Russell Winters

"He likes pain. I mean he really does. He talks about it like it was a friend. And you don't leave him, he tells you when he's had enough."

- Tina

Russell Winters is a fictional vampire featured in the WB Network television series Angel. Played by actor Vyto Ruginis, he appeared in the show's pilot episode "City of...".

Biography
Russell Winters was a wealthy and successful businessman and the CEO of his own corporation in Los Angeles, California. Winters was also an evil vampire, known for his taste in young women and his sadomasochistic obsession with the study of pain. Russell's favorite victims were aspiring actresses who had come to L.A. from other cities hoping to break into the Hollywood scene. Refusing to mingle with the jet set personally, he sent his hired gun, Stacy, out to find desirable women and bring them back to his lavish mansion. Invariably, these women would always turn up missing. To keep suspicion away from his illicit activities, he hired the powerful law firm Wolfram & Hart to make sure that his image was always perfectly pristine. Winters prided himself on his public reputation, citing "I pay my taxes, I keep my name out of the paper, and I don't make waves. In return, I can do anything I want."

In 1999, Winters took an interest in a young waitress named Tina. Like many others, Tina felt that Russell's influence could help jump-start their career, but she quickly learned just how dangerous the man truly was. Tina expressed her concerns to a man named Angel, not realizing that Angel was himself a vampire. Unlike Winters however, Angel sought to protect the city from predators like Russell and took a special interest in Tina's problem. His investigation into the matter took a nasty turn when he discovered that Winters had taken an interest in one of Angel's acquaintances, Cordelia Chase.

After seeing her image on a party videotape, Russell invited Cordelia over to his mansion under the guise of wanting to help her career. Cordelia, having had experience with vampires in the past, quickly deduced Winters' true intentions and tried to escape. Fortunately for her, Angel arrived and was able to rescue her before Winters could do her any harm.

The following day, Angel paid a visit to Russell in the conference room of his L.A. skyscraper. Russell was in the midst of a meeting with his attorney, Lindsey McDonald, as well as several other members of Wolfram & Hart. Russell smugly reminded Angel that he was untouchable and could do anything he wanted, to which Angel replied, "Can you fly?" He then kicked Russell through the window of his conference room out into the morning sun. Russell's body dissolved to ash long before it would have reached the ground.

Notes & Trivia

 * Russell Winters was the first vampire that Angel fought in L.A. and was the first "villain" featured in the Angel television series.