With a dyed blond Mohawk and full-body tattoos, this motorcycle master is hard to miss. Born in England, Mitchell was initially interested in skateboards and scooters before he graduated to bikes. In the '80s he moved to Los Angeles to pursue modeling and acting, but aside from a few commercials and a bit part on
Beverly Hills, 90210, he was unsuccessful. So he returned to the biker biz by opening the custom shop Exile Cycles in 1995. After appearing as a guest on various reality series during the early '00s cycle craze, Mitchell finally landed his own show,
Build or Bust, on the Speed Channel in 2005.
Russell Mitchell Fast Facts:
- Worked as a veterinary surgeon in London, where he built his first scooter in a waiting room.
- Built award-winning scooters and choppers in England, the first of which he nicknamed Exile 1, Exile 2, Exile 3, etc.
- Parlayed his flamboyant persona and punk-rock appearance into modeling jobs in Los Angeles. After a lucrative Marlboro commercial in 1994, he began to develop the custom bikes that appeared in Easyriders magazine and launched his full-time career as a customizer.
- Established himself as a customizer for the stars, building bikes for George Clooney, Audioslave singer Chris Cornell and John Mellencamp.
- Russell Mitchell Relationships:
- Lucas Russell Mitchell - Son
- Nancy - Ex-wife
- College:
- University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
