James Harlee Bell (December 1, 1891 – October 26, 1973) was an American film and stage actor who appeared in about 150 films and television shows through 1964. Bell was born in

Suffolk, Virginia Suffolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. As of 2020, the population was 94,324. It is the List of cities in Virginia, 10th-most populous city in Virginia, the largest city in Virginia by bou ...

, and graduated from

Virginia Polytechnic Institute The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

in 1911 with a degree in electrical engineering. 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 ''I Walked with a Zombie'' is a 1943 American horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Val Lewton for RKO Pictures. It stars James Ellison, Frances Dee, and Tom Conway, and follows a Canadian nurse who travels to care for th ...

'' and '' The Leopard Man'', both of which were directed by

Jacques Tourneur Jacques Tourneur (; ; November 12, 1904 – December 19, 1977) was a French-American filmmaker, active during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known as an auteur of stylish and atmospheric genre films, many of them for RKO Pictures, including ...

, produced by

Val Lewton Val Lewton (May 7, 1904 – March 14, 1951) was a Russian-American novelist, film producer, and screenwriter best known for a string of low-budget horror films he produced for RKO Pictures in the 1940s. His son, also named Val Lewton, was a pai ...

, and released in 1943. Among his television appearances were four guest roles on the

legal drama Legal drama, also called courtroom drama, is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in wh ...

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 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 id ...

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

Selected filmography

* '' I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang'' (1932) - Red (uncredited) * ''

The Monkey's Paw "The Monkey's Paw" is a Horror fiction, horror short story by English author W. W. Jacobs. It first appeared in ''Harper's Monthly'' in September, 1902, and was reprinted in his third collection of short stories, ''The Lady of the Barge'', late ...

'' (1933) - Flute Player (uncredited) * '' The King's Vacation'' (1933) - Anderson * '' Infernal Machine'' (1933) - Spencer * '' Private Detective 62'' (1933) - Whitey * '' Storm at Daybreak'' (1933) - Peter (uncredited) * '' Day of Reckoning'' (1933) - Slim * ''

White Woman ''White Woman'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code drama film directed by Stuart Walker (director), Stuart Walker and starring Carole Lombard, Charles Laughton, and Charles Bickford.''The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Film ...

'' (1933) - Hambly * '' Student Tour'' (1934) - Indian Fakir (uncredited) * '' The Lives of a Bengal Lancer'' (1935) - Indian Officer (uncredited) * ''

Holiday Inn Holiday Inn by IHG is a chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson (1913–2003), who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee. The chain was a division ...

'' (1942) - Dunbar * ''

'' (1943) - Dr. Maxwell * '' The Leopard Man'' (1943) - Dr. Galbraith * ''

My Friend Flicka ''My Friend Flicka'' is a 1941 novel by Mary O'Hara, about Ken McLaughlin, the son of a Wyoming rancher, and his mustang horse Flicka. It was the first in a trilogy, followed by ''Thunderhead'' (1943) and ''Green Grass of Wyoming'' (1946). The ...

'' (1943) - Gus * '' So Proudly We Hail!'' (1943) - Colonel White * '' Gangway for Tomorrow'' (1943) - Tom Burke * '' I Love a Soldier'' (1944) - Williams * '' Thunderhead, Son of Flicka'' (1945) - Gus * '' Blood on the Sun'' (1945) - Charley Sprague * '' The Girl of the Limberlost'' (1945) - Wesley Sinton * '' The Spiral Staircase'' (1946) - Constable * '' The Unknown'' (1946) - Edward Martin * ''

Dead Reckoning In navigation, dead reckoning is the process of calculating the current position of a moving object by using a previously determined position, or fix, and incorporating estimates of speed, heading (or direction or course), and elapsed time. T ...

'' (1947) - Father Logan * '' Blind Spot'' (1947) - Detective Lieutenant Fred Applegate * '' The Sea of Grass'' (1947) - Sam Hall * '' The Millerson Case'' (1947) - Ezra Minnich * '' Brute Force'' (1947) - Crenshaw, Convict in Print Shop * '' The Romance of Rosy Ridge'' (1947) - John Willhart * '' Philo Vance's Secret Mission'' (1947) - Sheriff Harry Madison * ''

Driftwood Driftwood is a wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea, lake, or river by the action of winds, tides or waves. It is part of beach wrack. In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance. However, the driftwood provides ...

'' (1947) - Sheriff Bolton * '' Killer McCoy'' (1947) - Father Patrick Ryan * '' I, Jane Doe'' (1948) - Judge Bertrand * ''

Black Eagle The black eagle (''Ictinaetus malaiensis'') is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae, and is the only member of the genus ''Ictinaetus''. They soar over forests in the hilly regions of tropical and subtropical South a ...

