Russell was born on Homestead Air Force Base and grew up in St.  Petersburg, Florida. His first acting experience came in 7th grade,  playing the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. He continued acting  throughout high school, passing up a theatre arts scholarship to join  the Army after becoming a father his senior year. Peace time provided a  unique opportunity as he soon began performing regularly at the esteemed  Fort Bragg Playhouse. By the end of his enlistment he had earned his  Actor's Equity card and moved to New York City. In 1986 he reenlisted in  the Coast Guard, joining the crew of the USCG Cutter Sassafras in  Hawaii. During off duty hours he studied at the Honolulu Film Actor's  Workshop before being transferred to Long Beach, California where he met  his wife actress Shelley Poncy. In 1992 the couple moved to Louisiana,  where they became fixtures on the New Orleans stage. They moved to  Seattle in 2003, Russell resumed his theatre career and became active in  the Independent film scene. In 2014 he was cast to play 'Doc' on the  SyFy original series 'Z Nation'.