Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907 – November 28, 1976) was a supremely talented American actress of stage and screen, a true force of nature celebrated for her unmatched skill at portraying witty, sophisticated, and fast-talking career women.
While she was adept at drama, Russell’s legacy was defined by her comedic genius. She is forever immortalized as the ace newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson, who trades machine-gun-fire dialogue with Cary Grant in Howard Hawks’ screwball masterpiece His Girl Friday (1940). She also had a standout role as the gossipy Sylvia Fowler in the all-female classic The Women (1939).
Russell conquered Broadway, winning a Tony Award for the musical Wonderful Town (1953), and later created another of her most iconic characters, the eccentric and life-affirming Mame Dennis, in the hit play and subsequent film adaptation of Auntie Mame (1958). A five-time Golden Globe winner and four-time Oscar nominee, she also gave a powerful performance as the determined stage mother Mama Rose in the musical Gypsy (1962), cementing her status as one of the most versatile and brilliant actresses of her generation.
