Russell was born and raised in
Chicago,
Illinois to
Norwegian mother. She grew up on the
Northwest Side and in
Mount Prospect and
Arlington Heights. She later received MFA from the
University of San Diego. Russell married actor R. Ward Duffy; they live in
New York City.
Theater During her career, Russell performed on Broadway, off-Broadway and regional theatres. She made her Broadway debut starring in the 2001 revival of
Todd Haimes Theatre's
Major Barbara. She later performed in
Impressionism,
The Royal Family,
Lombardi,
The Other Place,
The Winslow Boy,
Machinal and
The Audience. She starred in both off-Broadway and Broadway productions of play
Oslo from 2016 to 2017. As a part of the cast, Russell received
Obie Award in 2017. In 2024 she played Barbara Fordham in
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis' production of
August: Osage County.
Film and television Russell made her television debut in 1997 playing guest-starring roles on
Silk Stalkings and
Pensacola: Wings of Gold. She later made guest appearances in
Law & Order,
Gossip Girl,
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,
The Leftovers,
Elementary and
Chicago Med. She also appeared in films
Corn (2004),
Revolutionary Road (2008), ''
You Don't Know Jack (2010), Kilimanjaro (2013), Freeheld (2015) and Bikini Moon (2017). In 2018, Russell starred as inmate Carol Denning in the Netflix comedy-drama series, Orange Is the New Black'' during the show'
sixth season. She later guest-starred in
Blue Bloods,
The Good Fight,
FBI: Most Wanted and
The Other Two. Russell also had recurring roles in the crime drama
Hightown and the drama series
Three Women. In 2023 she had a supporting role in the drama film
The Magnificent Meyersons starring opposite her
Orange Is the New Black co-star,
Kate Mulgrew. ==Filmography==