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Archibald Marshall Bell (born September 28, 1942) is an American character actor. He has appeared in many character
role A role (also rôle or social role) is a set of connected behaviors, rights, obligations, beliefs, and norms as conceptualized by people in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behavior and may have a given indi ...
s in movies and
television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
. He is known for roles in '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge'' (1985), '' Stand by Me'' (1986), '' Twins'' (1988), '' Total Recall'' (1990) and '' Starship Troopers'' (1997).


Early life and education

Bell was born in
Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...
, where he lived until age 13. His family then moved to
Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
,
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
. Bell attended
boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...
at St. Paul's, Concord, New Hampshire, but was expelled. He then went to Fountain Valley School in Colorado Springs, where he became interested in acting after performing as Elwood Dowd in the
play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...
'' Harvey''. Bell was discouraged by others, however, who told him he was not a good enough actor, and did not act again for over 20 years. He attended the University of Colorado, majoring in
sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
, and served three years in the
Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
. He eventually became a consultant, teaching
business executive A business executive is a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. Executives run companies or government agencies. They create plans to help their organizations gr ...
s to improve their speaking skills.


Career

Bell's movie debut was in the role as Ronsky in Alan Parker's
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
'' Birdy'' (1984). After ''Birdy'', he played Gerry Jones in the Fred Roos
comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
'' Seven Minutes in Heaven'' (1985). His first major role was as the cruel Coach Schneider in the slasher/ horror '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge'' (1985). Bell played Mr. Lachance, Gordie's grieving father, in the
adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...
/drama '' Stand by Me'' (1986); the ruthless
hitman Contract killing (also known as murder-for-hire) is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or people. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of compensation, moneta ...
, Webster, in the comedy '' Twins'' (1988) starring
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
and
Danny DeVito Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi (TV series), Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him ...
; and George, who has mutant Martian resistance leader, Kuato, attached to his stomach, in director Paul Verhoeven's blockbuster
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
/adventure '' Total Recall'' (1990) starring Schwarzenegger. He made his TV acting debut in the series '' The Oldest Rookie'' in 1987, playing Det. Gordon Lane. Bell starred as Ford Plasko in the short-lived series '' G vs E''. His many
guest appearance The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting. The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are disting ...
s include '' Hill Street Blues'', '' Wiseguy'', '' Tales from the Crypt'', '' The X-Files'', ''
Millennium A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...
'', '' Deadwood'' and ''
House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
''. He has also appeared in a TV commercial for
IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...
. Other movie roles include Lips' Cop in the action/
crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...
thriller '' Dick Tracy'' (1990) opposite
Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career has spanned over six decades, and he has received an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards. He also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memor ...
; the title role of a frightening
homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...
man terrorizing Bill Paxton's character in the comedy/thriller '' The Vagrant'' (1992) opposite Paxton and Michael Ironside; General Owen in the science fiction/adventure '' Starship Troopers'' (1997); the warden, Marshall Krutch, in the award-winning biopic '' Capote'' (2005) opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman; John Leshing in the
family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
/ mystery '' Nancy Drew'' (2007) opposite Emma Roberts; and Principal Rocker in the comedy '' Hamlet 2'' (2008). Bell also played the voice acting role as Mr. Sesehund in the animated
feature Feature may refer to: Computing * Feature recognition, could be a hole, pocket, or notch * Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob * Feature (machine learning), in statistics: individual measurable properties of the phenome ...
'' Heidi 4 Paws'' (2008).


Personal life

Bell is married to Milena Canonero, a four-time Oscar-winning costume designer, and they live in West Hollywood, California.


Filmography


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Marshall American male film actors American male television actors University of Colorado alumni Male actors from Tulsa, Oklahoma Male actors from Denver Male actors from Los Angeles 1942 births Living people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors St. Paul's School (New Hampshire) alumni