Russell Morash biography: net worth, family, latest updates
Many producers work side-by-side with directors on everything from music cues to budget concerns. They are accountable for lighting the spark that adapts an idea into a huge film crew production, screenwriters, visual effects artists, actors, and actresses. Russell Morash has proven that the creation of every brilliant film usually starts not in the director's chair but a producer's office.
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Russell Morash from This Old House is a veteran producer and director for American television. Many of his television programs are a WGBH production and air on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). He has been branded the “father of reality television” due to his work on famous PBS programs, including The Victory Garden, This Old House, and The New Yankee Workshop.
Russell Morash’s profile summary
- Name: Russell Frederick Morash Jr.
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: February 11, 1936
- Place of birth: Lexington, Massachusetts.
- Country: United States of America
- Nationality: American
- Ethnicity: White
- Age: 86 years
- Education: Boston University College of Fine Arts
- Profession: Television producer and director
- Marital status: Married
- Wife: Marian Morash
- Number of children: Three
- Grandchild: Madeleine
- Zodiac sign: Aquarius
- Net worth: $1 million - $5 million
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Early life
Russell Morash was born in Lexington, Massachusetts, USA, on February 11, 1936. Russell Frederick Morash Jr. Morash’s father was a construction worker in the construction industry. Not much is known about his mother or siblings. There is also no information on his upbringing; hence it remains unknown.
Morash attended the Boston University College of Fine Arts and received his degree in 1957. At the university, he trained as a theatre director and later used the skills to advance his career in film.
Career
Morash began his career in the entertainment industry as a cinematographer for WGBH, a public television station in Boston, immediately after he graduated in 1957. It was not long before he could grow in the public television industry. In 1958, he was promoted to producer/director, which he has enjoyed ever since.
While working as a cameraman for WGBH, Morash met Julia Child in 1961 when she promoted her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking on the I’ve Been Reading show. After the appearance, calls and letters from viewers swamped the channel, requesting more.
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The reaction from viewers led to Russell Morash collaborating with Julia Child, a developing cookbook author with an identifiable accent and a wonderful sense of humour. They teamed up to write and direct The French Chef with Julia Child in 1963.
Morash and Julia formed a great team and partnered on various cooking shows for thirty years. Over that period, they produced plenty of television cooking masterpieces that are still considered the gold standard in the genre.
In 1975, Morash teamed up with Jim Crockett to launch Crockett’s Victory Garden, which ultimately became The Victory Garden. He eventually laid up his trowel in 2003 after a 30-year gardening experience on television.
Monash’s wife, Marian Morash, was also in attendance for the cooking shows. Marian is a well-known self-taught cook who went on to earn a James Beard Award. She starred as Chef Marian on The Victory Garden and worked as the executive chef on Child’s series.
Marian Morash founded the Women’s Culinary Guild becoming executive chef of the Straight Wharf Restaurant she co-founded on Nantucket. She supervised an all-women kitchen there, which was unusual in the mid-1970s.
In 1976, Russel Morash renovated his home since his forefathers were carpenters and shipwrights. While undertaking the process, he got the idea for a house renovation show, and that’s how This Old House came to creation.
Russel Morash’s home was the inspiration behind the show. This Old House was a local television show initially aired in 1979 as a 13- week series. It featured a Victorian home makeover in Boston’s Dorchester district and achieved a new rating record for WGBH. The show's following season was aired nationwide on PBS and instantly became a fan favourite.
It’s from the show where he started being referred to as Russell Morash from This Old House. In 2004, Morash resigned as executive producer and director of This Old House and its spin-off, Ask This Old House.
From 1989 until 2009, Russell Morash was also the producer and director of The New Yankee Workshop, showcasing Norm Abram’s skills. After retiring, he didn’t want to give up television entirely. He remains executive producer and director of The New Yankee Workshop, presently in its 18th season.
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What’s most fascinating about Russell Morash’s career is how he used his talents outside of work to influence his path and how he built a whole new programming style due to those interests. Russell’s love of life, as well as the calm, contemplative activities of cooking, gardening, home improvement, and woodworking, produced and sustained whole enterprises and networks.
For decades, Russel and Marian Morash merged their public and private lives seamlessly. Russell Morash is regarded as the “father” of “how-to” and “know-how” television for offering an award-winning program to home enthusiasts all over the country.
Awards
Russell Morash has won 14 national Emmy Awards over his career, including 11 for “Outstanding Director of a Service Show.” He is also a member of the National Association of Garden Writers, and the Massachusetts Horticultural Society awarded him the coveted George Robert White Medal in 2005.
Russell Morash from This Old Town received a Lifetime Achievement, Emmy, from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2014 for his numerous contributions. In addition, the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame inducted him into the Hall of Fame in 2018.
In 2020, Russell and Marian were the recipients of the K. Dun Gifford Local Hero Award for the impact they created in their careers. They were celebrated for being pioneers in television, gardening, restaurants, and cookbooks, to name a few.
Russ and Marian, two of Dun’s closest friends, were also winners in his eyes. The couple was also celebrated by their Madeleine, their grandchild, in an Oldways blog four years ago.
Russell Morash’s wife
Russell Morash from This Old House is married, and his wife is Marian Morash. Marian is a James Beard Award-winning chef featured on Julia Child’s culinary show and edited The Victory Garden Cookbook. The couple met at Boston University when he studied acting and directing, and she was studying theatre design.
They got married in 1958, one year after Russell Morash graduated, and started working as a cameraman and production assistant at WGBH. Russell and Marian reside in an 1851 farmhouse that they renovated 30 years ago.
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Net worth
How much is Russell Morash’s net worth? Russell Morash’s net worth is estimated to be $1-5 million at 86. He made his living as a professional television director. His successful career in the film industry has come in handy in raising his wealth.
Latest updates
Where is Russell Morash now? He still serves as executive producer and director of The New Yankee Workshop, now in its 18th season. The show features the craftsmanship of host Norm Abram.
In 2004, he stepped down as executive producer and director of This Old House. However, he was not content to retire entirely from television; thus, he joined The New Yankee Workshop production team.
Russel Morash’s fast facts
- Who is Russell Morash? He is an American television producer and director.
- How old is Russell Morash? He is 86 years old as of 2022, as he was born on February 11, 1936, in Lexington, Massachusetts.
- What is Russell Morash’s real name? His real name is Russell Frederick Morash Jr.
- Is Russell Morash married? Yes, the producer is married to James Beard Award-winning chef Marian Morash.
- What is Russell Morash famous for? He is famous for producing various television programs through WGBH and airing on PBS.
- How much is Russell Morash’s net worth? He has an estimated net worth of $1-$5 million as of 2022.
- Has Russell Morash won any awards? He has won 14 national Emmy Awards, including 11 for Outstanding Director of a Service Show.
Russell Morash is a talented, innovative creator, director, and producer at WGBH. Shows like This Old House, The French Chef with Julia Child, Victory Garden, and The New Yankee Workshop created the foundation for a new type of television programming under Morash’s watchful supervision.
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