Gail Russell (September 21, 1924 – August 26, 1961) was a beautiful and soulful American actress whose promising career was tragically cut short by her personal struggles with alcoholism and severe stage fright.
Discovered as a teenager and signed by Paramount Pictures, Russell possessed a rare, ethereal beauty that made her a natural for the screen. She achieved stardom with her haunting performance as Stella Meredith in the classic supernatural thriller The Uninvited (1944). She became a top leading lady of the era, starring opposite Alan Ladd in films like Salty O’Rourke (1945) and Calcutta (1947).
One of her most famous and beloved roles was playing the gentle Quaker woman who tames John Wayne’s gunfighter in the Western classic Angel and the Badman (1947). Despite her success, her crippling shyness led her to alcohol, a battle she could not overcome. She was found dead in her home in 1961 at the age of 36, a tragic end for one of Hollywood’s most sensitive and luminous talents.
