Leon Russom
Encyclopedia
Leon Russom is an American Emmy
-nominated actor.
Russom has appeared in numerous television
shows, particularly soap opera
s. He portrayed Admiral Toddman (in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
episode "The Die is Cast") and the Starfleet Commander-in-Chief in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
. More recently, he has appeared in shows such as Bones
, Jericho
, Prison Break
, and Cold Case. Russom has also worked with the Coen brothers
twice, playing bit part
s in The Big Lebowski
(1998) and True Grit
(2010).
Russom was born in Little Rock, Arkansas
. He was formerly married to actress Karen Grassle
.
in the late 1960s. He subsequently appeared in another CBS soap opera, Love is a Many Splendored Thing as Joe Taylor from 1972-1973. Russom was the second actor to play the role of Willis Frame on the NBC soap, "Another World," a role that he kept for several years. His early film career included The Trial of the Catonsville Nine as David Durst and Stephen King
's Silver Bullet
. He also appeared on the TV show Mission: Impossible
as Sam Evans.
Leon Russom received a nomination for his work in the category Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special for his work on the 1991 television movie
The Long Road Home. He starred as Titus Wardlow.
, Bones
, Cold Case, Law & Order
, JAG
, NYPD Blue
, John Doe
, The X-Files
, Dark Skies
, and other shows. He played the police chief of Malibu in the Coen brothers
' The Big Lebowski
(1998). Recently he appeared in Prison Break
as General Jonathan Krantz, head of The Company. His role in the series was initially minor, restricted to sporadic non-speaking appearances. But from the third season on, his role took on increasing importance, culminating in his becoming the main antagonist, right up to The Final Break
In 2010, he appeared on a Las Vegas
television commercial. He teamed with the Coen brothers once more to play a sheriff in True Grit
.
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-nominated actor.
Russom has appeared in numerous television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
shows, particularly soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
s. He portrayed Admiral Toddman (in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
episode "The Die is Cast") and the Starfleet Commander-in-Chief in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is the sixth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the last of the Star Trek films to include the entire main cast of the 1960s Star Trek television series. Released in 1991 by Paramount Pictures, it was directed by Nicholas Meyer and...
. More recently, he has appeared in shows such as Bones
Bones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
, Jericho
Jericho (TV series)
Jericho is an American action/drama series that centers on the residents of the fictional town of Jericho, Kansas, in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major cities in the contiguous United States...
, Prison Break
Prison Break
Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
, and Cold Case. Russom has also worked with the Coen brothers
Coen Brothers
Joel David Coen and Ethan Jesse Coen known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers...
twice, playing bit part
Bit part
A bit part is a supporting acting role with at least one line of dialogue . In British television, bit parts are referred to as under sixes...
s in The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski is a 1998 comedy film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Jeff Bridges stars as Jeff Lebowski, an unemployed Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler, who is referred to as "The Dude". After a case of mistaken identity, The Dude is introduced to a millionaire also named...
(1998) and True Grit
True Grit (2010 film)
True Grit is a 2010 American Western film written and directed by the Coen brothers. It is the second adaptation of Charles Portis' 1968 novel of the same name, which was previously filmed in 1969 starring John Wayne. This version stars Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross and Jeff Bridges as U.S....
(2010).
Russom was born in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
. He was formerly married to actress Karen Grassle
Karen Grassle
Karen Grassle is an American actress, best known for her role as Caroline Ingalls, the wife of Michael Landon's character and the mother of Melissa Gilbert's character, on the Little House on the Prairie TV series.-Early career:She graduated from Ventura High School in 1959 , serving as the...
.
Early career
Russom's first acting work was on the CBS soap opera Guiding LightGuiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
in the late 1960s. He subsequently appeared in another CBS soap opera, Love is a Many Splendored Thing as Joe Taylor from 1972-1973. Russom was the second actor to play the role of Willis Frame on the NBC soap, "Another World," a role that he kept for several years. His early film career included The Trial of the Catonsville Nine as David Durst and Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
's Silver Bullet
Silver Bullet (film)
Silver Bullet is a 1985 horror film based on the Stephen King novella Cycle of the Werewolf. It stars Gary Busey, Everett McGill, Megan Follows, Corey Haim, Terry O'Quinn, Lawrence Tierney, Bill Smitrovich, Kent Broadhurst, David Hart, and James Gammon...
. He also appeared on the TV show Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
as Sam Evans.
Emmy nomination
In the 1991 EmmysEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
Leon Russom received a nomination for his work in the category Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special for his work on the 1991 television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
The Long Road Home. He starred as Titus Wardlow.
Later work
Leon Russom's later work included many appearances in dramas, mainly legal or crime. He appeared in many TV shows in the 1990s and the early 2000s, including L.A. LawL.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
, Bones
Bones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
, Cold Case, Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, JAG
JAG (TV series)
JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions...
, NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
, John Doe
John Doe (TV series)
John Doe is an American science fiction drama television series that aired on Fox during the 2002–2003 TV season.-Synopsis:"I woke up in an island off the coast of Seattle. I didn't know how I got there ... or who I was. But I did seem to know everything else. There were things about me I didn't...
, The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
, Dark Skies
Dark Skies
Dark Skies is an American UFO conspiracy theory-based sci-fi television series that aired from the 1996 to 1997 season for 18 episodes, plus a two-hour pilot episode. The success of The X-Files on Fox proved there was an audience for science fiction shows, resulting in NBC commissioning this...
, and other shows. He played the police chief of Malibu in the Coen brothers
Coen Brothers
Joel David Coen and Ethan Jesse Coen known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers...
' The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski is a 1998 comedy film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Jeff Bridges stars as Jeff Lebowski, an unemployed Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler, who is referred to as "The Dude". After a case of mistaken identity, The Dude is introduced to a millionaire also named...
(1998). Recently he appeared in Prison Break
Prison Break
Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
as General Jonathan Krantz, head of The Company. His role in the series was initially minor, restricted to sporadic non-speaking appearances. But from the third season on, his role took on increasing importance, culminating in his becoming the main antagonist, right up to The Final Break
Prison Break: The Final Break
Prison Break: The Final Break is a 2009 television movie of the Prison Break franchise. It serves as the series finale of Prison Break. The movie aired May 27 in the United Kingdom on Sky1. In the United States and Canada, the movie was first released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 21, 2009...
In 2010, he appeared on a Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
television commercial. He teamed with the Coen brothers once more to play a sheriff in True Grit
True Grit (2010 film)
True Grit is a 2010 American Western film written and directed by the Coen brothers. It is the second adaptation of Charles Portis' 1968 novel of the same name, which was previously filmed in 1969 starring John Wayne. This version stars Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross and Jeff Bridges as U.S....
.