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William Russ (born October 20, 1950) is an American actor, best known for his role as Alan Matthews on Boy Meets World. Russ was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, and is the son of a naval officer. He attended the University of Michigan, where he was a member of the Michigan Cheer team, which was all male at the time. Russ' acting first began on the New York stage before he embarked onto a television and film career. In 1977, he had his first supporting role in Death Bed: The Bed That Eats. This film would not be officially released until 2003. During the 1980s, Russ found work in more... MORE

William Russ (born October 20, 1950) is an American actor, best known for his role as Alan Matthews on Boy Meets World. Russ was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, and is the son of a naval officer. He attended the University of Michigan, where he was a member of the Michigan Cheer team, which was all male at the time. Russ' acting first began on the New York stage before he embarked onto a television and film career. In 1977, he had his first supporting role in Death Bed: The Bed That Eats. This film would not be officially released until 2003. During the 1980s, Russ found work in more supporting roles such as Crisis at Central High (1981), a television movie also starring Academy Award winning actress Joanne Woodward, The Border (1981), The Right Stuff (1983) as Slick Goodlin, St. Elsewhere (1986), Crime Story (1986), and Wiseguy. He continued finding work in both television and film. He also guest starred in the television series Miami Vice in the 1985 episode "Evan" as the title character, a ATF agent who shared a history with Don Johnson's character, Sonny Crockett. Russ received critical acclaim when he starred in Pastime (1991) as Roy Dean Bream, a veteran minor league hurler who LESS