Russ Tamblyn Totally Explained

Everything about Russ Tamblyn totally explained

Russ Tamblyn (born Russell Irving Tamblyn on December 30, 1934) is an American actor who is arguably best known for his performance in the 1961 musical West Side Story as Riff, the leader of the Jets gang.

Early life

Born in 1934 in Los Angeles, California to actor Eddie Tamblyn.

Roles

Discovered at the age of ten by actor Lloyd Bridges after acting in a play, Tamblyn's first film appearance was a small non-speaking role in 1948's The Boy With Green Hair. Shortly thereafter, he portrayed the young Saul in Cecil B. DeMille's 1949 version of Samson and Delilah. He later had a minor role as Spencer Tracy's son and Elizabeth Taylor's younger brother in the 1950 version of Father of the Bride and the following year's sequel, Father's Little Dividend, both directed by Vincente Minnelli. His history as a champion gymnast in high school and abilities as an acrobat were well suited for his breakout role as Gideon, the youngest brother in 1954's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Other musical performances included the title role in 1958's tom thumb and Danny, one of the sailors in the 1955 film version of Hit the Deck. He next appeared as Riff, the leader of the Jets in the 1961 film West Side Story, an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name. He also portrayed Norman Page in the 1957 film adaptation of Peyton Place, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor.
In 1960 he portrayed The Cherokee Kid alongside Glenn Ford in Cimarron. He appeared in the 1962 Cinerama movie How the West Was Won with a notable cast that included Henry Fonda, Karl Malden, Gregory Peck, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart and John Wayne. He was seen the next year as Orm in The Long Ships, as Luke Sanderson in The Haunting, and as Lt. "Smitty" Smith in Follow the Boys. Tamblyn starred in the 1966 Japanese kaiju film War of the Gargantuas. Tamblyn played the supporting role in Neil Young's 1982 Human Highway while also credited for screenplay and choreography. He appeared in the horror film Necromancer in 1988. Tamblyn is self-credited as director, choreography and actor for Neil Young's Greendale concert tour.

Television Appearances

From 1990-1991, Tamblyn starred as Dr. Lawrence Jacoby on the David Lynch-created series Twin Peaks, though his scenes in the 1992 film were cut. In 1999, he portrayed Dr. Hayden on the soap opera Days of Our Lives and in 2000, he made an appearance with daughter Amber on another soap opera, General Hospital, as the character he portrayed ten years earlier on Twin Peaks. Tamblyn has also appeared in television series such as Fame, the 1980s spinoff of the film of the same name, Quantum Leap, Nash Bridges and Babylon 5.

Personal life

Tamblyn has been married three times and has three children from his first and third marriages. He is the father of actress Amber Tamblyn, who played the starring role in the CBS television series Joan of Arcadia. Tamblyn acted opposite his daughter in several episodes of the show as God in the form of a man walking a dog. The two have also worked together in Rebellious and Johnny Mysto: Boy Wizard.

Trivia

Appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show as a child.
Worked uncredited as a choreographer to Elvis Presley in 1957's Jailhouse Rock.
Was disappointed with his performance in West Side Story until he met Fred Astaire, who told him that he admired his work in the film.
Has portrayed a doctor six times throughout his career.
He is the older brother of Larry Tamblyn, drummer for the 1960s band The Standells.
Tamblyn looks down on his role in "War of the Gargantuas", but recently was shown it again and has less hatred toward it.

Awards

Year	Award	Result	Category/Recipient
1957	Academy Award	Nominated	Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Peyton Place (1957)
1956	Golden Globe Award	Won	Most Promising Newcomer - Male (shared with Ray Danton)
1959	Golden Laurel Award	Nominated	Top Male Musical Performance for tom thumb (1958)

Further Information

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