Julius "Nipsey" Russell (September 15, 1918 – October 2, 2005) was an African-American comedian, best known today for his many appearances as a guest panelist on game shows from the 1960s through the 1990s, especially Match Game, Password, Hollywood Squares, To Tell the Truth and Pyramid. His appearances were distinguished in part by the short, humorous poems he would recite during the broadcast. These lyrics became so closely associated with Russell that Dick Clark, Bill Cullen, Betty White, and others regularly referred to him as "the poet laureate of television." He also had a leading role in the film version of The Wiz.

Nipsey Russell was born in Atlanta Georgia in 1918. Russell got his start in Rock and Roll and other music reviews in the 1950s. In the 1960s Russell achieved his first major role as Officer Anderson in "Car 54, Where Are You?" (1961). After being on the show for a year Russell was a mainstay on variety shows, appearing on Laugh-In, "Dean Martin Show, The" (1965), the Jackie Gleason Show, among many others. Russell also appeared in so many small shows in the 1960s as an always unique personality that would liven up almost any program. As the 1970s approached Nipsey Russell became a popular game show panelist, appearing mostly on To Tell The Truth, "Match Game PM" (1975), and many others. Nipsey was known as Television's Poet Laurete. On such shows like The Tonight Show, and many other very popular talk shows of the day. Nipsey's film roles have been remarkably scarce, but will always be remembered for his role of the Tin Man in the 1978 remake of the Wizard of Oz, Wiz, The (1978/I). The movie was a box office failure, but since the movie has been considered a cult classic. But Russell's skill cannot be weighed by his television and movie appearances. He is an accomplished actor and singer on stage. Russell has been on Broadway for many years, and still appears to be going strong on stage.