William Joseph Bell (March 6, 1927 – April 29, 2005) was an American

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon acce ...

, best known as the creator of the

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

s '' Another World'', ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...

'' and ''

The Bold and the Beautiful ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''Th ...

''.

Early life

Bell was born and raised in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

as an

only child An only child is a person with no siblings, by birth or adoption. Overview Throughout history, only-children were relatively uncommon. From around the middle of the 20th century, birth rates and average family sizes fell sharply for a number of ...

. His father was an accountant for the Link-Belt Company. His mother was primarily a homemaker, with a part-time job with Mrs. Steven's Candies. (In later years, his parents adopted a daughter.) Bell grew up listening to radio soap operas when he came home from school for lunch and late at night, including '' Life Can Be Beautiful'', '' The Romance of Helen Trent'' and ''

Our Gal Sunday ''Our Gal Sunday'' is an American soap opera produced by Frank and Anne Hummert, network broadcast via CBS from March 29, 1937, to January 2, 1959, starring Dorothy Lowell and, after Lowell's 1944 death, Vivian Smolen in the title role. Th ...

''. As a depression-era child, he would work at various odd jobs on weekends to help the family. In high school, he participated in the

ROTC The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC; or ) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. While ROTC graduate officers serve in all branches o ...

. After serving in the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

as a corpsman, he attended the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Career

Chicago radio writer

At the age of 21, Bell worked at WJJD radio as a writer for two shows, with the focus being teen problems. That work led him to seek a job at WBBM radio as a comedy writer; specifically, character-oriented comedy, rather than jokes. He worked there for about three years.

Advertising industry

Bell went to

McCann Erickson McCann, formerly McCann Erickson, is an American global advertising agency network, with offices in over 120 countries. McCann is part of McCann Worldgroup, along with several other agencies, including direct digital marketing agency MRM//McC ...

, then the second-largest advertising agency worldwide. He wrote radio and television commercials for

Standard Oil of Indiana Amoco ( ) is a brand of fuel stations operating in the United States and owned by British conglomerate BP since 1998. The Amoco Corporation was an American chemical and oil company, founded by Standard Oil Company in 1889 around a refiner ...

, the agency's biggest account; he was subsequently promoted to

account executive Account executive is a role in advertising, marketing, sales, and finance involving intimate understanding of a client company's objectives and products and a professional capability to provide effective advice toward creation of successful pro ...

, responsible for five small accounts. After three years there. Bell was offered an account executive position with Cunningham & Walsh.

Procter and Gamble Productions

During his time as a comedy writer at WBBM radio in

, he made a call to

Irna Phillips Irna Phillips (July 1, 1901 – December 23, 1973) was an American scriptwriter, screenwriter, casting agent, and actress who pioneered a style of daytime soap opera in the United States geared specifically toward women. Phillips created, produc ...

' secretary Rose Cooperman asking her if Phillips had an opening for a writer, as she was a well-known soap opera creator and Bell had become aware that Phillips also resided in Chicago. Cooperman said Phillips did have an opening. While Bell was composing a sample script, he was informed that the writer who was supposedly leaving had decided to stay, so the writing job was not available. Later, during the time that Bell was in the advertising business, he ran into Phillips' niece. She mentioned him to her aunt and Phillips remembered who he was; she also knew his wife, who was a well-known celebrity due to her work on local television. He started his writing career on ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...

'' and then moved over to ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...

'', working under Phillips; Phillips' other protegee at the time was

Agnes Nixon Agnes Nixon ( Eckhardt; December 10, 1922 – September 28, 2016) was an American television writer and producer, and the creator of the ABC soap operas ''One Life to Live'', ''All My Children'', as well as '' Loving'' and its spin-off '' The ...

. Bell co-created ''Another World'' with Phillips in 1964. In 1965, he co-created the primetime ''As the World Turns'' spinoff '' Our Private World''.

''Days of Our Lives''

In 1966, he was hired as head writer of the then-struggling soap ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...

''. Bell was credited with the show's initial surge of popularity. Bell changed the dynamics of soaps when he began focusing on sexuality. Formerly, soap operas did not delve into the sexual side of their romances. He intended to leave the show around 1972 when he began creating his own show ''

'', but the owners of the show sued him, and he agreed to write long-term story projections for them. He remained as head writer until 1975.

''The Young and the Restless''

In 1972, CBS executives wanted a new daytime serial that was youth oriented. William along with his wife Lee Phillip Bell created ''The Young and the Restless'' for the network under the working title, ''The Innocent Years''. However, before the show went into production, he had to rename the series as Bell mentioned...''"We were confronted with the very disturbing reality that young America had lost much of its innocence,"''. ''"Innocence as we had known and lived it all our lives had, in so many respects, ceased to exist."'' They renamed the series ''The Young and the Restless'' because they felt it "reflected the youth and mood of the early seventies." He spent between ten and sixteen hours a day writing stories. ''The Young and the Restless'' debuted on March 26, 1973. Although slow to rise in the ratings (he got very frustrated and asked head of

CBS Daytime CBS Daytime is the division of the CBS television network that is responsible for the daytime television block programming on the network's late morning and early afternoon schedule. The block has historically encompassed soap operas and game sh ...

