Russ Tamblyn

Russell Irving Tamblyn (born December 30, 1934), also known as Rusty Tamblyn, is an American film and television actor and dancer.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Tamblyn trained as a gymnast in his youth. He began his career as a child actor for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Tamblyn appeared in the musical '' Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' (1954). He subsequently portrayed Norman Page in the drama '' Peyton Place'' (1957), for which he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In ''West Side Story'' (1961), he portrayed Riff, the leader of the Jets gang.

In the 1970s, Tamblyn appeared in several exploitation films. He worked as a choreographer in the 1980s. In 1990, he starred as Dr. Lawrence Jacoby in David Lynch's television drama ''Twin Peaks''. He reprised the role in the show's 2017 revival.

Early life

Tamblyn was born on December 30, 1934, in Los Angeles, California, to actors Sally Aileen (Triplett) and Edward Francis "Eddie" Tamblyn. His younger brother, Larry Tamblyn, was the organist for the 1960s band the Standells.

Tamblyn was a hyperactive child with a penchant for gymnastics and performing. He took the stage during intermissions at the local movie theater and gave tumbling performances. When he was 13, Tamblyn lived in North Hollywood and studied dramatics under Grace Bowman and dancing at the North Hollywood Academy, owned and operated by his parents.

Career

1948–1952: Child acting

Tamblyn wanted to be a circus performer and was skilled in acrobatics and dancing as a child. He developed a musical act that involved singing, dancing, juggling and comedy.

Tamblyn's first professional job came when he was ten years old and was cast by actor Lloyd Bridges in a play Bridges was directing, ''The Stone Jungle'', alongside Dickie Moore. During the play's run Tamblyn was seen by several talent scouts and an agent, who signed him. The agent arranged for Tamblyn to audition for a role in '' The Boy with Green Hair'' (1948), and he was given a small part.

Tamblyn appeared as young Saul in Cecil B. DeMille's '' Samson and Delilah'' (1949). "That was a big break for me", he later said. "After that I worked a lot."

Tamblyn appeared in ''Reign of Terror'', then was given a role in '' The Kid from Cleveland'' (1949)—billed third (as "Rusty Tamblyn") after stars George Brent and Lynn Bari—and in ''What Happened to Jo Jo?'' (1950).

Tamblyn played the younger Bart Tare (played as an adult by John Dall) in the film noir '' Gun Crazy'' (1950) and Elizabeth Taylor's younger brother in '' Father of the Bride'' (also 1950) and its sequel, '' Father's Little Dividend'' (1951), at MGM. He appeared in ''Captain Carey, U.S.A.'' (1950), '' The Gangster We Made'' (1950), ''As Young as You Feel'' (1951), '' Cave of Outlaws'' (1951), '' Retreat, Hell!'' (1952), and '' The Winning Team'' (1952).

1953–1962: MGM and leading roles

MGM was impressed by Tamblyn's performance in ''Retreat, Hell!'' and signed him to a long-term contract. He called this "the second big break" of his career.

Tamblyn's first role under the contract was as a young soldier in boot camp in '' Take the High Ground!'' (1953), directed by Richard Brooks. His training as a gymnast and abilities as an acrobat prepared him for his breakout role as Gideon, the youngest brother, in '' Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' (1954). Tamblyn has said the director wanted to cast a Broadway dancer but MGM insisted the filmmakers use some contract talent, so he and Jeff Richards were cast.

Tamblyn was not a trained dancer and always considered himself an actor who danced rather than the other way around, but the film was a big success and established him at MGM. He has said his career "really took off" after the film.

Tamblyn was one of many studio contract players in the musical '' Deep in My Heart'' (1954). He played Eleanor Parker's brother in the Western '' Many Rivers to Cross'' (1955) and was one of several young MGM actors (including Jane Powell and Debbie Reynolds) in the musical '' Hit the Deck'' (1955).

Tamblyn supported older actors in two Westerns: Robert Taylor and Stewart Granger in '' The Last Hunt'' (1956), a flop; and Glenn Ford and Broderick Crawford in '' The Fastest Gun Alive'' (1956), a big hit in which he performed an extraordinary "shovel" dance at a hoedown. He served (uncredited) as a choreographer for Elvis Presley in 1957's '' Jailhouse Rock''. MGM loaned Tamblyn to Allied Artists for his first star role, '' The Young Guns'' (1957). Back at MGM, he supported Glenn Ford and Gia Scala in '' Don't Go Near the Water'' (1957), a comedy set among members of the U.S. Navy.

20th Century Fox borrowed Tamblyn to play Norman Page in '' Peyton Place'' (1957) opposite Lana Turner and Diane Varsi, a performance for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Tamblyn then went to England to play the title role in the musical ''Tom Thumb'' (1958), made for George Pal. When he returned, MGM cast him as the lead in '' High School Confidential'' (1958), which was a solid hit.

Tamblyn's career momentum was interrupted when he was drafted into the United States Army in 1958. During his service he was given leave to play a prominent supporting part in '' Cimarron'' (1960).

Tamblyn's best-known musical role is as Riff, the leader of the Jets street gang in ''West Side Story'' (1961). He then appeared in two MGM Cinerama movies, ''The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm'', again for Pal, and '' How the West Was Won'' (both 1962).

Tamblyn played Luke Sannerson in '' The Haunting'' (1963) for Robert Wise, who had made ''West Side Story''. Tamblyn said he originally turned down the role as he disliked the part but agreed to do it when MGM threatened to put him on suspension. He then played "Smitty" Smith in MGM's '' Follow the Boys'' (also 1963).

