Betsy Russell
Encyclopedia
Betsy Russell is an American actress who is best known for her role in Private School
Private School (film)
Private School is a 1983 teen oriented sex comedy film, directed by Noel Black.-Cast :* Phoebe Cates as Christine Ramsey* Betsy Russell as Jordan Leigh-Jenson* Matthew Modine as Jim Green...

, and as Jill Tuck
Jill Tuck
Jill Tuck is a fictional character in the Saw film series. She is the ex-wife of the series' main antagonist John Kramer, a.k.a. the Jigsaw Killer. She first appeared in the one-shot comic book Saw: Rebirth as John's ex-girlfriend, however her backstory and appearance were altered significantly in...

, the ex-wife of the Jigsaw Killer
Jigsaw Killer
John Kramer is a fictional character and the central character of the Saw franchise. Jigsaw made his debut as the primary antagonist in the first film of the series, Saw, and he's later portrayed as an antihero in Saw II, III, IV, V, VI and 3D...

 in the Saw film series
Saw (film series)
Saw is a horror franchise distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment and produced by Twisted Pictures that consists of seven films and two video games, published by Konami. The franchise began with the 2003 short film which was created by Australian director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell...

.

Early life

Russell was born in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

, the daughter of Constance (née Lerner) and Richard Lion Russell, a stock analyst. Her maternal grandfather was journalist and educator Max Lerner
Max Lerner
Maxwell "Max" Alan Lerner was an American journalist and educator known for his controversial syndicated column....

. Russell wanted to be an actress since age eight and started acting in school plays. She appeared in a Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...

 commercial that was taped locally while in high school. After graduating from Mission Bay High School in 1981, she moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 and began taking acting classes and waitress jobs before her first role.

Career

Russell's first role was in the 1982 film Let's Do It! That same year, she landed roles on T.J. Hooker and Family Ties
Family Ties
Family Ties is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. The sitcom reflected the move in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s. This was particularly expressed through the relationship between young...

. In 1983, Russell's breakout role came as Jordan Leigh-Jenson in the sex comedy
Sex comedy
Sex comedy is a term for comedy movies with sexual content usually referring to those made in the United Kingdom in the mid 1970s. They may range from comic pornographic films like the Confessions series to relatively innocent comedies that include jokes about sex and other sexual related humour,...

, Private School
Private School (film)
Private School is a 1983 teen oriented sex comedy film, directed by Noel Black.-Cast :* Phoebe Cates as Christine Ramsey* Betsy Russell as Jordan Leigh-Jenson* Matthew Modine as Jim Green...

. While shooting the film Avenging Angel
Avenging Angel (1985 film)
Avenging Angel is a 1985 film directed by Robert Vincent O'Neill and written by Robert Vincent O'Neill with Joseph Michael Cala. The movie is a sequel to 1984's Angel and was followed by the 1988 film Angel III: The Final Chapter and Angel 4: Undercover...

, she was offered to audition for the 1985 film Silverado but turned it down. She said in an interview, "Everything happens for a reason. I always believe my career would have been different had I done that part. I can’t say if it would have been better or worse. I’ve had a good run". She went on to star in a series of B movies in the 1980s including Tomboy
Tomboy (1985 film)
Tomboy is a 1985 comedy movie that stars Betsy Russell, and directed by Herb Freed.-Plot:The movie concerns the life of Tomasina "Tommy" Boyd who works as a mechanic and her hopes to become a stock car driver.-Main cast:...

, and Cheerleader Camp
Cheerleader Camp
Cheerleader Camp , is an American slasher film, released in 1988. The film stars Betsy Russell, Leif Garrett, Lucinda Dickey, George "Buck" Flower, Will Sasso, Teri Weigel, and Rebecca Ferratti.-Plot:...

. In addition to films, Russell also appeared on The A-Team
The A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...

, Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...

, 1st & Ten, and an episode of Superboy
Superboy (TV series)
Superboy is a half-hour live-action television series based on the fictional DC Comics comic book character Kal-El's early years as Superboy. The show ran from 1988–1992 in syndication...

, which was a reunion with her Tomboy
Tomboy (1985 film)
Tomboy is a 1985 comedy movie that stars Betsy Russell, and directed by Herb Freed.-Plot:The movie concerns the life of Tomasina "Tommy" Boyd who works as a mechanic and her hopes to become a stock car driver.-Main cast:...

co-star Gerard Christopher
Gerard Christopher
Gerard Christopher is an American actor. He was the second actor to play the role of Superboy in the series of the same name . During his tenure on Superboy he would later also be a producer and writer on the series...

.

After a brief retirement from acting, Russell appeared in a small role in Saw III
Saw III
Saw III is a 2006 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and story by James Wan and Whannell. Wan and Whannell directed and wrote Saw and Bousman wrote and directed Saw II. It is the third film in the seven-part Saw film series and stars...

playing John Kramer
Jigsaw Killer
John Kramer is a fictional character and the central character of the Saw franchise. Jigsaw made his debut as the primary antagonist in the first film of the series, Saw, and he's later portrayed as an antihero in Saw II, III, IV, V, VI and 3D...

