James Vincent Russo (born April 23, 1953) is an American film and television actor. He has appeared in over 150 films in three decades.

Early life

Russo was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, New York, to an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

father and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

mother. A graduate of the High School of Art and Design and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

(NYU), he wrote and starred in the prize-winning short film ''The Candy Store''. Before his first break in acting, he drove for a cab company, worked as a construction worker and a gravedigger. He was raised in

Flushing, New York Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and the i ...

and spent his formative years on 156th street.

Career

Russo's first role in his acting career was in the 1981 made-for-television film '' Chicago Story''. He then went on to star in many hit films of the 1980s. His big break (but small role) came in the 1982 comedy film ''

Fast Times at Ridgemont High ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' is a 1982 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling (in her feature directorial debut), from a screenplay by Cameron Crowe, based on his 1981 book ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story ...

'', as a convenience store robber. In 1984, he appeared in ''

Beverly Hills Cop ''Beverly Hills Cop'' is a 1984 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Martin Brest, screenplay by Daniel Petrie Jr., story by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr., and starring Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit cop ...

'' as Mikey Tandino, a friend of

Axel Foley Detective Axel Foley is a fictional character, portrayed by Eddie Murphy, and is the titular protagonist of the ''Beverly Hills Cop (film series), Beverly Hills Cop'' film series. He is ranked 55 on ''Empire (film magazine), Empire'' magazine's ...

who is murdered. That same year he starred in '' The Cotton Club'' and played small-time hood Bugsy in Sergio Leone's ''

Once Upon a Time in America ''Once Upon a Time in America'' ( it, C'era una volta in America) is a 1984 epic crime film co-written and directed by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone and starring Robert De Niro and James Woods. The film is an Italian–American venture prod ...

''. Russo's other big role was as a brutal rapist in the 1986 drama '' Extremities'', opposite Farrah Fawcett. He starred in the 1988 drama-suspense-thriller film ''Freeway''. Russo's film roles in the 1990s include '' State of Grace'' (1990), '' A Kiss Before Dying'' (1991), and ''

My Own Private Idaho ''My Own Private Idaho'' is a 1991 American independent adventure drama film written and directed by Gus Van Sant, loosely based on Shakespeare's ''Henry IV, Part 1'', '' Henry IV, Part 2'', and ''Henry V''. The story follows two friends, Mike ...

'' (1991). Russo also had roles in the 1994 Western '' Bad Girls'', the 1997 films ''

The Postman ''The Postman'' is a post-apocalyptic dystopia science fiction novel by David Brin. It is about a man wandering the desolate Oregon countryside who finds a United States Postal Service uniform, which he puts on and then claims he is a mail carri ...

'', and '' Donnie Brasco''. In 2009 he had a small role in

Michael Mann Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television who is best known for his distinctive style of crime drama. His most acclaimed works include the films ''Thief'' (1981), ...

's '' Public Enemies'' as a member of

John Dillinger John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times an ...

's gang. In 2003, Russo was reunited with his co-star from ''The Postman'',

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actor ...

, in the Western film ''

Open Range In the Western United States and Canada, open range is rangeland where cattle roam freely regardless of land ownership. Where there are "open range" laws, those wanting to keep animals off their property must erect a fence to keep animals out; th ...

''. He made guest appearances in many TV dramas and films, including '' The Equalizer'', ''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs, two M ...

'', '' CSI'', '' CSI: Miami'', and ''

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

''. In the summer of 2009, Russo starred in the psychological thriller '' 7E'' with

Brendan Sexton III Brendan Eugene Sexton III (born February 21, 1980) is an American actor. Life and career Born in Staten Island, New York, Sexton made his film debut in Todd Solondz's '' Welcome to the Dollhouse'' playing the troubled bully Brandon McCarthy, fo ...

, John Savage and

Natasha Lyonne Natasha Bianca Lyonne Braunstein ( ; born April 4, 1979) is an American actress, director, writer, and producer. She is known for playing Nicky Nichols on the Netflix comedy-drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019), for which she ...

. The film was released on December 10, 2013. Russo had a supporting role in

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...

's 2012 film ''

Django Unchained ''Django Unchained'' () is a 2012 American revisionist Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson, with Walton Goggins, Dennis Ch ...

''. In 2011, Russo provided video game voice talent for '' Rage'' and provided additional voice work for '' Star Wars: The Old Republic''. He appeared on

Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stor ...

's music video for " Of the Night".

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Stage

Music videos

Awards

References

External links

* * *
James Russo
(Aveleyman) {{DEFAULTSORT:Russo, James 1953 births Living people American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from New York City 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors New York University alumni People from Flushing, Queens American people of Italian descent American people of German descent