Bud Grant to cancel the serial), CBS had faith in the show and gave it a chance. ''Y&R'' was credited for breathing new life into the daytime serial, with its brightness, humor and cutting-edge storylines. As he did on ''Days of our Lives'', Bell saw to sexuality also playing a major role in the stories. Bell guided ''Y&R'' as head writer from 1973 until stepping down in 1998, the longest tenure of any head writer in soap opera history. ''Y&R'' has been the highest-rated soap on the air since 1988 in households, and 1989 among viewers.

Controversy

Brenda Dickson, an original cast member of ''The Young and The Restless'', claims that Bell blacklisted her after 15 years on the show after they partook in a secret love affair. He then went on to wreak havoc on her personal and professional life by hiring "Mafia cartel judges and attorneys" to "ruin" her life. As a result, she ended up "broke and homeless" and has been blocked from working ever since.

''The Bold and the Beautiful''

In 1986, he began working on creating another soap for CBS Daytime, but plans were halted until the end of the year when the network decided to cancel the soap '' Capitol'' and needed a replacement. He created ''The Bold and the Beautiful'', which debuted on March 23, 1987. ''B&B'' is known for its glamorous look as it is set in the fashion industry. It followed ''Y&R'' and has been a ratings success as well.

Personal life

Bell was married to former talk show host Lee Phillip Bell (born Loreley June Phillip), who co-created ''The Young and the Restless'' and ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' with him. Their three children, William James Bell, Bradley Phillip Bell, Lauralee Bell Martin, and relatives all been involved in the family’s businesses in some capacity. On April 29, 2005, Bell died at age 78 from complications of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. He is buried at

Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary is a cemetery and Morgue, mortuary located in the Westwood, Los Angeles, Westwood area of Los Angeles. It includes a crematory for cremation services. Its location is at 1218 Glendon Av ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Bell acquired the Wallace Neff designed Sol Wurtzel House in

Bel Air, Los Angeles Bel Air (or Bel-Air) is a residential neighborhood on the Los Angeles Westside, in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains in the U.S. state of California. Together with Beverly Hills, California, Beverly Hills and Holmby Hills, Bel Air fo ...

in 1991.

Awards and recognition

* In 1992, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 19th annual

Daytime Emmy Awards The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...

Producing and writing credits

'' Another World'' *Co-Creator (with

) *Co-Head Writer: May 1964 – March 1965 ''

'' *Co-Head Writer: 1965–1966 *Writer: 1950s–1960s ''

'' *Co-Creator (with Lee Phillip Bell) *Executive Producer: March 23, 1987 – February 14, 1996 (with Lee Phillip Bell) *Head Writer: March 23, 1987 – May 3, 1993 *executive story consultant: May 4, 1993 - June 1, 1993 ''

'' *Head Writer: 1966–1975 ''

'' *Writer: 1950s '' Our Private World'' *Co-Creator (with

) ''

'' *Co-Creator (with Lee Phillip Bell) *Executive Producer: March 26, 1973 – 1976, January 2004 – April 2005 *Senior Executive Producer: 1976 – January 2004 *Head Writer: March 26, 1973 – July 3, 1998 *Executive Story Consultant: 1998 – April 2005

Legacy

As of December 2020, Bell holds the distinction of having created the largest number of soap opera characters that are still appearing, with over 25 characters on either ''The Young and the Restless'', ''The Bold and the Beautiful'', or ''Days of Our Lives'' such as: * Doug Williams (''

'') - 1970–1984, 1986–1987, 1993–1996, 1999–present (played by Bill Hayes) * Jill Foster Abbott (''

'') - 1973–present (currently played by

Jess Walton Jess Walton is a Canadian-American actress, best known for her role as Kelly Harper in CBS soap opera '' Capitol'' and as Jill Abbott on the CBS soap opera, ''The Young and the Restless''. Early life Walton was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, ...

) * Maggie Horton (''Days of Our Lives'') - 1973–1984, 1985–present (played by

Suzanne Rogers Suzanne Rogers (born Suzanne Crumpler, July 9, 1943) is an American actress with film and television credits. Her stage name was inspired by Ginger Rogers, whom she cites as a personal inspiration for joining the entertainment industry. Rogers ...

) * Paul Williams (''The Young and the Restless'') - 1978–present (played by

Doug Davidson Douglas Donald Davidson (born October 24, 1954) is an American television actor. He has portrayed Paul Williams (The Young and the Restless), Paul Williams on the CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'' from 1978 to 2020, making him one o ...

) *

Nikki Newman Nikki Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS CBS Daytime, daytime soap opera, ''The Young and the Restless''. Created and introduced by William J. Bell in 1978, the role was portrayed by Erica Hope, before Melody Thomas Scott took ...

(''The Young and the Restless'') - 1978–present (currently played by

Melody Thomas Scott Melody Thomas Scott (born Melody Ann Thomas, April 18, 1956) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress appearing in the psychological thriller film, ''Marnie (film), Marnie''. She later appeared in films ''The Beguiled (197 ...

