Neil "Bing" Oliver Russell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bing_Russell

Bing Russell (born Neil Oliver Russell) was an American actor, and was the father of Golden Globe-nominated actor Kurt Russell. As an actor, he is best known for his role as the Deputy Clem Foster on Bonanza (1959) and Robert in The Magnificent Seven (1960), but his claim to fame on a national level was as the owner of the Portland Mavericks Baseball Club.

Helming the only independent team in the Class A Northwest League, Russell was an innovator. Before Bull Durham (1988), there were the Mavericks. Russell kept a 30-man roster because he believed that some of the players deserved to have one last season. His motto was simply one three lettered word (not win—although the Mavericks did just that). The word was fun.

Russell died from complications from cancer on April 8, 2003 in Thousand Oaks, California.

Filmography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bing_Russell#Filmography