's ex-wife, Jill Tuck
Jill Tuck
Jill Tuck is a fictional character in the Saw film series. She is the ex-wife of the series' main antagonist John Kramer, a.k.a. the Jigsaw Killer. She first appeared in the one-shot comic book Saw: Rebirth as John's ex-girlfriend, however her backstory and appearance were altered significantly in...

. She went on to star in the sequels, Saw IV
Saw IV
Saw IV is a 2007 Canadian-American horror film and midquel to 2006's Saw III. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by newcomers Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas Fenton. The film was released in North America on October 26, 2007...

, Saw V
Saw V
Saw V is a 2008 Canadian-American horror film directed by David Hackl and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson...

, Saw VI
Saw VI
Saw VI is a 2009 horror film directed by Kevin Greutert from a screenplay written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the sixth installment of the seven–part Saw film series and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge, and Shawnee Smith...

, and Saw 3D. She played a role in the 2010 film Chain Letter, the SyFy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...

 film Mandrate and My Trip Back to the Dark Side
My Trip Back to the Dark Side (film)
My Trip Back to the Dark Side is an upcoming drama film directed by Shane Stanley. It is the sequel to My Trip to the Dark Side. It stars Jason Pace, Sean Kanan, Betsy Russell, Courtney Gains, Sean Young, Alisa Reyes, Marlon Young, and Ron Masak.-Plot:...

.

Personal life

In August 1988, Russell was engaged to actor Vincent Van Patten
Vincent Van Patten
Vincent Van Patten is an American actor and former tour professional tennis player.-Personal life:Van Patten was born in Bellerose, New York. He is the youngest son of actor Dick Van Patten and his wife, Pat, née Poole, a former June Taylor dancer. He is of Dutch and Italian descent...

, son of Dick Van Patten
Dick Van Patten
Richard Vincent "Dick" Van Patten is an American actor, best known for his role as patriarch Tom Bradford on the television sitcom Eight is Enough. He began work as a child actor and was successful on the [New York] stage, appearing in more than a dozen plays as a teenager...

. They were married nine months later on May 27, 1989 in North Hollywood. Their wedding reception was at Patten's father Sherman Oaks home which was attended by Alan Alda
Alan Alda
Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...

, Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner is an American actor, film director, producer, writer and comedian. He has won nine Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award during this career...

, Valerie Perrine
Valerie Perrine
- Life and career :Perrine was born in Galveston, Texas, the daughter of Winifred , a dancer who appeared in Earl Carroll's Vanities, and Kenneth Perrine, a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army. Owing to her father's career, Perrine lived in many locations as the family moved to different...

, Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...

 and Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the Method acting school, which she had studied under Lee Strasberg....

, Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...

 and Janet Jones
Janet Jones
Janet-Marie Gretzky is an American actress. She is married to ice hockey icon Wayne Gretzky.-Entertainment career:Jones performed in Annie , Staying Alive and Snow White Live , and had a bit part in The Beastmaster...

, Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...

 and Kimberley Conrad
Kimberley Conrad
-Personal life:She is probably best known for marrying Playboy founder Hugh Hefner in July 1989, an event which sparked worldwide media attention. The comic strip Doonesbury referred to the event as the belated end of the 1970s. The Hefners had two sons together: Marston Glenn Hefner and Cooper...

. They divorced in 2001 and have two children; Richard Van Patten (March 1993) and Vincent Van Patten, Jr. (September 3, 1995) Russell was once engaged to producer Mark Burg
Mark Burg
Mark Burg is an American film producer and actor, perhaps best known for his work on the SAW series of films and on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men.-Career:...

. Russell holds a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...

 in spiritual psychology
Transpersonal psychology
Transpersonal psychology is a form of psychology that studies the transpersonal, self-transcendent or spiritual aspects of the human experience....

 from the University of Santa Monica
University of Santa Monica
The University of Santa Monica is a private unaccredited graduate school in Santa Monica, California, offering master’s and doctoral degrees in spiritual psychology.-Mission:...

. She resides in Malibu, California.

Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1982 Let's Do It! Kittie
1983 Private School
Private School (film)
Private School is a 1983 teen oriented sex comedy film, directed by Noel Black.-Cast :* Phoebe Cates as Christine Ramsey* Betsy Russell as Jordan Leigh-Jenson* Matthew Modine as Jim Green...

Jordan Leigh-Jenson Alternative title: Private School... for Girls
1985 Avenging Angel
Avenging Angel (1985 film)
Avenging Angel is a 1985 film directed by Robert Vincent O'Neill and written by Robert Vincent O'Neill with Joseph Michael Cala. The movie is a sequel to 1984's Angel and was followed by the 1988 film Angel III: The Final Chapter and Angel 4: Undercover...

Molly "Angel" Stewart
1985 Tomboy
Tomboy (1985 film)
Tomboy is a 1985 comedy movie that stars Betsy Russell, and directed by Herb Freed.-Plot:The movie concerns the life of Tomasina "Tommy" Boyd who works as a mechanic and her hopes to become a stock car driver.-Main cast:...

