Anne Russell, among the first actresses to bring composer-lyricist Jerry Herman’s beloved musical comedy heroines to life in both Hello, Dolly! and Mame, has died.
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Russell died on July 21 at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, according to her friend Ted Seifman via Broadway World.
The veteran actress was 103.
Russell made her Broadway debut in 1965 in Kander & Ebb’s Flora, the Red Menace, alongside a debuting Liza Minnelli. That same year, she auditioned for Gower Champion and became the standby for Mary Martin in Hello, Dolly!, joining the show in Cleveland. She went on to tour with the production for over two years, standing by for Betty Grable and Ginger Rogers as it traveled across the US, Tokyo, Vietnam, and South Korea.
Her Mame years included a national tour in 1965, followed by engagements in Las Vegas, playhouses, and dinner theaters.
Russell was born on March 22, 1923, in Raleigh, North Carolina. She began her career singing with local bands before moving to New York, where she became the featured vocalist for the Les Brown and Jerry Wald orchestras. She also developed a nightclub act that featured comic impressions, earning a rave review from Ed Sullivan in his newspaper column and two appearances on his CBS variety program.
Russell hired composer and musical director Peter Howard to help develop her act, which led to her being cast as Electra in David Merrick’s 1961 national tour of Gypsy. She later went on to play Tessie Tura in subsequent productions of Gypsy.
Anne Russell Worked With Legends Like Debbie Reynolds, Shirley MacLaine, and Elizabeth Taylor
During her time with Hello, Dolly! in the Far East, Russell organized The Rice Paddy Seven to perform for military personnel before taking the group to the Riviera in Las Vegas. She also coached Dorothy Lamour and Martha Raye in their portrayals of Dolly Levi, and performed the role herself in various summer theaters and companies.
In 1989, Russell toured with Debbie Reynolds in The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Per IMDb, she later reunited with Reynolds, alongside Shirley MacLaine, Joan Collins, and Elizabeth Taylor, in the 2001 ABC telefilm These Old Broads, co-written by Carrie Fisher. Russell also starred opposite Reynolds in 1997’s comedy hit, In & Out.
Russell also toured with The Boy Friend, Forty Carats, Never Too Late, and Oklahoma!, while appearing in several other productions. She also did extensive voiceover work and served as a TV spokesperson for various products.
Russell remained vibrant and adventurous throughout her life. A 74-year resident of Manhattan’s Upper West Side, she took up skydiving at 88 and went zip-lining for the first time at 90.
A proud member of the Edwin Forrest Society, Russell ensured that even in death, her devotion to the performing arts community lived on, arranging to donate a portion of her estate to the Entertainment Community Fund, formerly known as The Actors Fund.