Nipsey Russell
Acting
1918-09-15 · Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Julius "Nipsey" Russell (September 15, 1918 – October 2, 2005) was an American comedian, best known today for his appearances as a guest panelist on game shows from the 1960s through the 1990s, especially Match Game, Password, Hollywood Squares, To Tell the Truth and Pyramid. His appearances were distinguished in part by the short, humorous poems he would recite during the broadcast. These lyrics became so closely associated with Russell that Dick Clark, Bill Cullen, Betty White, and others regularly referred to him as "the poet laureate of television." He also had a leading role in the film version of The Wiz. Russell was also a frequent guest on Dean Martin's Celebrity Roasts.
Filmography
100 Centre Street
2001 · Series
Spin City
1996 · Series
Car 54, Where Are You?
1994 · Movie
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993 · Series
Posse
1993 · Movie
Wildcats
1986 · Movie
Your Number's Up
1985 · Series
Dream One
1984 · Movie
$weepstake$
1979 · Series
Fame
1978 · Movie
The Wiz
1978 · Movie
Wiz on Down the Road
1978 · Movie
The Love Boat
1977 · Series
Police Woman
1974 · Series
The Dean Martin Comedy World
1974 · Series
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
1973 · Series
Match Game
1973 · Series
Barefoot in the Park
1970 · Series
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
1970 · Movie
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
1968 · Series
The Strolling '20s
1966 · Movie
The Dean Martin Show
1965 · Series
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962 · Series
The Merv Griffin Show
1962 · Series
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
1957 · Series
The Red Skelton Show
1951 · Series
The Bob Hope Show
1950 · Series
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948 · Series