) * Victor Newman (''The Young and the Restless'') - 1980–2009, 2010–present (played by

Eric Braeden Eric Braeden (born Hans-Jörg Gudegast; April 3, 1941) is a German-American film and television actor, known for his roles as Victor Newman (fictional character), Victor Newman (from 1980) on the CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', as H ...

) * Jack Abbott (''The Young and the Restless'') - 1980–present (currently played by Peter Bergman) * Esther Valentine (''The Young and the Restless'') - 1982–present (played by

Kate Linder Kate Linder (born November 2, 1947) is an American actress, best known for her role as Esther Valentine on ''The Young and the Restless'', which she has played since 1982. After appearing in the soap opera for more than 40 years, she is one of t ...

) * Ashley Abbott (''The Young and the Restless'') - 1982–1995, 1996–2007, 2008–2012, 2013–present (currently played by

Eileen Davidson Eileen Marie Davidson (born June 15, 1959)Peterson, Bettelou (Knight-Ridder)"Here's the Lowdown on Eileen Davidson". ''The Ledger Enquirer TV Book''. June 12, 1988. p. 60. Retrieved August 28, 2023.Barrand, Roderick (March 30, 1988)"After ...

) * Traci Abbott (''The Young and the Restless'') - 1982–1996, 1999, 2001–2002, 2006, 2007–present (played by Beth Maitland) * Victoria Newman (''The Young and the Restless'') - 1982–2003, 2005–present (currently played by Amelia Heinle) * Lauren Fenmore (''The Young and the Restless'') - 1983–1995, 2000, 2001–present (played by Tracey E. Bregman) * Christine Blair (''The Young and the Restless'') - 1983–2001, 2002–2006, 2009–present (played by

Lauralee Bell Lauralee Kristen Bell (born December 22, 1968) is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Christine Blair in the CBS daytime soap operas, ''The Young and the Restless'' and ''The Bold and the Beautiful''. As a producer, she re ...

) * Eric Forrester (''

'') - 1987–present (played by John McCook) * Ridge Forrester (''The Bold and the Beautiful'') - 1987–2012, 2013–present (currently played by

Thorsten Kaye Thorsten Kaye (born Thorsten Ernst Kieselbach, 22 February 1966) is a German-British-American actor. His best known roles include Patrick Thornhart on ''One Life to Live'', Dr. Ian Thornhart on ''Port Charles'', Zach Slater on ''All My Childr ...

) * Brooke Logan (''The Bold and the Beautiful'') - 1987–present (played by Katherine Kelly Lang) * Donna Logan (''The Bold and the Beautiful'') - 1987–1994, 1996–1998, 2000–01, 2004, 2006–present (currently played by Jennifer Gareis) * Katie Logan (''The Bold and the Beautiful'') - 1987–1989, 1991–2004, 2007–present (currently played by Heather Tom) * Nicholas Newman (''The Young and the Restless'') - 1989–present (currently played by Joshua Morrow) * Chloe Mitchell (''The Young and the Restless'') - 1990–1991, 1994, 2008–2017, 2019–present (currently played by Elizabeth Hendrickson) * Rick Forrester (''The Bold and the Beautiful'') - 1990–2006, 2007–present (currently played by Jacob Young) * Michael Baldwin (''The Young and the Restless'') - 1991–1993, 1997–present (played by Christian LeBlanc) * Nate Hastings (''The Young and the Restless'') - 1992–2002, 2011, 2019–present (currently played by Sean Dominic) * Billy Abbott (''The Young and the Restless'') - 1993–2003, 2006, 2008–present (currently played by Jason Thompson) *

Sharon Newman Sharon Newman is a fictional character from ''The Young and the Restless'', an American soap opera on the CBS network, currently portrayed by Sharon Case. Created by William J. Bell as a love interest for Nicholas Newman, the character debuted o ...

(''The Young and the Restless'') - 1994–present (currently played by Sharon Case) * Phyllis Summers (''The Young and the Restless'') - 1994–1997, 1997-1999, 2000–2013, 2014–present (currently played by Michelle Stafford) * Adam Newman (''The Young and the Restless'') - 1995–1997, 2002, 2008–2016, 2019–present (currently played by Mark Grossman) *

Lily Winters Lily Winters is a fictional character from the American CBS Daytime, CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless''. Created by William J. Bell, the character appeared as a child for her first five-year period. In 2002, Christel Khalil began portra ...

(''The Young and the Restless'') - 1995–1998, 2002–present (currently played by

Christel Khalil Christel Adnana Mina Khalil (born November 30, 1987) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Lily Winters in ''The Young and the Restless'', which earned her a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Seri ...

)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, William J. 1927 births 2005 deaths Daytime Emmy Award winners American soap opera producers American soap opera writers American television show creators Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery United States Navy corpsmen University of Michigan alumni 20th-century American screenwriters United States Navy personnel of World War II Deaths from dementia in California Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in California