Betsy Russell

Betsy Russell

Born: September 6, 1963
in San Diego, California, USA
Elizabeth "Betsy" Russell (born September 6, 1963) is an American actress who is best known for her roles in Private School (1983), Tomboy (1985), and as Jill Tuck, one of the primary characters of the Saw film series from 2006 to 2010.

Russell was born in San Diego, California, the daughter of Constance (née Lerner) and Richard Lion Russell, a stock analyst, and the granddaughter of journalist and educator Max Lerner. Her father and maternal grandfather were Jewish. Russell wanted to be an actress since the age of eight and started acting in school plays. She appeared in a Pepsi commercial that was taped locally while in high school. After graduating from Mission Bay High School in 1981, she moved to Los Angeles and began taking acting classes before landing her first role. She did a masters program in Spiritual Psychology at the University of Santa Monica and is a certified hypnotist and life coach, also from the University of Santa Monica.

Russell's first role was in the 1982 film Let's Do It! That same year, she landed roles on T. J. Hooker, Family Ties, and The Powers of Matthew Star. In 1983, Russell's breakout role came as Jordan Leigh-Jensen in the sex comedy Private School. While shooting the action film Avenging Angel, she was offered to audition for the 1985 film Silverado but turned it down. She said in an interview, "Everything happens for a reason. I always believe my career would have been different had I done that part. I can't say if it would have been better or worse. I’ve had a great run." She went on to star in a series of B movies in the 1980s, including the comedy Tomboy and the slasher film Cheerleader Camp. Russell also appeared on TV series such as The A-Team, Murder, She Wrote, 1st & Ten, and an episode of Superboy, which was a reunion with her Tomboy co-star Gerard Christopher.

Russell resides in Malibu, California.

In August 1988, Russell was engaged to actor Vincent Van Patten, son of Dick Van Patten. They were married nine months later on May 27, 1989, in North Hollywood. Their wedding reception was at Van Patten's father's Sherman Oaks home which was attended by numerous A-list celebrities. They divorced in 2001 and have two sons: Richard Van Patten (March 1993) and Vincent Van Patten, Jr. (September 3, 1995) Russell was previously engaged to film producer Mark Burg.

After a brief retirement from acting, Russell appeared in a small role in Saw III playing John Kramer's ex-wife, Jill Tuck. She went on to star in the sequels, Saw IV, Saw V, Saw VI, and Saw 3D. She played a role in the 2010 film Chain Letter, the SyFy film Mandrake, and My Trip Back to the Dark Side.

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Movies for Betsy Russell...

