- Born
- Birth nameRussell Irving Tamblyn
- Height5′ 9½″ (1.77 m)
- Russ wasn't discovered, but he discovered show business at the age of five when, with other youngsters at Inglewood, California, he went to Saturday matinees at the Granada Theatre. One afternoon, while waiting for the show to start, he got on the stage and did an impromptu dance which the kids loved. He repeated it the following week and became so popular, that, when he didn't appear, there was almost a riot. The theater manager spoke to his parents and his mother let him take dancing lessons. Once started on a career, he expanded his talents to take in singing and acrobatics, performing his first back flip at ten. He later added juggling, a magic act, piano, and drums to his talents, which made him a regular performer at local clubs. He made his stage debut with a small theater group directed by Lloyd Bridges, which, in turn, led to his film debut in 'The Boy With Green Hair', followed by a part in 'Samson and Delilah' and the title role in 'The Kid From Cleveland.' He earned an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor for 'Peyton Place', receiving high praise from both director Mark Robson and choreographer Michael Kidd, who was a close friend of Jerome Robbins, and who had worked with Russ on 'Seven Brides For Seven Brothers.' Summoned for both a dancing and acting screen test with Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. he was cast as Riff. the leader of the Jets, in the Oscar winning film 'West Side Story.' In his films up to 1952, he was credited as Rusty Tamblyn and Russ Tamblyn thereafter.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tonyman 5
- SpousesBonnie Tamblyn(1981 - present) (1 child)Sheila Elizabeth Kempton(May 7, 1960 - December 18, 1979) (divorced, 2 children)Venetia Stevenson(February 14, 1956 - April 1, 1957) (divorced)
- ChildrenChina Tamblyn
- ParentsSally Triplett
- RelativesLarry Tamblyn(Sibling)
- Has often played odd, slightly off-kilter characters
- Was a gymnast at North Hollywood High School. A buoyant dancer and tumbler, Tamblyn began acting in films in 1948. His abilities as an acrobat and gymnast led to his being cast in such spectacular and dynamic dance films as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), Tom Thumb (1958), and West Side Story (1961) among others.
- In 1997, he made a one-shot guest appearance on General Hospital (1963) in a song-and-dance sketch that featured his daughter, Amber Tamblyn.
- Originally auditioned for the part of "Tony" in West Side Story (1961), but was cast as "Riff" instead, while the part of "Tony" went to Richard Beymer.
- His standout dance sequence while performing the role of Eric in The Fastest Gun Alive (1956) duplicated some of his dance moves from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) and, in fact, added some athletics that went beyond those original moves.
- Appeared in three episodes of Joan of Arcadia (2003) on which his daughter Amber Tamblyn starred: "Night without Stars", "Do the Math", and "Friday Night".
- [on his performance as "Riff" in West Side Story (1961)] Life is so strange. "West Side Story" was one of the high points of my career. Yet, when I first saw it, I was really disappointed in how I came off. Since then, Fred Astaire has told me how much he admired my dancing in it. Now I see it very differently.
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