John R. Countryman, who was featured in a number of Hollywood films alongside stars like Shirley Temple and Barbara Stanwyck in the 1930s and 1940s while using the stage name Johnny Russell, has died. He was 91.

Countryman, following his time in the movie business, served as an American diplomat for years and was appointed the U.S. Ambassador to Oman by President Ronald Reagan, a post he served in from 1981 to 1985.

His daughter, Vanessa Countryman, who serves as secretary of the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission, told TheWrap her father died on Dec. 14 in Loudoun, Virginia, following a brief battle with pneumonia.

Countryman appeared in several major films in the late ’30s and early ’40s, including his portrayal of Jesse James Jr. in the 1939 movie “Jesse James” starring Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda. The year prior, he appeared as Stanwyck’s son Roddy in the romantic drama “Always Goodbye,” and in 1940, in his best-known role,...