Johnny Russell, Child Star of Old Hollywood, Dies at 91

John R. Countryman, who was featured in a number of Hollywood films alongside stars like Shirley Temple and Barbara Stanwyck in the 1930s and 1940s while using the stage name Johnny Russell, has died. He was 91.

Countryman, following his time in the movie business, served as an American diplomat for years and was appointed the U.S. Ambassador to Oman by President Ronald Reagan, a post he served in from 1981 to 1985.

His daughter, Vanessa Countryman, who serves as secretary of the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission, told TheWrap her father died on Dec. 14 in Loudoun, Virginia, following a brief battle with pneumonia.

Countryman appeared in several major films in the late ’30s and early ’40s, including his portrayal of Jesse James Jr. in the 1939 movie “Jesse James” starring Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda. The year prior, he appeared as Stanwyck’s son Roddy in the romantic drama “Always Goodbye,” and in 1940, in his best-known role, he played Temple’s younger brother Tyltyl in the fantasy flick “The Blue Bird.” He also had an uncredited part in 1939’s “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” starring Jimmy Stewart.

Beyond “Johnny Russell,” he was sometimes credited as “Johnnie Russell” and “John Russell.” His last film was 1945’s “Don Juan Quilligan,” a comedy from 20th Century Fox.

After Hollywood, Countryman spent three years as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force and worked as a reporter in Connecticut before starting his distinguished career as a diplomat. He went on active duty in the U.S. Foreign Service starting in 1962, and served in countries like Turkey, Libya, and Saudi Arabia. Countryman also played a role in negotiations during the Iran hostage crisis in the late ’70s, before he was later appointed by Reagan as the nation’s ambassador to Oman. Countryman retired from the Foreign Service in 1987; he went on to work in real estate and spent much of his time advocating for peace in the Middle East.

Countryman was born in Brooklyn on Jan. 25, 1933. He was survived by wife, Illona, his daughter, Vanessa, and his son-in-law, James.

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