Back before we had Hollywood icon Kurt Russell, we had his father, Bing Russell. Bing had a lengthy career in entertainment and paved the way for his son Kurt to follow in his footsteps. Though Bing and his wife Louise Julia Crone had four children during their long marriage, Kurt was the only one to follow his father's example in show biz. Though he's best known for his role in the iconic western television series Bonanza, Bing appeared in countless films and TV shows throughout his career. Neil Oliver Russell "Bing" was born in Brattleboro, Vermont in 1926, but grew up around the spring training camp for the New York Yankees in St. Petersburg, Florida. He even became an unofficial mascot for the team while they were in town and became friends with some of the team's most notable Major League Baseball players like Joe Dimaggio and Lefty Gomez. Though he had already established a love of acting at his local high school, Bing also really loved baseball as a result of his close proximity to the Yankees every year. In fact, after he graduated with his business degree from Dartmouth, Bing even played minor league baseball before moving out to Hollywood in California. Bing's acting career kicked off in the film Cavalry Patrol. Though he had numerous uncredited roles throughout the 50s, he ended the decade by booking the role of "Deputy Clem Foster" in Bonanza. The actor's fame he received playing the deputy (and later sheriff) on the popular western series led to numerous more roles in the Old West. He appeared on all of the iconic classics -- Rawhide, Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, The Virginian, The Rifleman, Wagon Train, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, The Untouchables, and even Little House On The Prairie. He also appeared on some of the other popular shows on the air like The Andy Griffith Show, I Dream Of Jeannie, The Munsters, The Monkees, Highway Patrol, The Donna Reed Show, The Twilight Zone, and The Rockford Files. He was even in the TV adaptation of The Fu