| Nipsey Russell |
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Information AboutNipsey Russell |
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EARLY LIFE Born in at the Atlanta drive-in The Varsity , where he increased the tips he earned by making customers laugh. He was discovered after he began performing in nightclubs in the 1950s. He subsequently made many "party albums," which were essentially compilations of his stand-up routines. EARLY CAREER In the mid-1950s Russell joined forces with the popular movie comedian Mantan Moreland for a stage act, replacing Ben Carter as Moreland's dapper Straight Man . Moreland would engage Russell in conversation, only to be interrupted by Russell, who in turn was interrupted by Moreland: ::Moreland: Guess who I saw? I saw old — ::Russell: Is he back again? I thought he was — ::Moreland: He was, but he got out. ::Russell: Is that so? ::Moreland: Yeah, he was over — ::Russell: Is ''that'' so? Soon the entire conversation was conducted in incomplete sentences, with each man anticipating or contradicting the other. Moreland and Russell's act can be seen in two all-black-cast compilation films, '' Rhythm And Blues Review '' and '' Rock And Roll Revue ''; a variation of the act, performed by Tommy Davidson and Savion Glover , was featured in Spike Lee 's 2000 film '' Bamboozled ''. In the late 1950s, Russell appeared on '' The Ed Sullivan Show '', which led to a supporting part as a New York policeman in the sitcom '' Car 54, Where Are You? '' in 1960. In 1965 he became a co-host of ABC 's ''Les Crane Show''. During the 1970s, he was a co-star in the ABC sitcom '' Barefoot In The Park '' and appeared regularly on '' The Dean Martin Show '' and '' The Dean Martin Comedy World ''. Scattered appearances on television series followed, as well as occasional guest-host stints on '' The Tonight Show '' during the Johnny Carson era. GAME SHOW CAREER Russell became the first black performer to become a regular panelist on a weekly network game show when he joined ABC's '' Missing Links '' in 1964. Another ABC show, ''Rhyme or Reason'', had poetry for a premise, making Russell's participation a necessity: ::Host: Conny Van Dyke looks like a girl I once dated. ::Russell: And now, all my dreams are strictly X-rated! In 1971 he started as a featured panelist on '' To Tell The Truth '', which led to his being hired for '' The Match Game '' when Goodson-Todman Productions revived it two years later. He also served as panelist on the 1968 revival of '' What's My Line? '' Producer Bob Stewart featured him regularly as a panelist on '' Pyramid '' throughout its 1970s and 1980s runs. Russell would also host the short-lived 1985 game show '' Your Number's Up '' as well as the early-'80s revival of ''Juvenile Jury''. During his appearances on game shows, at some point in the broadcast the host would give the floor to Russell, who would recite a self-penned poem from memory, looking straight into the camera. One poem from a 1980s episode of ''The $100,000 Pyramid'' is typical of his style and wit: ::If you ever go out with a schoolteacher, ::You're in for a sensational night; ::She'll make you do it over and over again ::Until you do it ''right''. He was also a trained dancer, influenced in his youth by legendary performer Jack Wiggins . Russell put these talents to use in the 1978 musical '' The Wiz '' as the Tin Man. He also appeared on the big screen in 1994's adaptation of '' Car 54, Where Are You? '', reprising his roll as Anderson, who had now been promoted from sergeant to captain. LATER CAREER AND DEATH During the 1990s Mr. Russell gained popularity with a new generation of television viewers as a regular on '' Late Night With Conan O'Brien ''. Russell would often appear during comedy sketches between scheduled guests and deliver his trademark rhymes. Russell's final TV appearance was as a panelist for one week (specifically, a game show-themed week) on the final season of the Tom Bergeron version of '' Hollywood Squares ''. He died at age 87 in New York City , after suffering from Stomach Cancer . REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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