Rex Bell (born George Francis Beldam; October 16, 1903 – July 4, 1962) was an American actor and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

. Bell primarily appeared in

Western films Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

during his career. He also appeared in the 1930 movie '' True to the Navy'', starring

Clara Bow Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to " talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the ...

; Bell and Bow married the following year. Bell later became involved in politics with the

Nevada Republican Party The Nevada Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in Nevada. The organization has a history that goes back to 1864. The party currently controls Nevada's governorship and lieutenant governorship, which are currently held by Jo ...

and was the 21st

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

from 1955 until his death in 1962.

Early years

Bell was born George Francis Beldam in Chicago on October 16, 1903.

Film career

Bell made his film debut in ''

Wild West Romance ''Wild West Romance'' is a 1928 American silent Western film directed by R.L. Hough, and written by Jack Cunningham and Delos Sutherland. The film stars Rex Bell, Caryl Lincoln, Neil Neely, Billy Butts, Jack Walters, and Fred Parker. The fil ...

'' in 1928, and went on to act in a number of films, mostly Westerns, in which he had the lead role.

Fox Film The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American Independent film production studio formed by William Fox (1879–1952) in 1915, by combining his earlier Greater New York Film Rental Company and Box Office Attractions Film C ...

executives were reported to be grooming Bell to be a successor to

Tom Mix Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He w ...

. He left the movie industry in 1936, although he had generally small roles in a few later films. In 1931, Bell and his wife, actress Clara Bow, founded the

Walking Box Ranch Walking Box Ranch, west of Searchlight, Nevada in the Mojave Desert, was founded in 1931 by the actors Rex Bell and Clara Bow as a working ranch. The ranch covered at the time it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Jan ...

, at

Searchlight, Nevada Searchlight is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, at the topographic saddle between two mountain ranges. At the 2020 census it had a population of 445. History According to U.S. Se ...

. His final film appearance was an uncredited but very prominent role as a loquacious old cowboy in a bar and attending a

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaq ...

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...

's '' The Misfits'' (1961) starring

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

and

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

Political career

In 1944, Bell ran for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

on the Republican ticket against Democrat Berkeley Bunker. The '' Nevada State Journal'' commented on November 1: "He has made friends where ever he appeared, but consensus is that the time is too short to overcome a handicap of not being so well known as his opponent". The election was held November 7, and Bell got 19,096 votes while Bunker received 36,648. Bell was the leader of the

and in 1948 was an alternate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

. He was also active in the Nevada Chamber of Commerce and

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts may refer to: * Boy Scout, a participant in the Boy Scout Movement. * Scouting, also known as the Boy Scout Movement. * An organisation in the Scouting Movement, although many of these organizations also have female members. There are t ...

. The ties Bell forged during those years helped him win the Lieutenant Governor's office in 1954. That election year, Charles H. Russell, the incumbent Republican governor, also won. In 1958, Democrat Grant Sawyer unseated Russell, but Bell won re-election as Lieutenant Governor (Bell and his Nevada state political position are mentioned in

John D. MacDonald John Dann MacDonald (July 24, 1916December 28, 1986) was an American writer of novels and short stories. He is known for his thrillers. MacDonald was a prolific author of crime and suspense novels, many set in his adopted home of Florida. On ...

's 1960 novel ''The Only Girl in the Game''). Bell died after giving a campaign speech on July 4th, 1962, while running for governor, still in office, of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

in 1962, at the El Rancho Vegas in Las Vegas.

Other activities

Television

Bell was host of the program ''Cowboys and Injuns'' in 1950. It began on a station in Los Angeles and went on to be broadcast on ABC. The show focused on legends that were derived from folklore of cowboys and

Native Americans in the United States Native Americans, also known as American Indians, First Americans, Indigenous Americans, and other terms, are the Indigenous peoples of the mainland United States ( Indigenous peoples of Hawaii, Alaska and territories of the United States ...

Business

Bell operated Rexco, Incorporated, which manufactured and distributed novelty gift items. He and his brother also had two clothing stores in Nevada.

Personal life

Bell married actress

in 1931. They had two sons, Tony Beldam, who changed his name to Rex Anthony Bell Jr., and George Beldam Jr. Rex Bell Jr. appeared in two Western films—'' Stage to Thunder Rock'' (1964), in the role of "Shotgun Rex", and '' Young Fury'' (1965), and later served as district attorney of Clark County from 1987 to 1995. Bell died of a heart attack on July 4, 1962, a few hours after attending a political rally and picnic in Las Vegas. The Rex Bell Elementary School in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

was named in honor of Bell.Rex Bell Elementary School
/ref>

Filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Rex 1903 births 1962 deaths Male actors from Chicago Politicians from Chicago American actor-politicians American male film actors American male silent film actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Lieutenant Governors of Nevada Nevada Republicans Male Western (genre) film actors 20th-century American male actors People from Searchlight, Nevada 20th-century American politicians