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, a ...

. Bell primarily appeared in Western films during his career. He also appeared in the 1930 movie '' True to the Navy'', starring Clara Bow; Bell and Bow married the following year. Bell later became involved in politics with the Nevada Republican Party and was the 21st Lieutenant Governor of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the 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. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

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 film, silent Western (genre), Western film directed by R.L. Hough, and written by Jack Cunningham (screenwriter), Jack Cunningham and Delos Sutherland. The film stars Rex Bell, Caryl Lincoln, Neil ...

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

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

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 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 the ...

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 Nevada Republican Party and in 1948 was an alternate to the Republican National Convention. 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 m ...

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 are ...

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 Clara Bow 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 language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

was named in honor of Bell.Rex Bell Elementary School
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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