Bully High
Title: Bully High
Character: Beth White
Released: July 25, 2022
Type: Movie
A coming-of-age drama that tackles some of today's most prevalent issues including religious prejudices, sexual orientation and bullying.
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Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies
Title: Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies
Character: Self
Released: August 18, 2020
Type: Movie
The definitive documentary on the history of nudity in feature films from the early silent days to the present, studying the changes in morality that led to the use of nudity in films while emphasizing the political, sociological and artistic changes that shaped that history. Skin will also study the gender inequality in presenting nude images in motion pictures and will follow the revolution that has created nude gender equality in feature films today.
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Knock 'em Dead
Title: Knock 'em Dead
Character: Louanne the Maid / Laurie Grant
Released: June 1, 2014
Type: Movie
Three rival actresses and their crew, desperate and hating each other, reunite for a horror movie sequel when someone starts killing them off just like in their movie, in this bitchy, raunchy comedy mystery.
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My Trip Back to the Dark Side
Title: My Trip Back to the Dark Side
Character: Destiny
Released: May 14, 2014
Type: Movie
Shawn Stone is having a bad day. The funding for his film project is not there, his personal life is in shambles, he's out of time and money. He sees only one way to solve his problems - he must turn to the dark side and ask the King of Porn for some cash
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Non-Stop
Title: Non-Stop
Character: Gayle
Released: November 29, 2013
Type: Movie
Mysterious emotional thriller about a woman who, after being left at the altar, has a brief liaison with a handsome stranger on a plane which ultimately puts her – and everyone else on the flight – in terrible danger.
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Blood of 1000 Virgins
Title: Blood of 1000 Virgins
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: May 14, 2013
Type: Movie
The question of "who hunts virgins" and more will be stripped down and explored in the sexiest trailers hosted by Playboy's Nikki Leigh.
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Celebrity Nude Revue: Easy 80's Volume 1
Title: Celebrity Nude Revue: Easy 80's Volume 1
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: October 26, 2011
Type: Movie
The naked floodgates burst open in the Saucy 70s and the 80s continued the trend. Welcome to the 80s, Jerry Falwell, Reagan conservatism, VCRs, pay tv, big hair and AIDS. Drive-ins and grindhouses were replaced by multiplex theaters, but the VCR and Pay TV came to the rescue with a flood of direct to video sexy features. Remember trying to watch scrambled Pay TV looking for some skin?
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Saw 3D
Title: Saw 3D
Character: Jill Tuck
Released: October 22, 2010
Type: Movie
As a deadly battle rages over Jigsaw's brutal legacy, a group of Jigsaw survivors gathers to seek the support of self-help guru and fellow survivor Bobby Dagen, a man whose own dark secrets unleash a new wave of terror.
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Chain Letter
Title: Chain Letter
Character: Sergeant Hamill
Released: October 1, 2010
Type: Movie
Six friends receive a mysterious chain letter via text messaging and in their email accounts from a maniac who's hunting down teenagers who fail to forward his online chain letter. Who knew they should take the threats in the chain letter seriously? Or that chain letters using the teens' favorite technologies to track them can kill? This maniacal game pits friend against friend as they race to beat rules that seem impossible to escape. Break the chain, lose a life. Do you pass it on? Does friendship mean anything?
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Mandrake
Title: Mandrake
Character: Felicia
Released: September 11, 2010
Type: Movie
An expedition led by adventurer Darren McCall and funded by the wealthy Harry Vargas braves the impenetrable jungle to retrieve a fabled bejeweled dagger from an ancient burial ground. But pulling the dagger from its rightful resting place awakens the long-dormant plant creature - part plant, part animal, and all bloodthirsty -- and sends it on a feeding frenzy from which there seems scant hope of survival or escape...
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Saw VI
Title: Saw VI
Character: Jill Tuck
Released: October 22, 2009
Type: Movie
Special Agent Strahm is dead, and Detective Hoffman has emerged as the unchallenged successor to Jigsaw's legacy. However, when the FBI draws closer to Hoffman, he is forced to set a game into motion, and Jigsaw's grand scheme is finally understood.
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Saw V
Title: Saw V
Character: Jill Tuck
Released: October 23, 2008
Type: Movie
Following Jigsaw's grisly demise, Detective Mark Hoffman is commended as a hero, but Agent Strahm is suspicious, and delves into Hoffman's past. Meanwhile, another group of people are put through a series of gruesome tests.
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Saw IV
Title: Saw IV
Character: Jill Tuck
Released: October 25, 2007
Type: Movie
Despite Jigsaw's death, and in order to save the lives of two of his colleagues, Lieutenant Rigg is forced to take part in a new game, which promises to test him to the limit.
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Saw III
Title: Saw III
Character: Jill Tuck
Released: October 26, 2006
Type: Movie
Jigsaw has disappeared. Along with his new apprentice Amanda, the puppet-master behind the cruel, intricate games that have terrified a community and baffled police has once again eluded capture and vanished. While city detective scrambles to locate him, Doctor Lynn Denlon and Jeff Reinhart are unaware that they are about to become the latest pawns on his vicious chessboard.
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The Break
Title: The Break
Character: Candy
Released: September 1, 1995
Type: Movie
A washed-up tennis pro begins coaching a hopeful teen, Joel Robbins, whose overbearing father wants to discourage him from playing.
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Title: Platypus Man
Character: Becky
Released: January 23, 1995
Type: TV
Platypus Man is an American sitcom that aired on UPN in 1995. Starring comedian Richard Jeni, the television series was based on an hour-long HBO special of Jeni's filmed in 1992. The series lasted for only one season, with a total of thirteen episodes. Platypus Man premiered January 23, 1995. The concept of a "Platypus Man", the concept of a "cooking show for guys" and the scenes involving the main character's social life were drawn from Jeni's stand-up routines. The show, paired with Pig Sty, followed Star Trek: Voyager on UPN's Monday schedule. Both Pig Sty and Platypus Man were canceled in July 1995.
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Amore!
Title: Amore!
Character: Cheryl Schwartz
Released: November 1, 1993
Type: Movie
Saul Schwartz, a married successful businessman, is bored with his life and decides he has had enough. So he gets a divorce, quits his job, and goes off to pursue his dream, in Hollywood to be a movie star. Only becoming a movie star isn't as easy as he thought. Nobody wants an overweight, 50 year old, New Yorker who looks like a lawyer. He's going to have to make a few adjustments.
