Nipsey Russell
Acting
Born: 1918-09-15 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Biography
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.
Known For
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
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Match Game
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The Love Boat
Dan Manhoney
The Merv Griffin Show
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Late Night with Conan O'Brien
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The Red Skelton Show
Nipsey Ralston
The Red Skelton Show
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Spin City
Nipsey Russell
Police Woman
Charlie Witt
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
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Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Self (uncredited)
The Ed Sullivan Show
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The Dean Martin Show
The Bob Hope Show
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The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
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$weepstake$
100 Centre Street
Wallace Roy
The Wiz
Tinman
Posse
Snopes
Wildcats
Ben Edwards
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
Self (archive footage)
Dream One
Mr. Rip / Benjamin
Car 54, Where Are You?
Police Captain Dave Anderson
Fame
Vinny
Wiz on Down the Road
Tinman
Your Number's Up
Host
The Strolling '20s
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