Realizing His Dreams Is Appropriate ‘Pastime’ for Actor William Russ

“It’s been an interesting summer,” declares William Russ, who is best known as the vile Roger LaCocco on “Wiseguy.” And a productive one.

Russ has been waiting a long time to become a father and to play the lead in a feature film. Both of his dreams came true this summer.

Less than two months ago, Russ became the proud papa of a daughter, Georgia, with his girlfriend, actress Clare Wren of ABC’s “The Young Riders.”

“Being a father,” he reports, “has been really great.”

And he’s also beaming about “Pastime,” a low-budget, sentimental baseball drama that marks his first starring role in a motion picture.

In “Pastime,” which is sort of a cross between “Tender Mercies” and “Bang the Drum Slowly,” Russ plays Roy Dean Bream, a decent, caring 41-year-old pitcher for a Class D California professional baseball team who befriends the team’s novice 17-year-old pitcher.

Russ filmed “Pastime” two summers ago and has since gone on to several other projects. “You kind of do these films and then forget about them,” Russ says. He finally got to see the completed product last January at the Sundance Film Festival. “When it won the Audience Award there, I was just like flabbergasted,” he says. “I just went there to go skiing and all of these people were coming up to me and telling me how much they loved it. It struck a real chord in a lot of people.”

TV viewers can also catch Russ this month in the TNT comedy “Crazy From the Heart,” in which he plays Christine Lahti’s dimwitted boyfriend. Russ and Lahti were drama students together at the University of Michigan two decades ago.

This summer, Russ has been concentrating on playing the role of father. “I get picky about parts,” he adds. “In fact, I may be the most visible unemployed actor in Hollywood.”