Actor. He was a singer, female impersonator, and author. He starred in the movies "Outrageous" and "Outrageous II." He adopted his stage name in 1970 and performed in local clubs, impersonating legendary divas Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich and Janis Joplin, among others. Success led to performances across the continent and in Europe. As remarkable as the range of his characterizations was Russell's three octave vocal range that allowed him to impersonate Barbra Streisand singing in her own key. He became famous as a result of his starring role in the Canadian feature film Outrageous! (1977), directed by Richard Benne, for which he was awarded Best Actor by the 1978 Berlin Film Festival. He married his close friend, Lori Jenkins, in 1982. He had one daughter, Susan Allison, born 6 Jan 1973, in Toronto, Canada. Lori passed away on 15 Aug 2008 and was was laid to rest beside her husband.
Actor. He was a singer, female impersonator, and author. He starred in the movies "Outrageous" and "Outrageous II." He adopted his stage name in 1970 and performed in local clubs, impersonating legendary divas Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich and Janis Joplin, among others. Success led to performances across the continent and in Europe. As remarkable as the range of his characterizations was Russell's three octave vocal range that allowed him to impersonate Barbra Streisand singing in her own key. He became famous as a result of his starring role in the Canadian feature film Outrageous! (1977), directed by Richard Benne, for which he was awarded Best Actor by the 1978 Berlin Film Festival. He married his close friend, Lori Jenkins, in 1982. He had one daughter, Susan Allison, born 6 Jan 1973, in Toronto, Canada. Lori passed away on 15 Aug 2008 and was was laid to rest beside her husband.
Bio by: Dan
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Russell memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
