[2] A graduate of the High School of Art and Design and New York University (NYU), he wrote and starred in the prize-winning short film The Candy Store.
His big break came in the form of a small role in the 1982 comedy film Fast Times at Ridgemont High, as a convenience store robber.
[3] That same year he starred in The Cotton Club and played small-time hood Bugsy in Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America.
In the summer of 2009, Russo starred in the psychological thriller 7E with Brendan Sexton III, John Savage and Natasha Lyonne.
[13] In 2024, he appeared in frequent collaborator Kevin Costner’s latest project, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 as store owner Abel Naughton.