George Gaston Bell (September 27, 1877 – December 13, 1963) was an American stage and film actor active over the early decades of the twentieth century.

Early life and career

Bell was born in 1877 at Boston, Massachusetts to George and Elizabeth Bell. His acting career began in 1902 as a member of Charles Frohman's theatrical organization shortly after his graduation from the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a Private college, private drama school with two locations, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related ...

in New York. In 1903 Bell toured in Hall Caine's ''The Christian'' as Horatio Drake with a troop headed by Lionel Adams and Bianca West. The following year he supported

Harry Beresford Harry J. Beresford (4 November 1863 – 4 October 1944) was an English-born actor on the American stage and in motion pictures. He used the professional name Harry J. Morgan early in his career. Career Harry Beresford began his acting career i ...

in Charles T. Vincent's ''Our New Man'', and in the spring of 1905 he replaced William Courtenay as Little Billee in ''

Trilby A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in UK, BritainBernhard Roetzel, Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. B ...

'' at New York's

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 214 West 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Manhattan in New York City, New Yor ...

. The next season Bell played one of the three suitors in Clara Lipman's ''Julie Bonbon''. and on

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, 1906 he began a long run on Broadway and on the road playing Horace Pettingill in ''

Brewster's Millions ''Brewster's Millions'' is a comedic novel written by George Barr McCutcheon in 1902, originally under the pseudonym of Richard Greaves. The plot concerns a young man whose grandfather leaves him $1 million in a will, but a competing will from ...

''. In 1910 Bell toured with the Columbia Stock Company performing in such plays as Clyde Fitche's ''Girls'' as the misanthrope Frank Loot, and the supporting role Bryce Forrester in ''Caught in the Rain'' by William Collier, Sr. and Grant Stewart. Bell's last known Broadway performance was in the comedy ''Seven Sisters'' which ran for 32 performances at the Lyceum Theatre in February and March 1911 before embarking on its road tour.

Film career and later life

Kinemacolor Gaston Bell and Lillian Russell

Bell entered film around 1912 with the Majestic Motion Picture Company, appearing that year in at least two short films, ''Opportunity'' and ''A Warrior Bold''. The following year Bell worked for the

Kinemacolor Company of America The Kinemacolor Company of America was an American company founded in 1910 by Gilbert H. Aymar and James K. Bowen. It distributed and produced films made in Kinemacolor, the first successful color motion picture process. History On 11 Decembe ...

before joining the

Lubin Manufacturing Company The Lubin Manufacturing Company was an American motion picture production company that produced silent films from 1896 to 1916. Lubin films were distributed with a Liberty Bell trademark. * * History The Lubin Manufacturing Company was forme ...

to play in films written by playwright

Charles Klein Charles Klein (January 7, 1867 – May 7, 1915) was an English-born playwright and actor who emigrated to America in 1883. After moving to New York City in 1883, Klein began acting. He began writing by 1890, soon working for producer Charles ...

. In 1915 he played John Froment II opposite

Theda Bara Theda Bara ( ; born Theodosia Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fatal ...

in the William Fox silent film, ''

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''. His last known motion picture was the 1919 film, ''The Heart of a Gypsy'' by Charles Miller Productions. By late 1918 Bell was back on the road touring in '' The Naughty Wife'' by Fred Jackson and the next year with the

Max Marcin Max Marcin (5 May 1879 – 30 March 1948) was a Polish-born American playwright, novelist, screenwriter, and film director. He wrote for 47 films between 1916 and 1949. He also directed six films between 1931 and 1936. His stage work inclu ...

comedy, ''Cheating Cheaters''. Around this time his ten-year marriage to Adelaide (née Cronley) Bell ended in a

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

courtroom. Bell later retired to

Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, New York, Kingston. It lies within the borders of the Catskill Park. The popula ...

to manage an inn, write plays and serve as the first director of the Woodstock Community Players. He died there in December 1963, aged 86.Retired Actor Dies – Press Telegram (Long Beach, California); December 15, 1963; pg. C7; Ancestry.com

Selected filmography

*'' The Third Degree'' (1913) *''

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'' (1914) *''

The Fortune Hunter ''The Fortune Hunter'' is a drama in three acts by W. S. Gilbert. The piece concerns an heiress who loses her fortune. Her shallow husband sues to annul the marriage, leaving her pregnant and taking up with a wealthy former lover. The piece wa ...

'' (1914) *''

The Daughters of Men ''The Daughters of Men'' is a 1914 American silent drama film directed by George W. Terwilliger, from a screenplay by Lawrence McCloskey. The film stars Percy Winter, William H. Turner, and Gaston Bell. Cast list *Percy Winter as Daniel Cr ...

'' (1914) *'' The Wolf'' (1914) *''

'' (1915)

References and notes

External links

*
Gaston Bell papers, 1886–1964 (bulk 1960s)
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, is located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, in the Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City. Situated between the Metropolitan O ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Gaston 1877 births 1963 deaths American male stage actors American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Boston People from Woodstock, New York