-starring with Peter Brown, who played Deputy Johnny McKay, Russell played a U.S. frontier peace officer mentoring his younger compatriot.
Russell appeared in other motion pictures, notably as a supporting player in the Howard Hawks 1959 western, Rio Bravo, which starred John Wayne, Dean Martin, and Walter Brennan. Through the 1960s to the 1980s, he returned to secondary roles, appearing in more than twenty films including three directed by his friend Clint Eastwood.
Few get to meet their hero's, I did!
John is buried in the Los Angeles, National Cemetery.
The grave is along the west fence, towards the south side.
AMERICAN GHOST TOWNS © of AMERICAN GHOST TOWNS.US and PASCHALL PUBLISHING, Redlands, CA. All images are the property of Paschall Publishing and may not be copied, duplicated or transmitted by any means without the express written permission of Paschall Publishing.
For information regarding this site email:
Ron@americanghosttowns.us
