
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Russell McCaskill Simpson (June 17, 1880, Danville, California – December 12, 1959, Woodland Hills, California) was an American character actor who appeared in over 500 movies. He is best known for his "grizzled old man" appearances. Gaunt, lanky, and rustic-sounding, Simpson was a familiar character actor for almost forty-five years, particularly as a member of the John Ford Stock Company. At age 18 Simpson prospected for gold in Alaska. He began taking acting classes in Seattle, Washington. In 1910 he married Gertrude Alter from New York City. By 1909, he had gone into the theatre. He appeared in at least two plays on Broadway between 1909 and 1912, and made his motion picture debut in Cecil B. DeMille's 1914 original film version of The Virginian in a bit part. By 1923, when the film was remade, Simpson had progressed to playing the lead villain. Throughout his career, Simpson worked for 12 years in road shows, stock companies, and on Broadway. He didn't usually perform lead roles, but he did star in many movies throughout the silent movie era. He performed a lead role as the grandfather in Out of the Dust (1920). Simpson is best known for his work in the films of John Ford and, in particular, for his portrayal of Pa Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940). His final film was The Horse Soldiers, his tenth film for Ford. Simpson worked up to 1959, the year of his death. He was the president of the Overseas Phonograph Accessories Corporation.

Pa Joad
The Grapes of Wrath

Shubel Morgan
Santa Fe Trail

John Simpson
My Darling Clementine

Clem Hall
The Tin Star

Ezra Tilden
The Earth Woman

Tammas Biggar
Bunty Pulls the Strings

Richards
Carolina

Ladd
Desert Gold

Lord Abercrombie McTavish
Now We're in the Air

Adam Perkins
Wagon Master

Walt Hardison
Coroner Creek

Fred - Outrider in Prologue
The Girl of the Golden West

Overland Bradley
The Border Legion

Doc Small
The Hoosier Schoolmaster

Jonathan Kenyon
Hello Trouble

Orestes Krebs
Border Patrol

Pop de Longpre
Along Came Jones

Hamlin
Silver Dollar

Old Man with Pipe (uncredited)
Joan of Arc

Professor (uncredited)
The Power and the Glory

Judge (uncredited)
Broken Lance

Judge R.W. Williams
Law and Order

Lewt Lake
The Sun Shines Bright

Grandpa Smith
Feudin' Fools

Adam Parker
The Big Bonanza

Brother Griffith - Elder (uncredited)
Friendly Persuasion

Pop
Saddle Tramp

Scroggs
Ramona

McAllister
Motive for Revenge

Baxter
Paradise Isle

Grandfather Nichols
Lena Rivers

Capt. Lightfoot
The Splendid Road

Jacob Tutwiler
Blue Jeans

Bish Plivens
That I May Live

Angus McSween
Billy the Kid

Sheriff Jim Wyatt
Sundown in Santa Fe

Hugh Garth
Snowblind

Squire Amasa Bartlett
Way Down East

Abner Prewett
The Harvester

Bayliss Baynum
Yodelin' Kid from Pine Ridge

Capt. Fergus MacLennan
Tuna Clipper

Matthew Turnbull
Mountain Justice

Thomas Hall
The Great Meadow

Judge
Comin' Round the Mountain

Hank Armstrong
The First Auto

Dan McGill
The Brand

Henry Goodbody
The Horse Soldiers

Pa Nathan Brown
Face in the Sky

Joshua Barker
After the Fog

MacKenzie
Gold Is Where You Find It

Si Pace
Thunder Mountain

Doctor
Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise)

