He was noted for having worked extensively in the Italian film industry in the mid-1960s, and for his work as a voice actor where he was the founder and president of the English Language Dubbers Association (ELDA) in Italy.
[3] Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, from Italian immigrants, Russo served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.
After making Burt Topper's War is Hell (1963), he went to Italy first appearing in the title role of La leggenda di Fra Diavolo.
He then appeared in several sword and sandal and Eurospy films, including Secret of the Sphinx (1964) and Gladiators Seven (1964).
He left Italy for America in 1967, and later appeared in such films as The Hard Ride (1971) and Soul Hustler (1973).