Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907 –
November 28,
1976) was an
American actress of stage and screen, known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy
Johnson in the
Howard Hawks screwball comedy
His Girl Friday (
1940), as well for her portrayals of
Mame Dennis in
Auntie Mame (
1958) and
Rose in
Gypsy (1962). She won all five
Golden Globes for which she was nominated, and
Meryl Streep was tied for wins until
2007 when
Streep was awarded a sixth.
Russell won a
Tony Award in
1953 for
Best Performance by an
Actress in a
Musical for her portrayal of
Ruth in the
Broadway show Wonderful Town (a musical based on the film
My Sister Eileen, in which she also starred).
Russell was known for playing character roles, exceptionally wealthy, dignified ladylike women, as well as for being one of the few actresses of her time who regularly played professional women, such as judges, reporters, and psychiatrists. She had a wide career span from the
1930s to the
1970s, and attributed her long career to the fact that, although usually playing classy and glamorous roles, she never became a sex symbol.
Russell started her career as a fashion model and was in many
Broadway shows.
Against parental objections, she took a job at a stock company for seven months at
Saranac Lake and then
Hartford, Connecticut.[7]
Afterwards, she moved to
Boston, where she acted for a year at a theatre group for
Edward E. Clive.
Later, she appeared in a revue in
New York (
The Garrick Gaieties). There, she took voice lessons and built a career in the opera, which was short-lived due to her inability to reach high notes.
In the early 1930s, Russell went west to
Los Angeles to be a contract actress for
Universal Pictures. When she first arrived on the lot, she was ignored by most of the crew and later told the press she felt terrible and humiliated at the studio, which had influence on her self-confidence. Unhappy with
Universal's leadership, and second-class film status at the time,
Russell set her sights on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (
MGM) and was able to get out of her Universal contract on her own terms. When MGM first approached her for a screen test, Russell was not enthusiastic, remembering Universal. When she met MGM's
Benny Thau and Ben Piazza, she was surprised, as they were "the soul of understanding." Her screen test was directed by
Harold S. Bucquet, and she later recalled that she was hired because of a closeup he took of her,
Picked up by MGM, Russell debuted in
Evelyn Prentice (1934). Although the role was small she was noticed, with one critic saying that she was "convincing as the woman scorned." She starred in many comedies, such as
Forsaking All Others (1934), and
Four's a Crowd (
1938), as well as dramas, including
Craig's Wife (1936) (which would be the film's second of three remakes;
Joan Crawford did the third) and
The Citadel (1938). Russell was first acclaimed when she co-starred with
Robert Young in the MGM drama
West Point of the Air (1935). One critic wrote: "Rosalind Russell as the 'other woman' in the story gives an intelligent and deft handling to her scenes with
Young." She quickly rose to fame and, by 1935, was seen as a replacement of actress
Myrna Loy, as she took many roles Loy was initially set for. Furthermore, one journalist claimed that she was the only newcomer of 1935 destined for stardom.
In her first years at
Hollywood, Russell was, both in her personal life and film career, characterized as a sophisticated lady. This dissatisfied Russell, who claimed in a 1936 interview:
Being typed as a lady is the greatest misfortune possible to a motion picture actress. It limits your characterizations, confines you to play feminine sops and menaces and the public never highly approves of either. An impeccably dressed lady is always viewed with suspicion in real life and when you strut onto the screen with beautiful clothes and charming manners, the most naive of theatergoers senses immediately that you are in a position to do the hero no good. I earnestly want to get away from this.
First, because I want to improve my career and professional life and, secondly because I am tired of being a clothes horse – a sort of hothouse orchid in a stand of wild flowers.
- published: 16 Nov 2014
- views: 330