Betsy Russell
- Actress
- Producer
Born in San Diego, California, Betsy Russell is best known for her
starring role as "Jill Tuck," the ex-wife of the Jigsaw Killer in the
"Saw" film series. Russell was born into a family of educators--her
father, iconic economist Richard Russell, wrote a news
letter about the stock market for over 50 years called "Dow Theory
Letters," and her grandfather, Max Lerner, was an author and
syndicated columnist, said to be one of the great minds of our
time. Russell seemed to be destined for greatness and decided to set the bar
high for herself when making career moves and setting goals. At 16
years of age she landed her first real gig in the business, a Pepsi
commercial in her hometown of San Diego, California. This sparked a
fire within her, and she immediately made the move to Los Angeles to
pursue acting full time.
Russell landed her first TV role on the series
The Powers of Matthew Star (1982)
with one line. After that TV roles began to pour in, until she
landed an audition for a film that would change her career: the cult classic Private School (1983). She booked
the role on the spot, being cast as "Jordon Leigh-Jensen," playing
opposite her idol Phoebe Cates. The film
launched Russell into Hollywood stardom, and she quickly became known
as the "it-girl". Her scene riding a horse topless in slow motion made
her an '80s icon. She continued to work steadily in film, starring
in such films as Tomboy (1985),
Avenging Angel (1985) and
Cheerleader Camp (1988), and did
guest-starring roles in such top-rated television series as
The A-Team (1983),
T.J. Hooker (1982) and
Family Ties (1982). At the height
of her career she met actor and tennis star
Vincent Van Patten at The Playboy
Mansion, where she visited frequently as her grandfather was a close
friend of Hugh Hefner. Van Patten and
Russell married in 1989 and had two beautiful boys. She decided to
take a hiatus from acting, to focus on her family and raising her
children.
Van Patten and Russell divorced in 2001, and she decided to move to
Malibu, California, to continue raising her family. Soon after her
divorce she received a call from "Saw" producer
Mark Burg about an upcoming role in the
series. Russell jumped at the opportunity to work in one of the biggest
horror franchises in the history of film, and returned to the screen starring as "Jill Tuck" in Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures' Saw III (2006),
Saw IV (2007),
Saw V (2008),
Saw VI (2009) and Saw 3D (2010).
Russell is an avid writer, has a huge passion for various charities,
she holds a real-estate license and is a certified hypnotist. While she
continues to love acting, she considers "Spiritual Psychology" and life
coaching her other passion. She completed a three-year Masters program
at The University of Santa Monica in this field, with an emphasis on
consciousness health and healing, and hopes to help others with
healing their issues and learning communication skills and has begun
teaching workshops to actors on this subject.
starring role as "Jill Tuck," the ex-wife of the Jigsaw Killer in the
"Saw" film series. Russell was born into a family of educators--her
father, iconic economist Richard Russell, wrote a news
letter about the stock market for over 50 years called "Dow Theory
Letters," and her grandfather, Max Lerner, was an author and
syndicated columnist, said to be one of the great minds of our
time. Russell seemed to be destined for greatness and decided to set the bar
high for herself when making career moves and setting goals. At 16
years of age she landed her first real gig in the business, a Pepsi
commercial in her hometown of San Diego, California. This sparked a
fire within her, and she immediately made the move to Los Angeles to
pursue acting full time.
Russell landed her first TV role on the series
The Powers of Matthew Star (1982)
with one line. After that TV roles began to pour in, until she
landed an audition for a film that would change her career: the cult classic Private School (1983). She booked
the role on the spot, being cast as "Jordon Leigh-Jensen," playing
opposite her idol Phoebe Cates. The film
launched Russell into Hollywood stardom, and she quickly became known
as the "it-girl". Her scene riding a horse topless in slow motion made
her an '80s icon. She continued to work steadily in film, starring
in such films as Tomboy (1985),
Avenging Angel (1985) and
Cheerleader Camp (1988), and did
guest-starring roles in such top-rated television series as
The A-Team (1983),
T.J. Hooker (1982) and
Family Ties (1982). At the height
of her career she met actor and tennis star
Vincent Van Patten at The Playboy
Mansion, where she visited frequently as her grandfather was a close
friend of Hugh Hefner. Van Patten and
Russell married in 1989 and had two beautiful boys. She decided to
take a hiatus from acting, to focus on her family and raising her
children.
Van Patten and Russell divorced in 2001, and she decided to move to
Malibu, California, to continue raising her family. Soon after her
divorce she received a call from "Saw" producer
Mark Burg about an upcoming role in the
series. Russell jumped at the opportunity to work in one of the biggest
horror franchises in the history of film, and returned to the screen starring as "Jill Tuck" in Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures' Saw III (2006),
Saw IV (2007),
Saw V (2008),
Saw VI (2009) and Saw 3D (2010).
Russell is an avid writer, has a huge passion for various charities,
she holds a real-estate license and is a certified hypnotist. While she
continues to love acting, she considers "Spiritual Psychology" and life
coaching her other passion. She completed a three-year Masters program
at The University of Santa Monica in this field, with an emphasis on
consciousness health and healing, and hopes to help others with
healing their issues and learning communication skills and has begun
teaching workshops to actors on this subject.