What is Russell Simpson (actor)?
{{Infobox person | name = Russell Simpson | image = Russell Simpson, silent film actor (SAYRE 8953).jpg | imagesize = | caption = Simpson in 1923 | birth_date = {{birth date|1880|6|17}} | birth_place = [[San Francisco, California]], [[U.S.]] | death_date = {{death date and age|1959|12|12|1880|6|17}} | death_place = [[Woodland Hills, California]], U.S. | yearsactive = 1914-1959 | spouse = Gertrude Aller (1910-1959) (his death) 1 child | children = Russell Jr.<br>Roberta (b. 1918) | birth_name = | othername = | website = }} '''Russell McCaskill Simpson''' (17 June 1880 – 12 December 1959) was an [[Americans|American]] [[actor]]. ==Biography== Simpson was born in [[San Francisco, California]]. He is best known for his work in the [[movie]]s of [[John Ford]]. He is most famous for his portrayal of Pa Joad in ''[[The Grapes of Wrath (movie)|The Grapes of Wrath]]'' in 1940. Simpson reportedly prospected for gold in Alaska in his youth. By 1909 he had gone into the theatre. He appeared in at least two plays on [[Broadway theater|Broadway]] between 1909 and 1912. He made his [[motion picture]] debut in [[Cecil B. DeMille]]'s 1914 original movieversion of ''[[The Virginian (1914 movie)|The Virginian]]''. He only had a minor role in that movie. By 1923, when the movie was remade, Simpson had progressed to playing the lead villain. Simpson was a familiar character actor for almost forty-five years as a member of the [[John Ford Stock Company]]. He worked up to 1959. His final movie was ''[[The Horse Soldiers]]''. It was his tenth movie for Ford. He died in [[Woodland Hills, California]] 12 December 1959. He was survived by his wife Gertrude. Simpson had two children, Russell Jr. and Roberta.<ref>U.S. Census for 1920, Los Angeles, California, Sheet 10B</ref> ==Selected filmography== {{div col|cols=2}} * ''[[The Virginian (1914 movie)|The Virginian]]'' (1914) (uncredited) * ''[[Lovely Mary]]'' (1916) * ''[[Blue Jeans (1917 movie)|Blue Jeans]]'' (1917) * ''