Mark Russell was born Marcus Joseph Ruslander and grew up in Buffalo, New York, the son of Marie Elizabeth (Perry) and Martin Ruslander. He graduated from Canisius High School in Buffalo. After high school, his … See more

Beginning in the early 1960s, he was a regular entertainer at the Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. and did his first PBS show in 1975. He was a regular on the 1977 CBS variety show The Starland Vocal Band Show. … See more

Russell was portrayed by Mark McKinney in a 1996 episode of Saturday Night Live.
In the NewsRadio episode "The Public Domain" (1997), Phil Hartman's character Bill McNeal is inspired by Russell to start a career as … See more

Russell died of complications from prostate cancer on March 30, 2023, at his home in Washington, D.C., at the age of 90. See more

On June 18, 1992 Mark Russell was the 4th recipient of The Lucy Award.
In 2004 Russell was the recipient of the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame Buffalo Bob Award, which is awarded annually to a Buffalo nati… See more