Tone Bell
{{Short description|American comedian and actor}}
{{Infobox comedian
| name = Tone Bell
| image = Tone Bell.png
| alt =
| caption = Bell in August 2018
| birth_name = Michael Anthony Bell II
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Decatur, Georgia, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality =
| other_names =
| medium = Stand-up, film, television
| years_active = 2004–present
| alma_mater =
| website = {{URL|tonebell.com}}
}}
Michael Anthony Bell II, known professionally as Tone Bell, is an American stand-up comedian and actor.{{Cite web |title=Tone Bell |url=https://www.cbs.com/shows/fam/cast/215996/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002052541/https://www.cbs.com/shows/fam/cast/215996/ |archive-date=2019-10-02 |access-date=2019-10-01 |website=cbs.com}}{{Cite web |date=12 November 2014 |title=Tone Bell Interview |url=https://www.clichemag.com/entertainment-interview/tone-bell-interview/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250603155958/https://clichemag.com/entertainment-interview/tone-bell-interview/ |archive-date=2025-06-03 |access-date=2019-10-01 |website=clichemag.com}}
Early life
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=October 2018}}
Bell was born in Decatur, Georgia.{{Cite web |last=Ho |first=Rodney |title=Decatur native Tone Bell stars in CBS sitcom 'FAM' with Nina Dobrev |url=https://www.ajc.com/blog/radiotvtalk/decatur-native-tone-bell-stars-cbs-sitcom-fam-with-nina-dobrev/TRDA3nnF5LrjYkIWBFJ2TP/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250603155058/https://www.ajc.com/blog/radiotvtalk/decatur-native-tone-bell-stars-cbs-sitcom-fam-with-nina-dobrev/TRDA3nnF5LrjYkIWBFJ2TP/ |archive-date=2025-06-03 |access-date=2023-07-24 |website=Radio & TV Talk Blog (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) |language=English}} He attended Savannah State University where he studied communications with a concentration in radio and television and became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. https://www.watchtheyard.com/alphas/alpha-phi-alpha-tone-bell/ After graduating in 2004 he taught first grade before working on the production of HBO's Warm Springs and doing other various promo work.
Bell took a job in San Francisco as a brand manager with Swivel Media for a year, before moving back to Atlanta. There he started doing promotion work for a beer company that eventually transferred him to Dallas where he started doing open-mics at various comedy clubs.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQdpLeLApno |title=Tone Bell bringing comedy to Winnipeg |date=2025-03-13 |last=CTV News |access-date=2025-06-03 |via=YouTube}}
Career
Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Bell won the NBC Stand Up For Diversity Talent Search in 2012 and was awarded a development deal from the network. He was cast as "RJ" the bartender in the NBC sitcom Whitney and later as "Tedward" in NBC's Bad Judge. Bell also appeared in other TV shows, including VH1's Single Ladies, E!'s Love You, Mean It with Whitney Cummings, Comedy Central's Key & Peele and Game Show Network's Mind of a Man and hosted the first season of hidden camera show Jerks with Cameras on MTV.
Bell also has a web series on Russell Simmons' YouTube channel All Def Digital called The Green Room.
In March 2018, Bell was cast in a lead role for the CBS comedy pilot Fam after having starred in the Netflix multi-camera comedy Disjointed.{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/tone-bell-cbs-comedy-pilot-fam-1202725626/|title='Disjointed' Alum Tone Bell to Star in CBS Comedy Pilot 'Fam'|last=Otterson|first=Joe|date=2018-03-13|work=Variety|access-date=2018-05-17|language=en-US}}
Bell is the host of the new Netflix reality show Drink Masters, which premiered October 28, 2022. He stars as Khalil in the Netflix comedy series, Survival of the Thickest written by Michelle Buteau.
Filmography
=Films=
class="wikitable" |
style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |
2013
| Solstice | Bartender #1 | Short film |
2013
| Implanted | Philip | |
2013
| To My Future Assistant | Davis | Television film |
2016
| My Time Your Time | Parker | Television film |
2017
| Woman Child | Michael Abby | Short film |
2018
| Dog Days | Jimmy | |
2018
| Bradford Collins | |
2018
| It’s A Party | Cool Breeze | |
2019
| Little | Preston | |
2020
| Dickie Brewster | |
2021
| The United States vs. Billie Holiday | John Levy | |
2021
| Marcus | |
2024
| Spider | |
2026
| TBA | |
=Television series=
class="wikitable" |
style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |
2012
| Parker | 2 episodes |
2012–13
| Whitney | RJ | Main role, 13 episodes |
2013
| Creepy Caress | Tom | 1 episode |
2013
| Friend #1 | 1 episode |
2014–15
| Tedward Mulray | Main role, 13 episodes |
2015
| Russell | Main role, 10 episodes |
2016
| 2 episodes |
2017
| 9JKL | Luke | 2 episodes |
2017–18
| Carter | Main role, 20 episodes |
2019
| Fam | Nick | Main role, 13 episodes |
2020
| Voice | 1 episode |
2020
| Recurring role |
2022
| Himself (Guest judge) | 1 episode |
2022
|Himself (Host) |10 episodes |
2023– present
| Khalil | Main Cast |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.tonebell.com/ Official website]
- {{IMDb name|nm3052894}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Tone}}
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American male voice actors
Category:American stand-up comedians
Category:African-American male comedians
Category:African-American comedians
Category:American male comedians
Category:African-American game show hosts
Category:American game show hosts
Category:Male actors from Atlanta
Category:People from Decatur, Georgia
Category:21st-century American comedians
Category:21st-century African-American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:20th-century African-American male actors
Category:20th-century American male actors