Nipsey Russell
Who Nipsey Russell is
Nipsey Russell was an American stand-up comedian from Atlanta who began his stage career at three and in the 1950s was a nightclub comic in New York, keeping audiences laughing at Harlem's Club Baby Grand. He made the first of many appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1957 and played Officer Anderson in the 1961 television comedy series Car 54, Where Are You?. His poetic delivery earned him the nickname 'poet laureate of television', and he appeared on game shows including The Match Game, To Tell the Truth and Hollywood Squares and was a panelist on ABC's Rhyme & Reason (1975–1976).
He was the first Black man to be featured on a game show, as the Associated Press obituary has it. He played the Tin Man in the film The Wiz, alongside Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.
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At a glance
- Born
- 1918
- Died
- 2005
- From
- Atlanta
- On screen
- The Ed Sullivan Show, Car 54, Where Are You?, Rhyme & Reason and 4 more
Specials, shows and podcasts
On screen
- The Ed Sullivan Show first appearance, 1957
- Car 54, Where Are You? as Officer Anderson, 1961
- Rhyme & Reason panelist, ABC, 1975–1976
- The Match Game (game show)
- To Tell the Truth game show
- Hollywood Squares game show
- The Wiz film, as the Tin Man
Comedians like Nipsey Russell
Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.
- Marty Allen also in Match Game
- Caroline Rhea also in Match Game
- Joan Rivers also in Match Game
- Phyllis Diller also in Hollywood Squares
- Dusty Slay also in Hollywood Squares
- Gilbert Gottfried also in Hollywood Squares
- Ross Shafer also in Match Game
- Whoopi Goldberg also in Hollywood Squares
Career timeline
- 1918Born
- 1957The Ed Sullivan Show (first appearance, 1957) On screen
- 1961Car 54, Where Are You? (as Officer Anderson, 1961) On screen
- 1975Rhyme & Reason (panelist, ABC, 1975–1976) On screen
- 2005Died
Questions and answers
What TV shows and films is Nipsey Russell in?
The Ed Sullivan Show (first appearance, 1957), Car 54, Where Are You? (as Officer Anderson, 1961), Rhyme & Reason (panelist, ABC, 1975–1976), The Match Game (game show), To Tell the Truth (game show) and Hollywood Squares (game show), among 7 credits.
Where is Nipsey Russell from?
From Atlanta.
How old was Nipsey Russell?
Nipsey Russell was born in 1918 and died in 2005.
Who are some comedians like them?
Marty Allen (also in Match Game), Caroline Rhea (also in Match Game), Joan Rivers (also in Match Game), Phyllis Diller (also in Hollywood Squares) and Dusty Slay (also in Hollywood Squares).
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The full SUCDb record
The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with a button to vote them into My D.O.C. Legends.
Sources
- CBS News — Associated Press obituary of Nipsey Russell (4 October 2005) ↗ Born in Atlanta; stage career from age three; 1950s nightclub performer at Harlem's Club Baby Grand; first Ed Sullivan Show appearance (1957); Officer Anderson in Car 54, Where Are You? (1961); 'poet laureate of television'; game shows; first black man featured on a game show; the Tin Man in The Wiz; died at 80 (as…
- Boothbay Register — article on the game-show creator of Rhyme & Reason (18 April 2018) ↗ Nipsey Russell among the panelists of the ABC game show Rhyme & Reason, aired July 1975 to July 1976 (as of 10 November 2026)
- Wikipedia ↗ died 2 October 2005
Updated · the record checked 10 November 2026