Uncle Cal
Man to Man

Sheriff
The Old Homestead

Emile Leval
Innocents of Paris

Lincoln's Employer
Abraham Lincoln

Uncle Joe
The Cabin in the Cotton

Matt Keeler
Wild West Days

Chief of Police
Tobacco Road

Marshal Len Baker
Wild Geese Calling

Mr. Wilkens
Defying Destiny

Maynard Cole
Lone Star

John Carver
The Branding Iron

Speaker
Stolen by Gypsies or Beer and Bicycles

The Banker
The Sap

The Colonel - Drill Instructor (uncredited)
Roughly Speaking

Tom Duane
Last of the Duanes

Dan Perkins
The Honor of the Press

Caleb Deming
The Kingdom Within

Captain Scudder
Breakers Ahead

The Lonely Man

Benton
Paddy O'Day

The Eagle's Lieutenant / Coach Driver (uncredited)
The Eagle

Gaylord
Virginia City

Banker Craig
The Famous Ferguson Case

Jim Wood
Ever Since Eve

Orth
Dodge City

Woolridge (uncredited)
Young Mr. Lincoln

Kenneth Allen (uncredited)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

2nd Captain (uncredited)
Nazi Agent

Dr. Petry
Drums Along the Mohawk

Wade Clayton
The Fabulous Texan

Dave MacMillan
Heart of the North

Winchester Thompson
Western Caravans

Farmer
Free For All

The Parson
The Last Command

Minister
The Untamed Breed

Harvey Taylor - First Ex-Soldier
Alexander Hamilton

Andrew Jackson
The Frontiersman

Old Man in Wagon Train
Call Her Savage

Jeff Parkington
Man Hunt

McKenzie
Valley of the Giants

Old Silas Bagley
Death Valley

Luke Barlow
Bowery Buckaroos

Mayor Potter
Shut My Big Mouth

Jess Meekins
Citadel of Crime

Mr. Bronson
Wyoming

U.S. Army Major
Brigham Young

Sandy
Annie Laurie

Sheriff Big Bill Tanner
Desperate Trails

Editor Pickett
Frontier Marshal

Elijah Walker
Bad Bascomb

Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
The Virginian

Paul Logan
Human Hearts

Marshal Joseph Slyde
Ridin' for Justice

J.K. Trimble
Texas Masquerade

Marty McCord
Swamp Water

Minister
Three Faces West

Trampas
The Virginian

The Sheriff
Rags to Riches

Hank Blatchford
Rustlin' for Cupid

Scout
Geronimo

(uncredited)
Meet John Doe

Roy Neal
West of the Pecos

Stubbins
Lovey Mary

Andy McKay
Call of the Klondike

Colonel Parker
California Gold Rush

'Brick' Willock
Lahoma

Bartender (as old Timer)
The Gal Who Took the West

Sam Stanton
The Ghost of Crossbone Canyon

Tom Duane
Lone Star Ranger

Ned Nolan
Wild Bill Hickok Rides

Abner Huggins
Albuquerque

Hank Younger
Bad Men of Missouri

Big Sam Dabney
Tap Roots

Flapjack
The Spoilers

Fred Lane
Painted People

Big Jack Skinner
The Huntress

Sime
The Woman of the Town

Sheriff
Colt Comrades

Deputy 'Pop' Jackson
The Brass Legend

Grandpa Crumb
Faint Perfume

'Red' Kelly
San Francisco

Mathew Hodgkins
My Dog Shep

Mr. Thornycroft
A Boy and His Dog

Ezra MacDuff
Three on a Honeymoon

'Black' Pawl
Godless Men

Fred Bixby
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Sheep Man
Green Light

Jim O'Connell
Peg o' My Heart

Dan Yeary
The Romance of Rosy Ridge

Notary (1825)
The World Moves On

Silas Martin
Why Women Love

Colonel John Aldridge
The Lone Star Ranger

'Dad' Knowland
They Were Expendable

Frontiersman
The Bill of Rights

Clem Johnson
Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair

Sheriff
Back to Nature

Farmer MacKenzie
Roaring Guns

Village Marshal (Uncredited)
Maid of Salem

Bill Apperson
Bill Apperson's Boy

Singapore Joe
Tropical Nights

Sally's Grandfather
Riders of the Night

Old Shoes

My Lady's Past

Eben Holt
Circus Days

Garvey
The Narrow Street

Jack Rance
The Girl of the Golden West

Caleb Gare
Wild Geese

Frenchy McGuire
Riding High

Bascomb Rogers
Girl of the Ozarks

Jim Willis
The Deadlier Sex

Riley
Paint and Powder

Sheriff
The Riding Tornado

Emigrant (uncredited)
The Tall Men

Kirby
Tennessee Johnson

Sheriff Evans
Meet Me at the Fair

Martin Chandler
A Weaver of Dreams

Simeon Krillet
Under the Lash

Jake
Flames

Farmer (uncredited)
The Outriders

A.B. Crockett
Sixteen Fathoms Deep

Enoch Kidder
Across the Dead-Line

Uncle Rufus
Moonlight in Vermont

Gunner Bill
All Faces West

James Lawton
The Uphill Path

Pappy Tolliver
Radio Scout

Dead Child's Father
Parnell

Uncle Zeke Sawyer
The Challenge Accepted

The Minister (uncredited)
Oklahoma!

Angus Garth
Ship of Souls

Jap Taylor
The Re-Creation of Brian Kent

Black Joe
Hearts Aflame

Sir Eric
The Bushranger

Pat Foster (uncredited)
Tall in the Saddle
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
185
Gender
Male
Birthday
1880-06-16
Place of Birth
Danville, California, USA
Also Known As
Russell McCaskill Simpson