1963–1976: Television and independent films

Tamblyn was unable to consolidate his position as a leading man and later said he "dropped out" after his ''West Side Story'' success and devoted himself to art, refusing movie roles, as well as the role of Gilligan in the TV series ''Gilligan's Island''.

In the 1960s he appeared in the TV series '' The Greatest Show on Earth'' ("Silent Love, Secret Love"; 1963), and '' Channing'' ("The Last Testament of Buddy Crown"; 1963). Tamblyn played a Viking alongside Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier in ''The Long Ships'' (1965). Also in 1965 he appeared in '' Burke's Law'' ("Who Killed Rosie Sunset?") and ''Days of Our Lives''.

Tamblyn had the starring role in the low-budget MGM Western '' Son of a Gunfighter'' (1965) and starred in the 1966 Japanese kaiju film '' War of the Gargantuas''. He guest starred on ''Tarzan'' ("Leopard on the Loose", 1966), and '' Iron Horse'' ("Decision at Sundown", 1967). Tamblyn later said he became "bored" with acting around this time and more interested in art.

Tamblyn starred in the notorious biker movie '' Satan's Sadists'' (1969) for Al Adamson. He followed it with ''Scream Free!'' (1969), '' The Last Movie'' (1971), '' The Female Bunch'' (1971), and '' Dracula vs. Frankenstein'' (1971) for Adamson.

He appeared on TV in '' Cade's County'' ("Ragged Edge", 1972), ''Win, Place or Steal'' (1973), ''The World Through the Eyes of Children'' (1975), '' The Quest'' ("The Captive", 1976), ''The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams'' ("The Skyrider", 1978), and ''Nero Wolfe'' ("Before I Die", 1981). He was also in '' Black Heat'' (1976).

At the same time he worked in exploitation, Tamblyn also worked in the construction industry and computer software.

1978–1989: Choreography and film

Tamblyn played the supporting role in Neil Young's 1982 '' Human Highway'' while also credited for screenplay and choreography. He is credited as director, choreographer, and actor for Young's ''Greendale'' concert tour. He choreographed a play, ''Man with Bags'', in 1983.

Tamblyn appeared in the TV series '' Fame'', '' Commando Squad'' (1987) for Fred Olen Ray, ''The Phantom Empire'' (1988), ''Necromancer'' (1988), ''B.O.R.N.'' (1988), ''The Bloody Monks'' (1988), and an episode of ''Quantum Leap''. He was in ''Aftershock'' (1990) and '' Wizards of the Demon Sword'' (1991) for Fred Olen Ray.

1990–2004: ''Twin Peaks'' and other work

In 1990–91, Tamblyn starred as Dr. Lawrence Jacoby on the David Lynch-created series ''Twin Peaks'' (alongside his ''West Side Story'' co-star Richard Beymer, who played Ben Horne); his scenes in the 1992 prequel film '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' were cut.

He appeared in '' Running Mates'' (1992), ''Little Devils: The Birth'' (1993), ''Cabin Boy'' (1994), ''Desert Steel'' (1995), and ''Babylon 5''. He appeared on stage in Los Angeles in ''Zastrozzi''. His work drifted back to straight to video: ''Starstruck'' (1995), ''Rebellious'' (1995), '' Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfold'' (1995) and '' Invisible Mom'' (1996) for Fred Olen Ray, ''Johnny Mysto: Boy Wizard'' (1997), ''My Ghost Dog'' (1997), and '' Little Miss Magic'' (1998) for Ray.

In 1997 and 2000, Tamblyn appeared on the soap opera ''General Hospital'' alongside his daughter Amber. In 2004, he appeared with Amber again, playing God in the form of a man walking dogs, in three episodes of ''Joan of Arcadia''. The two also worked together in the films ''Rebellious'' and ''Johnny Mysto: Boy Wizard'' and the TV series '' The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret''. In Quentin Tarantino's film ''Django Unchained'', they were billed respectively as "Son of a Gunfighter" and "Daughter of a Son of a Gunfighter", alluding to Tamblyn's leading role in the 1965 western '' Son of a Gunfighter''.

In 2004, the Academy Film Archive preserved Tamblyn's mid-1960s works ''First Film'' and ''Rio Reel''.

2005–present: Later roles

Tamblyn had supporting roles in '' Drive'' (2011), ''Django Unchained'' (2012), and ''Hits'' (2014). He appeared several times in '' The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret'' and in the revival of ''Twin Peaks'' (2017).

Personal life

Tamblyn married actress Venetia Stevenson in 1956, but they divorced the next year. In 1960, he married Elizabeth Kempton, a showgirl, in Las Vegas. In later years, Tamblyn discovered he had a daughter from a 1960s relationship with artist and spiritual practitioner Elizabeth Anne Vigil. That daughter, China Faye Tamblyn, is an artist and heavy metal welder who lives in California. Tamblyn did not meet her until she was a teenager, and only after the birth of his second child, actress and author Amber Tamblyn, who was born in 1983 to his third wife, Bonnie Murray.

In 2012, it was announced that Tamblyn was working on an autobiography, ''Dancing On The Edge''. The book was released in 2024.

Tamblyn underwent open heart surgery in October 2014. There were complications afterward and during his rehabilitation, but his health had reportedly improved by February 2015.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

Works cited

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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tamblyn, Russ
1934 births
Living people
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American male dancers
American male film actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
Male Western (genre) film actors
Male actors from Greater Los Angeles
New Star of the Year (Actor) Golden Globe winners
MGM Records artists
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players
Entertainers from Topanga, California