Jeannie Russell
Encyclopedia
Jeanne K. Russell (born, 22 October 1950, Pasco, Washington) is an actress best known for playing Dennis's playmate, Margaret Wade, in the television series Dennis The Menace, which was based on the Hank Ketcham
comic strip
of the same name and aired from 1959 to 1963 on CBS
.
Russell was chosen at the suggestion of Jay North
, who starred in the role of Dennis, to play his nemesis playmate. She appeared in 31 of the series' 146 episodes over the four year run of the show.
Russell also appeared in other popular TV shows of the era, including, The Deputy
(1959), Assignment: Underwater
(1961), Death Valley Days
(1961), and The Dinah Shore Show
. Russell provided a singing voice in the 1961 hit movie Babes in Toyland
and made an uncredited appearance in the 1963 popular suspense horror film
directed by Alfred Hitchcock
, The Birds
, in which she played a school child.
She has also done live theater and sound track work as well as performing as a singer. In the 1990s, Russell was active on the national talk show and news feature circuit.
Since 1978, Russell has been practicing chiropractic
medicine in the North Hollywood/Toluca Lake (California
) area. She also counsels and coaches patients, assisting them with intuitive eating
skills to embrace a healthy lifestyle. Russell has also developed a powerful posture building series of movement and strengthening exercises, which draw from her career in show business.
She is also trained in ballet
and jazz dance
. She and North occasionally appear together at celebrity events.
Russell has co-chaired the Screen Actors Guild
(SAG) Young Performers' Committee for several years.
Russell is the sister of Bryan Russell, who was also a child actor from 1959 to 1967.
Hank Ketcham
Henry King "Hank" Ketcham was an American cartoonist who created the Dennis the Menace comic strip, writing and drawing it from 1951 to 1994, when he retired from drawing the daily page and took up painting full time in his studio at his home. He received the Reuben Award for the strip in 1953...
comic strip
Dennis the Menace (U.S.)
Dennis the Menace is a daily syndicated newspaper comic strip originally created, written and illustrated by Hank Ketcham. It debuted on March 12, 1951 in 16 newspapers and was originally distributed by Post-Hall Syndicate...
of the same name and aired from 1959 to 1963 on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
.
Russell was chosen at the suggestion of Jay North
Jay North
Jay North is an American actor. Beginning a prolific career as a child actor at the age of six, North became a household name during the early 1960s for his role as the well-meaning, but mischievous, Dennis Mitchell on the CBS situation comedy Dennis the Menace, based on the comic strip created...
, who starred in the role of Dennis, to play his nemesis playmate. She appeared in 31 of the series' 146 episodes over the four year run of the show.
Russell also appeared in other popular TV shows of the era, including, The Deputy
The Deputy (TV series)
The Deputy is a 1959-1961 half-hour NBC western series featuring Henry Fonda as Chief Marshal Simon Fry of the Arizona Territory and Allen Case as Deputy Clay McCord, a storekeeper who tried to avoid using a gun.-Production:...
(1959), Assignment: Underwater
Assignment: Underwater
Assignment: Underwater is an early American television series which aired in NTA Film Network syndication in 1960. It was an adventure series starring prolific B-movie actor Bill Williams and Diane Mountford. Williams played Bill Greer, the skipper aboard a charter boat named The Lively Lady...
(1961), Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945. It continued from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series...
(1961), and The Dinah Shore Show
The Dinah Shore Show
The Dinah Shore Show is an American variety show which was broadcast by NBC from November 1951 to January 1956, sponsored by General Motors' Chevrolet division...
. Russell provided a singing voice in the 1961 hit movie Babes in Toyland
Babes in Toyland (1961 film)
Babes in Toyland is a 1961 Christmas musical film in Technicolor, directed by Jack Donohue, produced by Walt Disney, and distributed to theatres by Buena Vista Distribution. It stars Ray Bolger as Barnaby, Annette Funicello as Mary Contrary, Tommy Sands as Tom Piper, and Ed Wynn as the Toymaker.The...
and made an uncredited appearance in the 1963 popular suspense horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
, The Birds
The Birds (film)
The Birds is a 1963 horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on the 1952 short story "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier. It depicts Bodega Bay, California which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course of a few...
, in which she played a school child.
She has also done live theater and sound track work as well as performing as a singer. In the 1990s, Russell was active on the national talk show and news feature circuit.
Since 1978, Russell has been practicing chiropractic
Chiropractic
Chiropractic is a health care profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on general health. It is generally categorized as complementary and alternative medicine...
medicine in the North Hollywood/Toluca Lake (California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
) area. She also counsels and coaches patients, assisting them with intuitive eating
Intuitive eating
Intuitive eating is a nutrition philosophy based on the premise that becoming more attuned to the body's natural hunger signals is a more effective way to attain a healthy weight, rather than keeping track of the amounts of energy and fats in foods. It's a process that is intended to create a...
skills to embrace a healthy lifestyle. Russell has also developed a powerful posture building series of movement and strengthening exercises, which draw from her career in show business.
She is also trained in ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
and jazz dance
Jazz dance
Jazz dance is a classification shared by a broad range of dance styles. Before the 1950s, jazz dance referred to dance styles that originated from African American vernacular dance. In the 1950s, a new genre of jazz dance—modern jazz dance—emerged, with roots in Caribbean traditional dance...
. She and North occasionally appear together at celebrity events.
Russell has co-chaired the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
(SAG) Young Performers' Committee for several years.
Russell is the sister of Bryan Russell, who was also a child actor from 1959 to 1967.