Biography
Russell Simpson was an American character actor who appeared in numerous films from the silent era through the late 1950s. He is best known for his portrayal of Pa Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940).
Simpson began his career in theatre, appearing on Broadway in the early 1910s, and made his film debut in a bit part in Cecil B. DeMille's The Virginian (1914). He worked in road shows, stock companies and silent films, later becoming a regular in John Ford productions. His other notable credits include Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), My Darling Clementine (1946), Wagon Master (1950) and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954). His final film was Ford's The Horse Soldiers (1959).
He died in Woodland Hills, California, in 1959.
