Jim Russell was born on March 26, 1909 in Campsie, New South Wales, Australia. He was married to Lillian 'Billie' Brann. He died on August 15, 2001 in Sylvania, New South Wales, Australia.
Well-known for 'The Potts', the longest-running comic strip by one author in history at 62 years, his brother Dan also worked as a cartoonist, and his nephew William Russell worked in newspapers as a photographer and later turned screenwriter.