Actor / Director Profile

Anthony Russell has parlayed an extensive talent for music into an acting career that includes stage, film and television productions.As a child, Russell played harmonica, ukulele, guitar, trombone and piano. He worked his way through college playing and singing in a show band. After graduating Montclair State College with a major in trombone and a minor in piano, his band was booked as a Las Vegas lounge act in many of the major hotels. Russell even worked in the Atlantic City 500 Club where Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis first got together as a team.Encouraged by his best friend who recognized his talents, Russell journeyed to New York to study acting at HB Studios and eventually earned a coveted membership in the acclaimed Actors Studio. He appeared in four of the group's stage productions, and was also in the cast of "Lamppost Reunion" which won the best ensemble acting award at the Court Theater in Hollywood. Russell's other Theatrical appearances include, "A Streetcar Named Desire", "Guys & Dolls", "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" & "Two Gentelman of Verona".Russell also pursued stand-up comedy, and made appearances in many of the famed U.S. comedy clubs such as The Comedy Store, The Improv in Hollywood, The Ice House, and The Comedy Magic in Hermosa Beach. He also made comedic appearances on "The Merv Griffin Show", "The Dinah Shore Show", "Norm Crosby's Comedy Shop", "Madam's Place", "Make Me Laugh", and "The John Davidson Show" to name a few. He's opened for Las Vegas stars such as Frankie Avalon, Julie London, Roger Miller, Joe Williams, Tony Martins and Lou Rawls.Russell's film credits include "Bugsy" with Warren Beatty, "Casino" with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, "Ed Wood" with Johnny Depp and Martin Landau, "Out Of Justice" with Steven Segal, "Suddenly" with Kirstie Alley, "Living out Loud" with Holly Hunter and Danny De Vito, and "Winchell" with Stanley Tucci. On television, he was a recurring character on "The Fanelli Boys" and guest starred on "NYPD Blue", "Becker", "Home Improvement", "Mad About You", "Roseanne", "The George Carlin Show", "The Profiler", "Reba", "The John Larroquette Show", "Diagnosis Murder", "Silk Stalkings", "Night Court", "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch", "Family Law" and "Arliss."Russell continues to play piano everyday, loving the classic composers of American music, particularly The Gershwins, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, and Frank Leosser. Russell's also has a jazz band where he sings, plays, does stand-up and has wail of a time. Russell's other passions include watching old movies, walking with his beloved dog Angelo, learning old songs, and appreciating natural beauty. When time allows, he continues to work regularly at The Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas as a stand-up comedian.