Adam George Brown (16 July 1893 – 25 November 1971), who used the stage name Billy Russell, was a British comedian and character actor.

He also worked in funfairs, and before the First World War as a child actor in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales, sometimes as part of a duo.

He served in the South Staffordshire Regiment during the war, and entertained the troops as "The Trench Philosopher", performing monologues in the style of the character "Old Bill" devised by cartoonist Bruce Bairnsfather.

He dressed like a traditional workman from the 1920s, with a squashed and oil-grimed hat, hobnailed boots, collarless shirt with red handkerchief tied around the throat, moleskin trousers secured just below the knee with string.

He would clear his throat and address the audience in a crackly Birmingham whine: 'On behalf of the working classes...'"[1] He often improvised his performance in character, extemporising from the latest newspaper headlines and commenting on political events.