Who is William Russ?
William Hardy Russ IV was born on October 20, 1950, in Portsmouth, Virginia, USA; he is a Leo with American citizenship. William is an actor best known for his portrayal of Alan Matthews, one of the lead characters in the 1990s TV comedy series “Boy Meets World,” which also starred Ben Savage, Rider Strong, and William Daniels, and which follows a teenager who is testing his theories about growing up together with his best friend – the series won five awards and was nominated for 17.
Childhood And Education
William Russ (Pinterest)William Russ was raised as an only child in Portsmouth by his taxi driver father and housewife mother.
His parents wanted him to concentrate on his studies, but William spent half of his time in high school studying and the other half playing sports with his friends, such as football and soccer. He matriculated in 1968, and then enrolled at a college where he became interested in acting and began practicing at a local theatre – he began appearing in his first plays while attending his senior year, and upon graduation in 1972, William focused on his career as an actor and spent the next five years appearing solely in stage plays and refining his craft, before moving on to television.
Movie Characters
William has appeared in almost 140 films and television programs, and we will discuss some of his most memorable performances in this post.
In 1977, he made his film debut as Sharon’s brother in the surrealist horror film “Death Bed: The Bed That Eats,” written and directed by George Barry, and two years later, he played the supporting character Demesta in the comedy “Just You and Me, Kid,” starring George Burns, Brooke Shields, and Lorraine Gary. He rose to prominence in 1980 as Paul Gaines in the sensual thriller “Cruising,” starring Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, and Karen Allen, and based on Gerald Walker’s eponymous novel – the tale follows a serial murderer who attacks only gay men, particularly those dressed in leather.
In the years that followed, William appeared in several critically acclaimed films, including the 1982 neo-noir drama “The Border,” in which he co-starred with Jack Nicholson, and the epic historical drama “The Right Stuff,” based on Tom Wolfe’s same-titled novel, in 1983, and the comedy “Beer,” in 1985. In 1988, he played Luke in the horror film “The Unholy,” starring Ben Cross and Hal Holbrook, and in 1989, he played Nick Bartkowski in the heist comedy “Disorganized Crime.”
In 1991, William starred as Roy Dean Bream in the drama “Pastime,” which follows a white baseball pitcher who begins training a black young pitcher in 1957. The film won one award and was nominated for five more.
In 1992, he appeared in the neo-noir sexual thriller “Traces of Red,” and in 1993, in the drama “Aspen Extreme.” In 1998, William was cast as the supporting character Dennis Vinyard in the evergreen crime drama film “American History X,” starring Edward Norton and Edward Furlong and following an ex-neo-nazi skinhead as he tries to guide his brother and keep him away from gangs – it won four awards and was nominated for 15 others, including one Oscar, and currently ranks 39th on the list of the best movies ever created compiled by the movie and TV series rating website.
William’s most recent prominent film roles were in the 2001 drama “Life as a House,” the 2012 independent feature film “California Solo,” and the 2018 thriller “Drones.”
William has been cast in two future movies, the comedy thriller “Keeping Company” and the drama “Chasing the Rain.”
TV Series Characters
William had his first TV series appearance in 1978, as Burt McGowan in the soap opera “Another World,” which starred Victoria Wyndham, Constance Ford, and Hugh Marlowe and was set in Bay City. It was immensely popular in the United States, where it won 43 accolades and was nominated for 176 more, including a Primetime Emmy from 1964 through 1999.
William went on to feature in several single episodes, including the 1982 action comedy “The Dukes of Hazzard,” the 1985 crime thriller “Miami Vice,” and the 1986 medical drama “St. Elsewhere.”
He rose to prominence in 1988 when he was cast as Roger Lococo, one of the key characters in Stephen J. Cannell’s crime drama “Wiseguy,” which was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. William guest starred in three episodes of the comedy “Middle Ages” in 1992, then appeared in a single episode of several series, including the episode “Socrates’ Sister” of the strange western series “The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.” in 1993, the episode “The Life, Death, and Life of Wild Bill Hickok” of the science fiction western “Legend” in 1995, and the episode “The First Commandment” of the Canadian-American military science fiction adventure series “Seventh
In 2003, William played Tommy Doyle in the serial drama “Mister Sterling,” which also starred Josh Brolin and Audra McDonald. The tale follows the Governor of California’s son, who gets elected to the Senate. In 2005, William played Assistant District Attorney Christopher Palmer in five episodes of the comedy-drama “Boston Legal,” and he later appeared in the supernatural series “Ghost Whisperer” in 2007, the comedy-drama “The Ex List,” in which he played the supporting character Jimmy Bloom in nine episodes in 2008, and the episodic comedy web series “Home at Last,” in which he played Bob in six episodes.
William’s most recent TV roles are three episodes of the science fiction drama “Colony” in which he played Hennessey in 2017, three episodes of the police procedural online series “Bosch” as Captain Garwood in 2018, and two episodes of the procedural series “9-1-1” in 2019.
Awards
William was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead for “Pastime” in 1992, and he and his colleagues earned a Silver Ace Award for “Green Guys” at the Las Vegas International Film Festival in 2012.
William was nominated for a Jury Prize for Best Actor at the Open World Toronto Film Festival in 2019 for his work in the short film “Father by Law.”
Relationship Status
William met his future wife Clare Wren in the mid-1990s and began dating about a week later – not everyone accepted their relationship because William is 12 years older than Clare, but they married in the early 2000s in a secret ceremony attended by their closest friends and family. Clare is an actress best known for her roles in the films “Steel and Lace” and “Midnight Edition,” as well as the television series “JAG.” Clare gave birth to their first kid some months after the wedding, and their second child arrived three years later – both Clare and William have kept their children out of the spotlight.
William hasn’t mentioned any other ladies he may have dated before meeting Clare, and as of September 2020, he is married with two children.
Other Interests And Hobbies
William was physically active throughout his 20s and 30s since it was vital for his acting profession, and he worked out at the gym many times per week and kept a reasonably rigorous diet.
He enjoys playing evil people and aggressive characters, and fortunately for him, he is frequently cast in such roles.
He is an animal lover who has had various pet dogs, but his favorite animals are horses. William has given money to several animal shelters as well as ranches that take in sick or abandoned animals.
He has favorite performers and actresses, including the late Robin Williams, Leslie Nielsen, and Natalie Portman, and his favorite films include “The Fisher King,” “Airplane!” and “V for Vendetta.”
Body Structure And Net Worth
William Russ (Pinterest)William is 69 years old. He has short brown hair and brown eyes are 6ft (1.83m) tall and weigh roughly 170lbs (77kgs).
His net worth is predicted to be more than $1.9 million as of September 2020.