Anne Russell, an actress who appeared in multiple Broadway productions spanning several decades, passed away earlier this week at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey. She was 103 years old.
Russell was born on March 22, 1923, in Raleigh, North Carolina, and began her entertainment career as a vocalist performing with local bands before relocating to New York. She established herself as a featured vocalist for orchestras and developed a nightclub act that included comedic impressions. Her work earned recognition from Ed Sullivan, who praised her in his newspaper column, and she made two appearances on his CBS variety program.
Her theatrical career included an early role as Electra in a national tour of Gypsy in 1961. She made her Broadway debut in 1965 in Flora, the Red Menace, directed by George Abbott and starring Liza Minnelli. That same year, she began her involvement with Hello, Dolly! as a standby for Mary Martin, eventually touring for more than two years with the production across the United States and internationally in Tokyo, Vietnam, and South Korea. She also stood in for Betty Grable and Ginger Rogers during the tour.
Russell’s involvement with Mame began with a national tour in 1965, followed by additional engagements in summer productions, bus and truck tours, Las Vegas performances, and dinner theater productions. While performing overseas with Hello, Dolly!, she organized a military entertainment group called The Rice Paddy Seven. Later in her career, she coached other performers in their roles and appeared in additional theatrical productions including The Boy Friend, Forty Carats, and Oklahoma!.
Beyond stage work, Russell appeared in television and radio commercials as a spokesperson and voiceover performer. In 2001, she worked alongside Debbie Reynolds, Shirley MacLaine, Joan Collins, and Elizabeth Taylor in the ABC telefilm These Old Broads, co-written by Carrie Fisher. In her later years, she pursued adventurous activities, learning to skydive at age 88 and zip-lining at age 90. A long-term Upper West Side Manhattan resident, Russell made provisions to donate a portion of her estate to the Entertainment Community Fund.
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