Quick Facts
Biography
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 1959-62 hit crime drama, The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor.
Background
Delos Russell Thorson was born in Eau Claire County, 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.
Career
In the early 1940s, Thorson played Charles Meredith in Midstream on radio, replacing Hugh Studebaker when Studebaker had health problems.
Thorson had small roles for film and television in Double Dynamite (1953), with Jane Russell 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 Gilligan's Island, Tales of Wells Fargo, Trackdown, Wagon Train, 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, starring Jack Lord.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Easy Living | Hunk | (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) | ||
| Johnny Concho | Sheriff (uncredited) | ||||
| 1957 | The Gray Ghost (TV series) | Greene | |||
| Destination 60,000 | Dan Maddox | ||||
| Sheriff of Cochise (TV series) | Willis | ||||
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV series) | Dr. Rhody | ||||
| Undersea Girl | Commander Watkins (uncredited) | ||||
| Zero Hour! | Vancouver Flight Dispatcher | ||||
| Have Gun – Will Travel | Col. Harrison | ||||
| Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman | Prof. Philip Osborne | ||||
| 1957-1958 | Sugarfoot (ABC series) | Jim Travis and Sheriff | "Trail's End" (1957) and "Deadlock" (1958) | – | |
| 1957-1958 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Judge, Mason, and Walter Harrison | "Ride a Lonely Trail", "Trial by Fear", and "The Scaffold", respectively | ||
| 1958 | Gun Fever | Thomas Ram | |||
| Jefferson Drum | Bert Temple | "The Hanging of Joe Lavett" | |||
| The Texan | Sheriff | "The Widow of Paradise" | |||
| 1959 | Trackdown | Dr. Aaron Hosper and Sheriff Jesse Jackson | "McCallin's Daughter" and "The Protector", respectively | ||
| 1959-1961 | The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor (TV series) | Det. Lt. Otto Lindstrom | 36 episodes | ||
| 1960 | Gunfighters of Abilene | Wilkinson | |||
| The Man from Blackhawk | Perry | "Trial by Combat" | |||
| 1963 | It Happened at the World's Fair | Sheriff Garland (uncredited) | |||
| Empire | Austin | "A House in Order" | |||
| Sam Benedict | Thomas Morgan | "Of Rusted Cannons and Fallen Sparrows" | |||
| Temple Houston | Red Gilman | "The Siege at Thayer's Bluff" | |||
| The Lieutenant | Sallaway, Sr. | "A Million Miles from Clary" | |||
| 1964 | The Greatest Show on Earth | Hickey | "Of Blood, Sawdust, and a Bucket of Tears" | ||
| 1965 | Lassie (TV series) | Doc Reynolds (veterinarian) | "The Waif" (Season 12, Episode 12) | ||
| Two on a Guillotine | Mr. Carmichael, Val's editor | ||||
| 36 Hours | General Allison | ||||
| 1966 | The Plainsman | Marshal Hart (uncredited) | |||
| 1967 | A Covenant with Death | Dr. Shilling | |||
| Cimarron Strip (TV series) | Hank Marlin | ||||
| 1968 | Hang 'Em High | Maddow, Cooper | |||
| Peyton Place (TV series) | William Kennerly | six episodes | |||
| 1968 | The Stalking Moon | Ned | |||
| 1969 | The Big Valley (TV series) | Otis Clark | |||
| The Learning Tree | Judge Cavanaugh | ||||
| 1970 | The F.B.I. (TV series) | Derelict | |||
| 1973 | Walking Tall | Ferrin Meaks | |||
| Police Story (TV series) | Dana | ||||
| 1975 | Guilty or Innocent: The Sam Sheppard Murder Case (TV movie) | Judge Edwards | |||
| 1977 | Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected (TV series) | Scottie | Episode "Devil Pack" | ||
| 1978 | The Rockford Files (TV series) | Arthur Kenner |
Other sources
- Harmon, Jim (2003) Radio Mystery and Adventure and Its Appearances in Film, Television and Other Media (McFarland & Company) ISBN 978-0786418107