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James Bell (actor)

{{Short description|American actor (1891–1973)}}

{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}

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{{more citations needed|date=March 2013}}

{{Infobox person

| name = James Bell

| image = James Bell in Blood on the Sun (1945).jpg

| alt =

| caption = Bell in Blood on the Sun (1945)

| birth_name = James Harlee Bell

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1891|12|01|mf=yes}}

| birth_place = Suffolk, Virginia, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1973|10|26|1891|12|01|mf=yes}}

| death_place = Kents Store, Virginia, U.S.

| other_names =

| nationality = American

| alma_mater = Virginia Polytechnic Institute

| occupation = Actor

| years_active = 1920–1964

| spouse = Joyce Arling (1911-2002)
({{abbr|m.|married}} 1930-1973){{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

| children =

| parents =

}}

James Harlee Bell (December 1, 1891 – October 26, 1973){{cite web|url=http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=31559|title=IBDB: James Bell|publisher=ibdb.com}} was an American film and stage actor who appeared in about 150 films and television shows through 1964.

Bell was born in Suffolk, Virginia, and graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1911 with a degree in electrical engineering.{{cite news |last1=Loh |first1=Carol |title=Virginian Enjoys Prison Board Role |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60304065/james-bell/ |accessdate=October 1, 2020 |work=The Times Dispatch |date=June 11, 1950 |location=Virginia, Richmond |page=16 D|via = Newspapers.com}} In 1920, he made his theatrical debut as Venustiano in The Bad Man. He worked steadily on Broadway through 1941.

Bell's first film role was in I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang in 1932. He appeared in the films I Walked with a Zombie and The Leopard Man, both of which were directed by Jacques Tourneur, produced by Val Lewton, and released in 1943.

Among his television appearances were four guest roles on the legal drama series Perry Mason. In 1958, he played murder victim J.J. Stanley in the episode "The Case of the Green-Eyed Sister", and murderer P.E. Overbrook in "The Case of the Lazy Lover." In 1960, he played murderer Zack Davis in "The Case of the Frantic Flyer", and murder victim Silas Vance in "The Case of the Lavender Lipstick". That same year, Bell appeared as Dr. Malcolm Allen in the Western TV series Laramie, in the episode "Street of Hate".

Broadway roles

  • The Bad Man (1920) as Venustiano
  • A Free Soul (1928) as Bill Wilfong
  • Jarnegan (1928) as Jimmy Fallon
  • Your Uncle Dudley (1933) as Robert Kirby
  • Thunder on the Left (1933) as Martin
  • The Last Mile (1930) as Richard Walters
  • Kill That Story (1934) as Duke Devlin
  • Tobacco Row as Lester{{cn|reason=Oct 2018 - Tobacco Road?|date=October 2018}}

Selected filmography

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References

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External links

{{Commons category}}

{{Portal|Biography|Virginia|Film|Theater}}

  • {{IMDb name|0068257}}
  • {{IBDB name|31559}}
  • {{Tcmdb name|13066%7C77370}}
  • Bell, Joyce Arling. [https://worldcat.org/oclc/693610157 Pumpernickel and champagne : a biography of James Harllee Bell]. Kents Store, Va.: J.A. Bell, 1973. Print.

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Category:1891 births

Category:1973 deaths

Category:20th-century American male actors

Category:American male film actors

Category:American male stage actors

Category:American male television actors

Category:Virginia Tech alumni

Category:Actors from Virginia