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Delta Heat
Title: Delta Heat
Character: Vicky Forbes
Released: December 30, 1992
Type: Movie
An L.A. cop investigates the death of his partner in the swamps of Louisiana. Enlisting the help of an ex-cop who lost his hand to an alligator many years before.
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Camp Fear
Title: Camp Fear
Character: Jamie
Released: January 1, 1991
Type: Movie
Some sorority sisters opt for camping in the woods with a handsome professor instead of going to Palm Springs for spring break. However, the orgy is interrupted when some druids appear and decide they need to sacrifice the sisters to prevent the apocalypse at the start of the new millennium.
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Roxanne: The Prize Pulitzer
Title: Roxanne: The Prize Pulitzer
Character: Liza Pulitzer
Released: January 1, 1989
Type: Movie
When young Roxanne Ulrich (Chynna Phillips) meets wealthy charmer Herbert Pulitzer (Perry King) and enters the scandal-ridden world of the rich and famous, her life changes forever. After a whirlwind courtship, the two wed, but their marriage is quickly torn apart by drug abuse and affairs. Courteney Cox co-stars in this drama based on Roxanne Pulitzer's 1987 autobiography, written after her headline-making divorce from the publishing heir.
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Trapper County War
Title: Trapper County War
Character: Lacey Luddigger
Released: January 1, 1989
Type: Movie
A pair of city boys get in trouble with a backwoods North Carolina family, when the boys try to stop the abuse of the family's step daughter. A pair of locals decide to step up to help the boys and the girl.
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Title: Superboy
Character: Serene
Released: October 8, 1988
Type: TV
Superboy is a half-hour live-action television series based on Kal-El's early years as Superboy. It depicted Superboy's adventures during his college years, his meetings with Lex Luthor and his romance with Lana Lang. The series was brought to the screen by executive producers Ilya and Alexander Salkind, who were the producers of the first three Superman movies and the 1984 Supergirl movie.
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Cheerleader Camp
Title: Cheerleader Camp
Character: Alison Wentworth
Released: June 1, 1988
Type: Movie
A cheerleader named Alison is plagued by nightmares about the upcoming all-state finals and attends a summer training camp with her teammates. When a number of deaths start occurring at the camp, Alison's nightmares turn twisted and brutal, and she begins to believe that she may be responsible for the mayhem.
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Out of Control
Title: Out of Control
Character: Chrissie Baret
Released: May 1, 1985
Type: Movie
Upon graduation from high school eight teens take a seaplane trip, intending to celebrate on Keith's parents' private island. Stormy weather causes the plane to crash and they end up on a deserted isle. They find evidence of other visitors, and soon must fend for their lives against drug smugglers.
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Tomboy
Title: Tomboy
Character: Tomboy
Released: January 25, 1985
Type: Movie
A budding female race-car driver finally meets her racing idol and unbelievably they fall in love...a love that's quickly put to the test when, having received the chance to show her racing talents, the two find themselves in a race for a multi-million dollar sponsorship contract.
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Avenging Angel
Title: Avenging Angel
Character: Molly Stewart/Angel
Released: January 11, 1985
Type: Movie
Molly Stewart, now a law student at UCLA, is determined to leave her prostitute past behind. After learning that the detective who helped save her life has been murdered, she quickly finds herself pitted against an underworld of mob figures who might be more than she's bargained for...
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Title: Murder, She Wrote
Character: Doris Robinson
Released: September 30, 1984
Type: TV
An unassuming mystery writer turned sleuth uses her professional insight to help solve real-life homicide cases.
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Private School
Title: Private School
Character: Jordan Leigh-Jenson
Released: June 29, 1983
Type: Movie
Private-school student Christine loves Jim. But her classmate, Jordan, is also vying for Jim's attention and trying to end his relationship with Christine. Meanwhile, Jim's friend Bubba embarks on a series of sexual escapades, including dressing up as a woman to access the girls' locker room. Despite Jim and Christine's efforts to spend some time alone, various shenanigans and schemes interfere.
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Title: The A-Team
Character: Adrian Prescott
Released: January 23, 1983
Type: TV
A fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel work as soldiers of fortune while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit."
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Title: The A-Team
Character: Tina
Released: January 23, 1983
Type: TV
A fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel work as soldiers of fortune while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit."
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Title: Family Ties
Character: The Girl
Released: September 22, 1982
Type: TV
Former 1960s flower children Steven and Elyse Keaton raise their conservative son Alex, daughters Mallory and Jennifer, and later, youngest child Andrew.
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Let's Do It!
Title: Let's Do It!
Character: Kittie
Released: July 9, 1982
Type: Movie
Freddie really wants to please his girlfriend, Melody. But, because he's too eager, he can't perform in bed. He decides to discover the root of the problem and goes on a search for answers.
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Title: T. J. Hooker
Character: Teenager
Released: March 13, 1982
Type: TV
Sergeant Thomas Jefferson Hooker is a tough-as-nails veteran police officer with the LCPD who turns his back on a gold badge and goes back to patrolling the streets and training recuits. Along with his young partners in blue, Hooker take on Lake City's toughest criminals.
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Title: The Adventures of Superboy
Character: Serene
Released: September 10, 1966
Type: TV
The Adventures of Superboy is a series of six-minute animated Superboy cartoons produced by Filmation that were broadcast on CBS between 1966 and 1969. The 34 segments appeared as part of three different programs during that time, packaged with similar shorts featuring The New Adventures of Superman other DC Comics superheroes. These adventures marked the animation debut of Superboy, as well as his teenage alter ego Clark Kent, who acted as the bespectacled, mild-mannered disguise for the young hero, Lana Lang, and Krypto the super-powered dog who would accompany his master on every dangerous mission. Other characters such as Pa and Ma Kent, foster parents of the Boy of Steel, and the town of Smallville were also faithfully recreated from comic book adventures. As a result of the production's budget, the show featured a great amount of stock animation as well as limited movement from the characters.