Edward Russell Hicks (June 4, 1895 – June 1, 1957) was an American film character actor.[1] Hicks was born in 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. During World War I, he served in the U.S. Army in France. He later became a lieutenant colonel in the California State Guard.[2]

Russell Hicks
Russell Hicks in Fit for a King (1937)
Born
Edward Russell Hicks

(1895-06-04)June 4, 1895
DiedJune 1, 1957(1957-06-01) (aged 61)
OccupationActor
Years active1933–1956

Hicks was a character actor appearing in bit parts and small supporting roles in nearly 300 films between 1933 and 1956. He often appeared as a smooth-talking confidence man, or swindler as in the W.C. Fields film The Bank Dick (1940). Hicks played a variety of judges, corrupt officials, crooked businessmen and attorneys, working in a variety of mediums almost until his death. Hicks appeared once in the syndicated western television series The Cisco Kid.

Broadway plays in which Hicks acted included The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1954), On Borrowed Time (1953), Time for Elizabeth (1948), All the King's Horses (1934), The Little Black Book (1932), Nona (1932), Torch Song (1930), Goin' Home (1928), No Trespassing (1926), and The Wisecrackers (1925).[3]

On June 1, 1957, Hicks suffered a heart attack after an automobile accident and was dead on arrival at Santa Monica Receiving Hospital. He was 61.[2]

Filmography

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Selected television

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Year Title Role Notes
1950 Cisco Kid Jasper King - Nancy's Uncle Episode "False Marriage"
1953 Death Valley Days Gov. Henry Foote Episode "Whirlwind Courtship" (1953)
1956 Cheyenne Col. Kilrain Episode "West of the River"

References

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  1. ^ "Russell Hicks". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2014. Archived from the original on November 7, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Russell Hicks, Veteran Film-Stage Actor, Dies". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. June 2, 1957. p. 2. Retrieved December 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Russell Hicks". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on December 30, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
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