Connie Russell, a sultry and shapely singer, was born in New York and came from a family with a rich musical heritage. Her parents were part of a song-and-dance vaudeville act, and she began performing alongside them at just two years old. Russell's grandmother, Marie Russell, was a well-known vaudevillian, and she traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe during her early years.
As she grew older, Russell turned solo at the age of 11 and began booking her own shows at popular nightspots in London by her mid-teens. Her maturity and talent earned her a spot in the musical film Melody and Romance in 1937, and she went on to sign with MGM. She appeared in several films, including Lady Be Good, Joe Smith, American, and Ship Ahoy, but despite her pin-up good looks, she did not achieve significant success with the studio.
Russell's breakthrough came when she auditioned for Dave Garroway's Garroway at Large show and became a regular on the program. She went on to appear on numerous variety TV shows, including those hosted by Morey Amsterdam, Ed Sullivan, Steve Allen, Milton Berle, and Eddie Cantor. She also performed in New York clubs in the early 1950s and returned to Hollywood to earn a strong showing in the musical film Cruisin' Down the River alongside Dick Haymes.
On the stage, Russell played the role of Nellie Forbush in the 1951 production of "South Pacific," co-starring Richard Eastham. Although she had hoped to reprise the role in the subsequent film adaptation, the part ultimately went to Mitzi Gaynor.
As a recording artist, Russell had a jazzy style and released several popular songs, including "That's What a Rainy Day is For" and "You've Changed." Her last films were This Is My Love, in which she appeared as herself and sang the title tune, and the film noir thriller Nightmare, alongside Kevin McCarthy and Edward G. Robinson.
Russell married agent Mike Zimring and retired from her four-decade-long career after giving birth to her third daughter. She died in 1990 at the age of 67 due to a heart ailment, leaving behind her eldest daughter Lisa, who is also a singer.
