Occupation Actor Role Film actor Years active 1948–present Siblings Larry Tamblyn | Website www.russtamblyn.com Name Russ Tamblyn | |
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Full Name Russell Irving Tamblyn Children Amber Tamblyn, China Tamblyn Spouse Bonnie Murray Tamblyn (m. 1981), Elizabeth Kempton (m. 1960–1979), Venetia Stevenson (m. 1956–1957) Movies and TV shows Similar People | ||
Russ Tamblyn Dancing
Russell Irving Tamblyn (born December 30, 1934) is an American film and television actor and dancer; he is best known for his performances
Contents
- Russ Tamblyn Dancing
- West side story 1961 how russ tamblyn became riff
- Early life and career in films
- Television roles
- Co performances with daughter
- Personal life
- Filmography
- References
He is also known for his film appearances including those in
West side story 1961 how russ tamblyn became riff
Early life and career in films
Tamblyn who was born in Los Angeles, California, is the son of actors Sally Aileen (Triplett) (1912-1995) and Eddie Tamblyn (Edward Francis Tamblyn) (1908-1957). He is the older brother of Larry Tamblyn, organist for the 1960s band The Standells.
Discovered at the age of ten by actor Lloyd Bridges after acting in a play, Tamblyn first appeared on film in a small non-speaking role in 1948's The Boy With Green Hair. Also as a child, he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Tamblyn then portrayed the young Saul in Cecil B. DeMille's 1949 version of Samson and Delilah. He played the younger version of John Dall's character in the 1950 film noir Gun Crazy; later the same year, he had a minor role as Elizabeth Taylor's younger brother in Father of the Bride; the following year, he appeared in its sequel, Father's Little Dividend. He also played a young soldier in boot camp in 1953's Take the High Ground!.
His training as a gymnast in high school, and abilities as an acrobat, prepared him for his breakout role as Gideon, the youngest brother, in 1954's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
He appeared with Glenn Ford and Broderick Crawford in The Fastest Gun Alive (1956), where he performed an extraordinary "shovel" dance at a hoe-down early in the film. He served (uncredited) as a choreographer for Elvis Presley in 1957's Jailhouse Rock. Tamblyn portrayed Norman Page in the 1957 film of Peyton Place, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; he then played Tony Baker in 1958's High School Confidential prior to his being drafted into the United States Army. His performances in film musicals have included the title role in 1958's Tom Thumb and Danny, one of the sailors in the 1955 film version of Hit the Deck. In 1960, he portrayed "The Cherokee Kid" in Cimarron.
His most famous musical role came as Riff, the leader of the Jets street gang in West Side Story (1961).
He appeared in two 1962 MGM-Cinerama movies, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm and How the West Was Won. 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. He appeared in the horror film Necromancer in 1988.
Tamblyn played the supporting role in Neil Young's 1982 Human Highway while also credited for screenplay and choreography. Tamblyn is credited as director, choreographer and actor for Neil Young's Greendale concert tour. In 2011 he portrayed "Doc" in the action-thriller film Drive.
In 2004, the Academy Film Archive preserved the mid-1960s works First Film and Rio Reel by Tamblyn.
Television roles
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. Tamblyn reprised this role in the Twin Peaks revival in 2017.
Tamblyn has also appeared in television series such as Gunsmoke, Tarzan, Fame (the 1980s television spin-off of the film of the same name), Quantum Leap, Nash Bridges and in Babylon 5 (episode "A Distant Star"). Russ Tamblyn also portrayed Chuck Margaret on The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret and Dr. Hayden on the soap opera Days of Our Lives
Co-performances with daughter
He appeared on another soap opera, General Hospital, alongside his daughter Amber in 1997 and 2000. 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 have worked together in the films Rebellious, Johnny Mysto: Boy Wizard, and The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret. And 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 his leading role in the 1965 western Son of a Gunfighter.
Personal life
He has been married three times and has two children from his second and third marriages.
He is the father of actress Amber Tamblyn, who played the starring role in the CBS television series Joan of Arcadia and Two and a Half Men from 2013 to the series final episode.
Currently, he is working on his autobiography, titled Dancing On The Edge. According to his official website, he is halfway done with the book, and just completed the chapter on his experiences making West Side Story.
Tamblyn underwent open heart surgery in October 2014. There were complications following the surgery and during the rehabilitation, although his health had reportedly improved as of February 2015.