en Alice B. Russell

Alice B. Russell
Alice B. Russell
	Russell (at left) in The Betrayal (1948)
Born	Alice Burton Russell; June 30, 1889; Maxton, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	January 1, 1985 (aged 96); New Rochelle, New York, U.S.
Other names	A. Burton Russell
Years active	1927–1948
Spouse	Oscar Micheaux (m. 1926) (died 1951)

Alice Burton Russell (June 30, 1889 – January 1, 1985) was an African-American actress,^[1] producer, and the wife of director Oscar Micheaux.^[2] She appeared in several films directed by her husband.

Biography

She was born in 1889 in Maxton, North Carolina. Her parents were M. J. Russell and Robert Russell, who was a prominent newspaper editor, publisher, and politician.^[3]^[4]

Russell and Micheaux married on March 20, 1926, in Montclair, New Jersey.^[3]

She began her acting career in silent film, starring in her husband's The Broken Violin (1928). She continued to act after talkies predominated. She was mentioned often as A. Burton Russell in credits. In the 1930s, she produced three films by her husband and worked as miscellaneous crew in two films. She was also credited as a presenter for The Betrayal (1948). This would be the last film for her husband before his death and her final role as a feature film actress.

Living nearly 100 years, she died in New Rochelle, New York. She was buried in an unmarked grave in Greenwood Cemetery in Rye, New York.^[4]^[5] Her gravesite is now marked with a stone honoring her achievements in the entertainment industry.^[6]

Filmography

As actress:

As producer:

As miscellaneous crew:

Ten Minutes to Live (1932)
Swing! (1938)

References

^[7]

^ T. M. P. (June 26, 1948). "The Betrayal (1948)". The New York Times.
^ "Alice B. Russell". Women Film Pioneers Project. Archived from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
^ ^a ^b Dismond, Mrs. H. Binga (April 3, 1926). "New York Society". The Pittsburgh Courier. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. p. 7. Retrieved December 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b Regester, Charlene. "Emerging from the Shadows: Alice Burton Russell-African American Film Producer, Actress, and Screenwriter." 2020.Film History 32 (1): 127–155.
^ McGilligan, Patrick. Oscar Micheaux: The Great and Only: the Life of America's First Black Filmmaker. Harper Collins, 2009.
^ "Alice B. Russell Micheaux". Find a Grave. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
^ Welch, Dr Rosanne (November 17, 2021). "Alice Burton Russell Micheaux: "Breaking Barriers on Two Fronts"". Script Magazine. Retrieved November 11, 2024.