Nipsey Russell
Actor · Died October 2, 2005, aged 87 · Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Julius "Nipsey" Russell (September 15, 1918 – October 2, 2005) was an American comedian, best known today for his appearances as a guest panelist on game shows from the 1960s through the 1990s, especially Match Game, Password, Hollywood Squares, To Tell the Truth and Pyramid. His appearances were distinguished in part by the short, humorous poems he would recite during the broadcast. These lyrics became so closely associated with Russell that Dick Clark, Bill Cullen, Betty White, and others regularly referred to him as "the poet laureate of television." He also had a leading role in the film version of The Wiz. Russell was also a frequent guest on Dean Martin's Celebrity Roasts.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- September 15, 1918
- October 2, 2005 (aged 87)
- Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Actor
- 8 on MovieCove · 18 credits in all
What are Nipsey Russell's films like?
Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 4
Light 5 · Serious 0 · Dark 0
A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 2
Gentle 4 · Charged 1 · Intense 0
Steady 3 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 2
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 5 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
Usually the Ally: 2 of 3 analyzed roles.
- Allyas Tinman in The Wiz (1978)
- Heraldas Mr. Rip in Dream one (1984)
- Allyas Police Capt. Dave Anderson in Car 54, Where Are You? (1994)
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet1
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Nipsey Russell's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).
Subscription and free streaming for Nipsey Russell's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
18 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page; 11 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
100 Centre Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Spin City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Car 54, Where Are You?(1994)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Posse(1993)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Wildcats(1986)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Your Number's Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Dream one(1984)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films$weepstake$ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The Wiz(1978)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Wiz on Down the Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The Love Boat(1977)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows
Police Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
The Dean Martin Comedy World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Barefoot in the Park (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
The Dean Martin Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
The Red Skelton Hour(1951)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows
Career shape
Star power in the 75th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 17 titles from 1951 to 2001; peak year 1978.
Film career
Peak 1978 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1978Screen debut· The Wiz
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Nipsey Russell's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 39th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 48th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 8 titles are Mixed.
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the acting 43/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 64, detractors 25. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Nipsey Russell work with?
People who share at least 2 of Nipsey Russell's MovieCove titles; Diana Ross shares the most, 2.
- Diana RossShared titles: The Yellow Brick Road and Beyond (2009), The Wiz (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Diana Ross
- Michael JacksonShared titles: The Yellow Brick Road and Beyond (2009), The Wiz (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Jackson
