As a sheriff’s deputy in Los Angeles County, Calif., Burrell was assigned as a courtroom bailiff. He also did some part-time acting, including a stint as the original bailiff on the Divorce Court TV show in the 1950s. But he was known mostly for playing himself — as Judge Joseph Wapner’s bailiff on the 1980s show The People’s Court, which brought real small-claims court cases onto the small screen.
In LA’s Superior Court, Burrell was bailiff for many high profile cases, including the trials of “Red Light Bandit” Caryl Chessman, newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst, and murderer Charles Manson. Later recalling Manson, Burrell says “He used to tell me, ‘Rusty, why don’t you let me go?’ And I’d say, ‘Charlie, you know I can’t do that.’ And he said, ‘You know, I could get up and walk out of here any time I want.’ And I said, ‘Charlie, you won’t even get to the door.’” Burrell died April 15 at home in Rosemead, Calif., from lung cancer. He was 76.