Tomasina "Tommy" Boyd
1985 Out of Control Chrissie Baret
1987 Cheerleader Camp
Cheerleader Camp
Cheerleader Camp , is an American slasher film, released in 1988. The film stars Betsy Russell, Leif Garrett, Lucinda Dickey, George "Buck" Flower, Will Sasso, Teri Weigel, and Rebecca Ferratti.-Plot:...

Alison Wentworth Alternative title: Bloody Pom Poms
1989 Trapper County War Lacey Luddigger
1991 Camp Fear
Camp Fear (film)
Camp Fear is a 1991 direct-to-video science fiction/horror film starring Betsy Russell and Vincent Van Patten.-Plot:...

Jamie Alternative title: The Millennium Countdown
1992 Delta Heat
Delta Heat
Delta Heat is a 1992 film directed by Michael Fischa and written by Sam A. Scribner. The buddy police film was shot in New Orleans, Louisiana....

Vicky Forbes
1993 Amore! Cheryl Schwartz
1995 The Break Candy
2000 The Flunky
2006 Saw III
Saw III
Saw III is a 2006 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and story by James Wan and Whannell. Wan and Whannell directed and wrote Saw and Bousman wrote and directed Saw II. It is the third film in the seven-part Saw film series and stars...

Jill Tuck
Jill Tuck
Jill Tuck is a fictional character in the Saw film series. She is the ex-wife of the series' main antagonist John Kramer, a.k.a. the Jigsaw Killer. She first appeared in the one-shot comic book Saw: Rebirth as John's ex-girlfriend, however her backstory and appearance were altered significantly in...

2007 Saw IV
Saw IV
Saw IV is a 2007 Canadian-American horror film and midquel to 2006's Saw III. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by newcomers Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas Fenton. The film was released in North America on October 26, 2007...

Jill Tuck
2008 Saw V
Saw V
Saw V is a 2008 Canadian-American horror film directed by David Hackl and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson...

Jill Tuck
2009 Saw VI
Saw VI
Saw VI is a 2009 horror film directed by Kevin Greutert from a screenplay written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the sixth installment of the seven–part Saw film series and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge, and Shawnee Smith...

Jill Tuck
2010 Chain Letter
Chain Letter (2010 film)
Chain Letter is a 2010 horror film directed by Deon Taylor. It was written by Diana Erwin, Michael J. Pagin, and Deon Taylor. The film is about six friends who are stalked by a murderer that uses chains to kill them if they do not pass on the chain letter....

Sergeant Hamill
2010 Saw 3D Jill Tuck
2012 My Trip Back to the Dark Side
My Trip Back to the Dark Side (film)
My Trip Back to the Dark Side is an upcoming drama film directed by Shane Stanley. It is the sequel to My Trip to the Dark Side. It stars Jason Pace, Sean Kanan, Betsy Russell, Courtney Gains, Sean Young, Alisa Reyes, Marlon Young, and Ron Masak.-Plot:...

Destiny Post-production

Television
Year Show Role Notes
1982 The Powers of Matthew Star
The Powers of Matthew Star
The Powers of Matthew Star is an American sci-fi television series that aired from September 17, 1982 through April 8, 1983, on NBC. It starred Peter Barton The Powers of Matthew Star is an American sci-fi television series that aired from September 17, 1982 through April 8, 1983, on NBC. It...

Dawn Episode: "Jackal"
1982 T. J. Hooker
T. J. Hooker
T.J. Hooker is an American police drama television program starring William Shatner in the title role as a 15-year veteran police sergeant. The series premiered as a mid-season replacement on March 13, 1982 on ABC and ran on the network until May 4, 1985...

Teenager Episode: "Second Chance"
1982 Family Ties
Family Ties
Family Ties is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. The sitcom reflected the move in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s. This was particularly expressed through the relationship between young...

Girl Episode: "Not with My Sister You Don't"
1984,1986 The A-Team
The A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...

Tina
Adrian Prescott
Episode: "Bullets and Bikinis"
Episode: "Members Only"
1986 Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...

Doris Robinson Episode: "Menace, Anyone?"
1986
–1987
1st & Ten Episode: "Yinessa's Interview"
Episode: "Easy Come, Easy Go"
Episode: "The Big One"
1987 Roxanne: The Prize Pulitzer Liza Pulitzer Television film
1987 Superboy
Superboy (TV series)
Superboy is a half-hour live-action television series based on the fictional DC Comics comic book character Kal-El's early years as Superboy. The show ran from 1988–1992 in syndication...

Serene Episode: "Superboy... Rest in Peace"
1995 Platypus Man
Platypus Man
Platypus Man is an American sitcom that aired on UPN in 1995. Starring comedian Richard Jeni, the television series was based on an hour-long HBO special of Jeni's filmed in 1992. The series lasted for only one season, with a total of thirteen episodes....

Becky Episode: "The Crush"
2010 Mandrake Felicia Television film on SyFy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...


External links

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