Nipsey Russell said he never intended to be a poet, but his witty poems were part of millions of Americans’ afternoons during the 1970s.
While he played the Tin Man alongside Diana Ross and Michael Jackson in The Wiz, Russell is best remembered for his role on the popular game show Match Game.
Russell’s long career ended last Sunday (Oct. 2, 2005) when the 80-year-old actor and comedian lost his bout with cancer at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.
Born in Atlanta, Russell launched his television career as Officer Anderson in the 1961 television comedy series Car 54, Where are You? He also appeared in the 1994 film version.
Russell became a mainstay on variety shows, appearing on Laugh-In, The Dean Martin Show and The Jackie Gleason Show, among many others.
The first black comedian to regularly appear on U.S. network television game shows, Russell was a unique personality that would liven up almost any program.
His poetic delivery earned him the moniker the “poet laureate of television.” He also took his signature four-line poetry on the road.
Russell appeared in the films Nemo in 1984, Wildcats in 1986 and Posse in 1993.
He became one of the first black game show hosts with NBC’s Your Number’s Up in 1985.
He settled in New York after graduating from the University of Cincinnati and serving as an Army captain in Europe during World War II.
Russell’s distinguished career began as a nightclub performer. He was a jester, folk philosopher and humorous observer of life at New York’s Club Baby Grand.
The agency that represented him said in his biography that “the stars and superstars of show business came repeatedly to see his performances, and they became his word-of-mouth press agents.”
Russell once said, “I went to school at Washington High and Cincinnati University, but was educated in the streets and backstage.” He said he had one philosophy of life: “keep laughing and keep living.”
The Game Show Network, Charter Cable channel 28, will air a weeklong Match Game tribute to the late Russell beginning Monday, October 10.
