Russ Leatherman, also known as "Mr. Moviefone", is a renowned figure in American pop culture, synonymous with the iconic greeting "Hello and Welcome to Moviefone!". With his trademark voice, he has become a staple of the moviegoing experience, reaching millions of people each week through various platforms.
As the founder of Moviefone, a pioneering film information service, Russ has been at the forefront of the industry, providing his unique take on movie reviews to a wide range of media outlets. His expertise has been sought after by CNN, CNN Headline News, ABC-TV, CBS, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, and numerous top radio stations across the country.
Russ has made appearances on numerous national talk shows, including Late Show with David Letterman, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Howard Stern Show, and many more. His profile has been featured in prominent publications such as Time Magazine, People, Entertainment Weekly, Life, Vanity Fair, and The New York Times.
His distinctive greeting has been parodied on various TV programs, including The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and even the 2005 Academy Awards. He has also been the subject of a classic Seinfeld episode, "The Pool Guy".
As the voice of the moviegoing public, Russ is widely recognized as an authority on the tastes and habits of today's moviegoers. Using Moviefone's services to gauge public interest in films, he has offered his insights to a variety of media outlets, including Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, MSNBC, and The Fox News Channel.
With his partners, Russ co-founded Moviefone in 1989 and established the overall management of the company, as well as many of its relationships with industry partners. After being acquired by AOL in 1999, Moviefone has continued to grow in popularity, year after year.
