External links
- James Russo at IMDb
- James Russo at the Internet Broadway Database
- James Russo at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archived)
- James Russo (Aveleyman)
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James Russo | |
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| Born | James Vincent Russo April 23, 1953 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | New York University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Spouse | Bettina Russo (m. 1995;div. 2020) |
| Children | 2 |
James Vincent Russo (born April 23, 1953) [1] is an American film and television actor. He has appeared in over 150 films in three decades.
Russo was born in New York City to an Italian father and German mother. [2] A graduate of the High School of Art and Design and New York University (NYU), he wrote and starred in the prize-winning short film The Candy Store. Before his first break in acting, he drove for a cab company, worked as a construction worker and a gravedigger. [2] He was raised in Flushing, Queens and spent his formative years on 156th Street.[ citation needed ]
Russo's first role in his acting career was in the 1981 made-for-television film Chicago Story . He then went on to star in many hit films of the 1980s.
His big break came in the form of a small role in the 1982 comedy film Fast Times at Ridgemont High , as a convenience store robber. In 1984, he appeared in Beverly Hills Cop as Mikey Tandino, a friend of Axel Foley who is murdered. [3] That same year he starred in The Cotton Club and played small-time hood Bugsy in Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America . Another major role was as a brutal rapist in the 1986 drama Extremities , opposite Farrah Fawcett. [2] He starred in the 1988 drama-suspense-thriller film Freeway.
Russo's film roles in the 1990s include State of Grace (1990), A Kiss Before Dying (1991), [4] and My Own Private Idaho (1991). [5] Russo was a co-lead in Abel Ferrara's Dangerous Game (1993) alongside Madonna and Harvey Keitel. He also had roles in the 1994 Western Bad Girls , [6] the 1997 films The Postman , [7] and Donnie Brasco . [8] In 2009 he had a small role in Michael Mann's Public Enemies as a member of John Dillinger's gang. [9]
In 2003, Russo was reunited with his co-star from The Postman, Kevin Costner, in the Western film Open Range . [10] He made guest appearances in many TV dramas and films, including The Equalizer , Miami Vice , CSI , CSI: Miami , and Las Vegas .
In the summer of 2009, Russo starred in the psychological thriller 7E with Brendan Sexton III, John Savage and Natasha Lyonne. The film was released on December 10, 2013. [11] Russo had a supporting role in Quentin Tarantino's 2012 film Django Unchained . [12]
In 2011, Russo provided video game voice talent for Rage and provided additional voice work for Star Wars: The Old Republic .
He appeared in the music video for Bastille's 2013 song "Of the Night". [13] In 2024, he appeared in frequent collaborator Kevin Costner’s latest project, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 as store owner Abel Naughton.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | A Stranger Is Watching | Ronald Thompson | |
| Fast Times at Ridgemont High | Robber | ||
| Vortex | Anthony Demmer | ||
| 1983 | Exposed | Nick | |
| 1984 | Once Upon a Time in America | Bugsy | |
| Beverly Hills Cop | Mikey Tandino | ||
| The Cotton Club | Vince Hood | ||
| 1986 | Extremities | Joe | |
| 1987 | China Girl | Alby | |
| 1988 | The Blue Iguana | Reno | |
| Freeway | Frank Quinn | ||
| 1989 | The Belt | Vittorio De Simone | |
| The Vineyard | Teddy | ||
| We're No Angels | Bobby | ||
| 1990 | State of Grace | DeMarco | |
| 1991 | A Kiss Before Dying | Dan Corelli | |
| My Own Private Idaho | Richard Waters | ||
