Born Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell, on June 21, 1921, in Bemidji, Minnesota. Voluptuous star of Hollywood films, TV, and nightclubs whose cleavage provided the most crucial issue in the controversy surrounding the public showing of Howard Hughes's The Outlaw in the 40s.
The daughter of a former actress, she worked as a chiropodist's receptionist, modeled for a photographer, and studied acting at Max Reinhardt's Theatrical Workshop and with Maria Ouspenskaya before her 38-inch bustline came to the attention of Hughes, who was conducting a nationwide chest hunt for the film's leading female role. The film, mild and innocuous in today's terms, was completed and briefly shown in 1941, released briefly in 1943, but not officially released until January 1950.
Meanwhile, it resulted in much vulgar publicity for its star, who was once introduced by Bob Hope as ``the two and only Miss Russell.'' She survived the image, however, and subsequently proved she had other, less obvious talents, playing with proficiency an assortment of roles, typically as a cynical, experienced dame. One of her most remembered roles was in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" with Marilyn Monroe.
In 1971 she replaced Elaine Stritch as the star of the Broadway musical Company. In the mid-70s she was appearing in TV commercials promoting brassieres for Playtex (remember Cross Your Heart?). Her first husband (1943---68) was football star Bob Waterfield. Her second, actor Roger Barrett, died less than three months after their 1968 wedding. She lives in Sedona, Arizona with her third husband, a real-estate agent.
