William Russell Hardie (May 20, 1904[1] or May 21, 1904[2] – July 21, 1973) was an American film actor.
Russell Hardie | |
|---|---|
 Hardie in Broadway to Hollywood (1933) | |
| Born | William Russell Hardie May 21, 1904 Buffalo, New York U.S. |
| Died | July 21, 1973 (aged 69) Clarence, New York U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1929–1966 |
Early years
editHardie was born in Griffins Mills, New York,[3] or Buffalo, New York.[1] He was the son of William and Katherine Hardie[2] (nee Katherine Pauly).[citation needed] Growing up, Hardie's family lived near the Roycroft community, and, although his father was a blacksmith, his career interests varied as he saw different craftspeople there demonstrate their skills. He quit school to work for his father, who eventually advised him to find another career because of the limited number of horses in Buffalo.[3]
Hardie continued his education in night school, studying shorthand and stenography. He worked briefly as a stenographer in the Erie Railroad's freight offices before he was made an office boy. More night school led to his becoming a full-fledged secretary. He left the railroad to work at a Ford plant but soon lost that job. His first involvement with acting came when he had a small part in a play while he worked for a stock theater company as its secretary. After two years that company failed, and he began selling vacuum cleaners.[3]
Career
editHardie moved to New York with $85 borrowed from his mother. When that money was gone, he found work with a stock theater company, after which he worked with stock troupes in Kansas City, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; and Greenwich, Connecticut. Following those engagements he made his Broadway debut in The Criminal Code, which ran for eight months in New York City and three months on the road.[3] He portrayed Bayard in the 1939 Broadway cast of The Primrose Path.[4]
He appeared in twenty-seven moving pictures between 1930 and 1966, including an uncredited part in Camille in 1936 and as a Pentagon general in Fail Safe in 1964.[5]
Death
editHe died on July 21, 1973, in Clarence, New York at age 69.[6]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | The Costello Case | Jimmie | |
| 1933 | Broadway to Hollywood | Ted Hackett Jr. | |
| 1933 | Stage Mother | Fred Lorraine | |
| 1933 | Christopher Bean | Warren Creamer | |
| 1934 | As the Earth Turns | Ed | |
| 1934 | Men in White | Dr. Michaelson | |
| 1934 | Operator 13 | Lt. Gus Littledale | |
| 1934 | Murder in the Private Car | John Blake | |
| 1934 | Pursued | David Landeen | |
| 1934 | Hell in the Heavens | 2nd Lt. Hartley | |
| 1934 | The Band Plays On | Mike O'Brien | |
| 1934 | Sequoia | Bob Alden | |
| 1935 | West Point of the Air | Phil Carter | |
| 1935 | Speed Devils | Dan Holden | |
| 1935 | In Old Kentucky | Dr. Lee Andrews | |
| 1936 | The Harvester | David Langston | |
| 1936 | Down to the Sea | John Kaminas | |
| 1936 | Meet Nero Wolfe | Manuel Kimball | |
| 1936 | Killer at Large | Tommy Braddock | |
| 1936 | Camille | Gustave | Uncredited |
| 1951 | The Frogmen | Capt. Radford | Uncredited |
| 1951 | The Whistle at Eaton Falls | Dwight Hawkins | |
| 1958 | Cop Hater | Detective Lt. Byrnes | |
| 1964 | Fail Safe | Gen. Stark | |
| 1966 | The Group | Mr. Davison | (final film role) |
References
edit- 1 2 "Russell Hardie". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
- 1 2 Wilson, Scott (September 5, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 315. ISBN 978-0-7864-7992-4. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 "Russell Hardie Got Chance As Actor Because He Looked Shoddy and Fresh From the Farm". St. Louis Star-Times. April 20, 1937. p. 16. Retrieved March 5, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Mantle, Burns (January 6, 1939). "The Primrose Path a Kind of Upstate Tobacco Road". New York Daily News. p. 49.
- ↑ Hal Erickson. "Russell Hardie". AllMovie. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ↑ "RUSSELL HARDIE, 69, CHARACTER ACTOR". The New York Times. July 23, 1973. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
External links
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