| Russell Thorson | |
| Birth Date: | October 14, 1906 |
| Birth Place: | Eau Claire, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Alma Mater: | University of Montana |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Years Active: | 1941 - 1978 |
Russell Thorson (October 14, 1906 - July 6, 1982) was an American actor, perhaps best known for his co-starring role as Det. Lt. Otto Lindstrom in ABC's 1959–1962 hit crime drama, The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor.[1]
Thorson was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and his family moved to Montana when he was 12 years old. In 1930, Thorson graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana.[2] [3]
In the early 1940s, Thorson played Charles Meredith in Midstream on radio, replacing Hugh Studebaker when Studebaker had health problems. He starred in a later version (1949–1952) of the radio series, I Love a Mystery, as Jack Packard, alongside Jim Boles as Doc and Tony Randall as Reggy.[4] His other radio parts included the title roles in The Tom Mix Ralston Straightshooters and Dr. Paul and Bart Friday in Adventures by Morse.[5] He was also a member of the cast of Family Skeleton. In 1955, he began portraying Paul Barbour on the radio version of One Man's Family after having had the same role in the TV version of the program.[6]
Thorson had small roles for film and television in Double Dynamite (1951), with Jane Russell, Groucho Marx and Frank Sinatra, Dangerous Mission (1954). He has also appeared in several classic movies, including Johnny Concho (1956), 36 Hours (1965), The Stalking Moon (1968), and Walking Tall (1973).
Most of his career was spent on television. He is best remembered for playing the role of Det. Lt. Otto Lindstrom in The Detectives from 1959 to 1961. He made four guest appearances on CBS's Perry Mason, including three episodes during the first two seasons from 1958 to 1959.
He appeared in guest-starring roles in such television series as Maverick (as the stalwart Marshal Walt Hardie in a James Garner episode titled "Day of Reckoning"), Gilligan's Island, Tales of Wells Fargo, Trackdown, Wagon Train, Gunsmoke (as Mr. Brady in “Chester’s Mail Order Bride” - 1956), Lassie, Peyton Place, and The Virginian, and is also known for his role as a ship captain in "Cocoon", the pilot episode of CBS's original Hawaii Five-O with Jack Lord.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Easy Living | Hunk Edwards | (as Russ Thorson) | |
| 1951 | Double Dynamite | Tailman | (as Russ Thorson) | |
| 1954 | Dangerous Mission | Radio Operator | Uncredited | |
| 1956 | Please Murder Me | Trial judge | (as Russ Thorson) | |
| 1956 | Hot Rod Girl | Detective Captain | ||
| 1956 | Gunsmoke (S1E21) | Mr. Bowers | (as Russ Thorson) | |
| 1956 | Johnny Concho | Sheriff | Uncredited | |
| 1957 | The Gray Ghost | Greene | TV series | |
| 1957 | Destination 60,000 | Dan Maddox | ||
| 1957 | Sheriff of Cochise | Willis | TV series | |
| 1957 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Dr. Rhody | Season 2 Episode 35: "The West Warlock Time Capsule" | |
| 1957 | Undersea Girl | Commander Watkins | Uncredited | |
| 1957 | Zero Hour! | Vancouver Flight Dispatcher | ||
| 1957 | Have Gun – Will Travel | Col. Harrison | TV series | |
| 1957–1958 | Sugarfoot | Jim Travis / Sheriff | TV series | |
| 1957–1958 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Judge / Mason / Walter Harrison | TV series | |
| 1957–1962 | Tales of Wells Fargo | Wells Fargo Manager | TV series | |
| 1958 | Gun Fever | Thomas Rand | ||
| 1958 | Cowboy | Cattle Buyer | Uncredited | |
| 1958 | The True Story of Lynn Stuart | Man at Coroner's Inquest | Uncredited | |
| 1958 | Run Silent, Run Deep | Submarine Crewman | Uncredited | |
| 1958 | Gunman's Walk | Cattleman | Uncredited | |
| 1958 | Jefferson Drum | Bert Temple | TV series | |
| 1958 | When Hell Broke Loose | Col. Crandall | Uncredited | |
| 1958 | Tarawa Beachhead | Casey Nelson | ||
| 1958 | I Want to Live! | San Quentin Sgt. | ||
| 1958 | The Texan | Sheriff | TV series | |
| 1958 | Prof. Philip Osborne | |||
| 1959 | Good Day for a Hanging | Harry Landers | ||
| 1959 | Trackdown | Dr. Aaron Hosper / Sheriff Jesse Jackson | TV series | |
| 1959 | The Last Angry Man | Bennett – City Editor of New York Mirror | Uncredited | |
| 1959 | Battle of the Coral Sea | Adm. Gibney | Uncredited | |
| 1959–1961 | The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor | Det. Lt. Otto Lindstrom | TV series | |
| 1960 | Gunfighters of Abilene | Marshal Wilkinson | ||
| 1960 | The Man from Blackhawk | Perry | TV series | |
| 1960 | The Music Box Kid | Margaret's Father | Uncredited | |
| 1960 | Wanted Dead or Alive (TV series) | The Sheriff | season 2 episode 19 (The Monster) | |
| 1963 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Deputy Sheriff Geary | Season 1 Episode 17: "Forecast: Low Clouds and Coastal Fog" | |
| 1963 | Gunsmoke | Pa Willis | TV series (S9E13) | |
| 1963 | Empire | Austin | TV series | |
| 1963 | Sam Benedict | Thomas Morgan | Uncredited | |
| 1963 | It Happened at the World's Fair | Sheriff Garland | Uncredited | |
| 1963 | The Virginian | Sheriff Stan Evans | TV series episode "Echo of Another Day" | |
| 1963 | The Virginian | Sheriff Tybee | TV series | |
| 1963 | The Lieutenant | Sallaway Sr. | TV series | |
| 1963 | Temple Houston | Red Gilman | TV series | |
| 1964 | The Greatest Show on Earth | Hickey | TV series | |
| 1964 | Where Love Has Gone | Mayor Barrett | Uncredited | |
| 1964 | 36 Hours | General Allison | ||
| 1965 | The Virginian | Ollie | TV series | |
| 1965 | Lassie | Doc Reynolds (veterinarian) | TV series | |
| 1965 | Two on a Guillotine | Mr. Carmichael, Val's editor | ||
| 1965 | My Blood Runs Cold | Sheriff | ||
| 1966 | The Plainsman | Marshal Hart | Uncredited | |
| 1967 | A Covenant with Death | Dr. Shilling | ||
| 1967 | The Invaders | Sheriff | TV series – episode "The Enemy" | |
| 1968 | Cimarron Strip | Hank Marlin | TV series | |
| 1967–1968 | Peyton Place | William Kennerly | TV series | |
| 1968 | Hang 'Em High | Maddow, Cooper Hanging Party | ||
| 1968 | The Stalking Moon | Ned | ||
| 1969 | The Big Valley | Otis Clark | TV series | |
| 1969 | The Learning Tree | Judge Cavanaugh | ||
| 1970 | The F.B.I. | Derelict | TV series | |
| 1970 | The Virginian (TV series) | Josh Dorcas | saison 8 episode 23 (Rich man, poor man) | |
| 1971 | Mission Impossible | Warden | TV series episode "Nerves" | |
| 1973 | Walking Tall | Ferrin Meaks | ||
| 1973 | Police Story | Dana | TV series | |
| 1975 | Guilty or Innocent: The Sam Sheppard Murder Case | Judge Edwards | TV movie | |
| 1977 | Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected | Scottie | TV series | |
| 1978 | The Rockford Files | Arthur Kenner | TV series, (final appearance) |