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Gordon Russell (August 15, 1929 – January 19, 1981) was an American television soap opera writer.
Born in Salem, Massachusetts, he wrote for the ABC Daytime soap opera The Nurses. He is known for his work on Dark Shadows beginning in 1967. He appeared as a bit player on the final episode of Dark Shadows (as the second footman who brought a wounded Melanie Kendrick into the parlor of the Great House of Collinwood in the program's final scene), on April 2, 1971. He also co-wrote the House of Dark Shadows screenplay with Sam Hall.
Russell later took over head writing duties for Agnes Nixon after she left One Life to Live. Perhaps his most famous storyline on OLTL involved Karen Wolek, a housewife who confessed on the witness-stand to being a hooker. The story brought Judith Light an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress. A trademark of his writing is the introduction of a character who would normally be bad, but to tell the story in a sympathetic way from the characters' point-of-view.[citation needed]
ABC had moved him from One Life to Live in order to write its California-based serial, General Hospital, but he died at the age of 51 before his work on that show began.[citation needed]