| Cold Heaven | Daniel Corvin | ||
| Intimate Stranger | Nick Ciccini | TV movie | |
| 1992 | In the Shadow of a Killer | Charlie Van | TV movie |
| Illicit Behavior | Bill Tanner | ||
| 1993 | Desperate Rescue: The Cathy Mahone Story | Don Feeney | TV movie |
| Trauma | Capt. Travis | ||
| Da Vinci's War | Mintz | ||
| Double Deception | Jon Kane | TV movie | |
| Dangerous Game | Francis Burns | ||
| 1994 | Bad Girls | Kid Jarrett | |
| 1995 | The Secretary | Ted Burke | TV movie |
| Panther | Rodgers | ||
| Condition Red | Dan Cappelli | ||
| The Set Up | Kliff | TV movie | |
| 1996 | Livers Ain't Cheap | Rupert Little | |
| American Strays | Eddie | ||
| No Way Home | Tommy | ||
| Small Time | Jerry | ||
| 1997 | Donnie Brasco | Paulie | |
| Laws of Deception | Gino Carlucci | ||
| The Girl Gets Moe | Brannagin | ||
| Under Oath | Warren Erickson | ||
| The Postman | Idaho | ||
| 1998 | Butter | Juke Box Danny | |
| Heist | Nick the Stick | ||
| My Husband's Secret Life | Sal Bianculli | TV movie | |
| Detour | Ziggy Rotella | Video | |
| Fait Accompli | Luc | ||
| Charades | Max Targenville | ||
| 1999 | BitterSweet | Joe Massa | Video |
| Jimmy Zip | Otis Campbell | ||
| The Ninth Gate | Bernie | ||
| Diamonds | Damian | ||
| Paper Bullets | John Rourke | ||
| 2000 | Sonic Impact | Agent Nick Halton | |
| Deep Core | Darryl Simmons | ||
| The Unscarred | Mickey Vernon | ||
| Bad Guys | John Tykor | ||
| Hidden War | Matt Forman | ||
| 2001 | Pendulum | Edward Mills | |
| Double Deception | Snake | ||
| 2002 | Shattered Lies | Smiler | |
| The House Next Door | Carl Schmidt | ||
| Redemption | Capt. Grill | Video | |
| Against All Evidence | Mr. Quinn | TV movie | |
| 2003 | Stealing Sinatra | Frank Sinatra | |
| Short | Agent (voice) | Short | |
| A Good Night to Die | Roy | ||
| Paris | Leon King | ||
| The Box | Frank Miles | ||
| Open Range | Marshal Poole | ||
| 2004 | Target | Donovan | |
| Fallacy | - | ||
| 2005 | One Among Us | Ryan Brannigan (the Ex-Cop) | |
| Come as You Are | Benny | ||
| Confessions of a Pit Fighter | Sharkey | ||
| 2006 | All In | Dr. Pennington | |
| Satanic | Eddie | ||
| Shut Up and Shoot! | David Sanchez | ||
| Blackwater Valley Exorcism | The Bishop | Video | |
| Cut Off | Gonzo | ||
| 2007 | Chill | Detective Defazio | Video |
| Blue Lake Massacre | Sheriff Jack | ||
| Machine | Butch | ||
| The Pink Conspiracy | Cox | ||
| The Hit | Mr. Santucci | ||
| On the Doll | Janitor | ||
| 2008 | Kings of the Evening | Ramsey | |
| Stiletto | Engelhart | ||
| Deadwater | Commander Combs | Video | |
| Break | The Father | ||
| Born of Earth | Tom Reeser | ||
| Shoot First and Pray You Live | Bob McGurk | ||
| Dark World | Charlie | ||
| Little Red Devil | Mr. Trundell | ||
| 2009 | Charlie Valentine | Rocco | |
| Never Surrender | Jimmy | ||
| Public Enemies | Walter Dietrich | ||
| Dreams and Shadows | John Brunette | ||
| 2010 | Dark Woods | Sheriff Demming | |
| Boy Wonder | Larry Childs | ||
| Love Sick Diaries | Lorenzo De'mon | ||
| One in the Gun | Jimmy | ||
| 2011 | Good God Bad Dog | Peter Elias | Short |
| Miss Bala | Jimmy | ||
| Yellow Rock | Max Dietrich | ||
| The Dragon Warrior | Claudius | ||
| 2012 | Django Unchained | Dicky Speck | |
| Revan | Stone | ||
| 2013 | Samuel Bleak | Charles Bleak | |
| Five Thirteen | Agent Acevedo | ||
| Chavez Cage of Glory | Tony | ||
| 7E | Sam | ||
| 2014 | Perfect Sisters | Steve Bowman | |
| Strike One | Paul Fairfield | ||
| 2015 | American Justice | Agent Cobb | |
| Daytona | Frank Daytona | Short | |
| Voiceless | Pastor Gil | ||
| Black Mass | Agent Scott Gariola | ||
| 2016 | Vigilante Diaries | Mr. Hanover | |
| Paid in Full | John Desmond | ||
| Code of Honor | Vincent Romano | ||
| The Bronx Bull | Rocky Graziano | ||