'' (1948) - Frank Hayden * '' Sealed Verdict'' (1948) - Mr. Hockland * '' Roughshod'' (1949) - Pa (Ed) Wyatt * '' Streets of Laredo'' (1949) - Ike * '' Dial 1119'' (1950) - Harrison D. Barnes * '' The Company She Keeps'' (1951) - Mr. Neeley * '' Buckaroo Sheriff of Texas'' (1951) - Sheriff Tom White * '' The Dakota Kid'' (1951) - Sheriff Tom White * '' Flying Leathernecks'' (1951) - Colonel * '' Arizona Manhunt'' (1951) - Sheriff Tom White * '' Red Mountain'' (1951) - Dr. Terry * '' Japanese War Bride'' (1952) - Ed Sterling * '' Wild Horse Ambush'' (1952) - Sheriff Tom White * '' Ride the Man Down'' (1952) - John Evarts * '' Million Dollar Mermaid'' (1952) - Judge * ''Hannah Lee: An American Primitive'' (1953) - Man at Carousel in Prologue (uncredited) * '' The Last Posse'' (1953) - Will Romer * '' Devil's Canyon'' (1953) - Dr. Betts * '' Crime Wave'' (1953) - Daniel O'Keefe * '' All the Brothers Were Valiant'' (1953) - Aaron Burnham * ''

The Glenn Miller Story ''The Glenn Miller Story'' is a 1954 American biographical film about the eponymous American band-leader, directed by Anthony Mann. It stars James Stewart as Miller (in his second non-western collaboration with Mann), alongside June Allyson. ...

'' (1954) - Mr. Burger * ''

Riding Shotgun "Riding shotgun" was a phrase used to describe the bodyguard who rides alongside a stagecoach driver, typically armed with a break-action shotgun, called a coach gun, to ward off bandits or hostile Native Americans. In modern use, it refers to ...

'' (1954) - Doc Winkler * '' About Mrs. Leslie'' (1954) - Mr. Herbert Poole * '' Black Tuesday'' (1954) - John Norris * '' Lassie'' (Jeff’s Collie) 1954 S1E5 “Mr. Peabody” Mr. Peabody * ''

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...

'' (1955) - Reverend Dr. Thorne * '' Marty'' (1955) - Mr. Snyder (uncredited) * '' Lay That Rifle Down'' (1955) - Mr. Fetcher * '' Sincerely Yours'' (1955) - Grandfather Hunt * '' Texas Lady'' (1955) - Cass Gower * '' A Lawless Street'' (1955) - Asaph Dean * '' Tribute to a Bad Man'' (1956) - L.A. Peterson * '' A Day of Fury'' (1956) - Doc Logan * '' Huk!'' (1956) - Stephen Rogers * '' The Search for Bridey Murphy'' (1956) - Hugh Lynn Cayce * ''

Four Girls in Town ''Four Girls in Town'' is a 1957 American CinemaScope Technicolor drama film, directed by Jack Sher, about four girls trying to be movie stars. Plot When the leading lady drops out of a new film to be shot in New Orleans, studio head James Mannin ...

'' (1957) - Walter Conway * '' The Lonely Man'' (1957) - Judge Hart * '' Back from the Dead'' (1957) - Mr. Bradley * '' Johnny Trouble'' (1957) - Reverend Harrington * '' The Tin Star'' (1957) - Judge Thatcher * '' In Love and War'' (1958) - Sidney Lenaine (uncredited) * '' The Trap'' (1959) - Sourdough (uncredited) * '' The Oregon Trail'' (1959) - Jeremiah Cooper * ''

-30- -30- has been traditionally used by journalists in North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean ...

'' (1959) - Ben Quinn * ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' (1960) (Season 5 Episode 37: "Escape to Sonoita") as Andy Davis * '' Posse from Hell'' (1961) - Benson * '' Claudelle Inglish'' (1961) - Josh * ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'' (1962, Episode: "The Jury") - Hjalmer Olson * '' The Virginian'' (1963 episode "To Make This Place Remember") - Dr. David T. Harvey * '' Twilight of Honor'' (1963) - Charles Crispin * '' Where Love Has Gone'' (1964) - Judge, Divorce Court (uncredited) (final film role)

References

External links

* * * * Bell, Joyce Arling
Pumpernickel and champagne : a biography of James Harllee Bell
Kents Store, Va.: J.A. Bell, 1973. Print. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, James 1891 births 1973 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Virginia Tech alumni Actors from Virginia