| 1st Strike | Paul Fairfield | ||
| 2017 | The Broken Ones | Joe Murphy | |
| The Fifth Borough | Detective Ricci | Short | |
| 2018 | A Dog & Pony Show | Banker Pete Melnick | |
| Living Among Us | Aaron | ||
| Desolate | Duke Stone | ||
| Not a Stranger | Bob Madden | ||
| The Terrorist | Agent Bradley Scott | ||
| Disorder | - | Short | |
| 2019 | The Great Alaskan Race | Wild Bill | |
| Possession Diaries | Father Brien | ||
| Badland | Fred Quaid | ||
| A Shot for Justice | James White | ||
| 2020 | The Big Shot | Mr. Langdon | |
| Final Kill | Bob | ||
| 5th Borough | Det. Ricci | ||
| A Soldier's Revenge | Walsh | ||
| Woe | Uncle Pete | ||
| Chronicle of a Serial Killer | Peter Brown | ||
| The Penitent Thief | Castor | ||
| Welcome Home | Ben Jones | ||
| 2021 | Take Back | Schmidt | |
| Cerebrum | Kirk Davis | ||
| Flag Day | Lead Biker | ||
| 2022 | Pig Killer | Rat | |
| Starf*cker | Carl | ||
| 2023 | Condition of Return | Mike Stafford | |
| The Allnighter | Walter | ||
| MobKing | Don Dominic Sasso | ||
| Inside Man | Garo Balikian | ||
| Replica | Joe | ||
| Among Wolves | Thomas Barclay | ||
| 2024 | Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 | Abel Naughton | |
| Silent Partners | Frankie Cutts | ||
| 2025 | Run | TBA | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Chicago Story | - | Episode: "Chicago Story" |
| 1982 | McClain's Law | Vinny Lo Cicero | Episode: "What Patric Doesn't Know" |
| 1985 | The Equalizer | Police Detective | Episode: "China Rain" |
| Miami Vice | Frank Sacco | Episode: "The Prodigal Son" | |
| 1987 | Crime Story | Nat Martino | Episode: "Ground Zero" |
| Un siciliano in Sicilia | Giuseppe | Main Cast | |
| 1988 | Friday the 13th: The Series | Janos Korda | Episode: "Symphony in B-Sharp" |
| 1991 | Gabriel's Fire | Charles Crowley | Episode: "Belly of the Beast" |
| 1997 | Dellaventura | Tommy Bats | Episode: "Above Reproach" |
| C-16: FBI | Frank Saretti | Episode: "Eight Pounds of Pressure" | |
| 2000 | Falcone | Victor Mura | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2004 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Sinclair | Episode: "Getting Off" |
| Without a Trace | Michael Krauss | Episode: "Lost and Found" | |
| 2005 | Joan of Arcadia | James Karon | Episode: "Trial and Error" |
| 2006 | Broken Trail | Captain Billy Fender | Episode: "Part: 1 & 2" |
| Las Vegas | Warren Pemberton | Episode: "The Story of Owe" | |
| 2006–08 | CSI: Miami | Joey Salucci | Guest Cast: Season 4 & 7 |
| 2008 | The Capture of the Green River Killer | Jeb Dallas | Episode: "Part: 1 & 2" |
| 2009 | Numb3rs | John Curtis | Episode: "12:01 AM" |
| Dark Blue | Robert Franzine | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2010 | Hawaii Five-0 | Frank Salvo | Episode: "Malama Ka Aina (Respect the Land)" |
| 2012–13 | Vegas | Anthony 'Red' Cervelli | Recurring Cast |
| 2014–15 | Chicago Fire | Papa Lullo | Recurring Cast: Season 3 |
| 2017 | The Deuce | - | Episode: "The Principle Is All" |
| 2018 | The Neighborhood | Crazy Chris | Main Cast |
| 2020-21 | Gravesend | Crazy Chris | Main Cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 2 |
| 2025 | Tulsa King | Quiet Ray Renzetti | Recurring Cast: Season 3 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Rage | Voice Talent | |
| Star Wars: The Old Republic | Additional Voices | Grouped under "Additional Voices provided by" |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Extremities | Raul |
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "Of the Night" | Bastille |
| Year | Association | Award | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Theatre World Award | Extremities [14] | Won | |
| 2004 | San Diego Film Festival | Best Actor | The Box [15] | Won |
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