Thomas George Bell (2 August 1933 – 4 October 2006) was an English actor on stage, film and television. He often played "menacing or seedy roles, perhaps most memorably playing

sexist Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

Detective Sergeant Bill Otley, antagonist to

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (; born Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironov; 26 July 1945) is an English actor. With a career spanning over six decades of Helen Mirren on screen and stage, screen and stage, List of awards and nominations received by Helen Mirre ...

's DCI Jane Tennison in ''

Prime Suspect ''Prime Suspect'' is a British police procedural television series devised by Lynda La Plante. Broadcast on ITV between 1991 and 2006, it stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater Lo ...

''.

Early life

Bell was born on 2 August 1933, in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, Lancashire. His family was large, and he had little contact with his father, a merchant seaman. Evacuated as a child during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he lived with three different families in

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea. In 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768. Name The first use of the name was by John Whit ...

, Lancashire. In 1948, at age 15, Bell first acted in school plays. His younger brother Keith also became an actor. On leaving school he trained under Esme Church at the Bradford Civic Theatre; fellow pupils included

Billie Whitelaw Billie Honor Whitelaw (6 June 1932 – 21 December 2014) was an English actress. She worked in close collaboration with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for 25 years and was regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of his works. She was als ...

and

Robert Stephens Sir Robert Graham Stephens (14 July 193112 November 1995) was an English actor in the early years of Britain's Royal National Theatre. Early life Stephens was born in Shirehampton, Bristol, in 1931, the eldest of three children of shipyard ...

. He later worked in repertory in Liverpool and

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Career

Michael Coveney Michael Coveney (born 24 July 1948) is a British theatre critic. Education and career Coveney was born in London and educated at St Ignatius’ College in Stamford Hill, and Worcester College, Oxford. After graduation, he worked as a script ...

described Bell as a "naturally gifted and unusually reserved leading actor", with a "quiet, mesmeric brand of acting". On television he had the role of Albert Stokes in

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...

's first success in the medium, '' A Night Out'' (1960), while in the same year his first film appearance came in

Joseph Losey Joseph Walton Losey III (; January 14, 1909 – June 22, 1984) was an American film and theatre director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Wisconsin, he studied in Germany with Bertolt Brecht and then returned to the United States. Hollywood ...

's '' The Criminal''. He continued to appear in the

British New Wave The British New Wave is a style of films released in Great Britain between 1959 and 1963. The label is a translation of ''Nouvelle Vague'', the French term first applied to the films of François Truffaut, and Jean-Luc Godard among others. Stylis ...

films of the early 60s including '' The Kitchen'' (1961) and ''

The L-Shaped Room ''The L-Shaped Room'' is a 1962 British drama romance film written and directed by Bryan Forbes, based on the 1960 novel by Lynne Reid Banks. It tells the story of Jane Fosset, a young French woman, unmarried and pregnant, who moves into a che ...

'' (1962) with

Leslie Caron Leslie Claire Margaret Caron (; born 1 July 1931) is a French and American actress and dancer. She is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award, two BAFTA Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards. Caron b ...

. At an awards ceremony for the latter, he drunkenly interrupted a speech by

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

, yelling "Tell us a funny story", to the obvious embarrassment of table companions

Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, film director, and Film producer, producer. Attenborough was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Acade ...

and

Bryan Forbes Bryan Forbes Order of the British Empire, CBE (; born John Theobald Clarke; 22 July 1926 – 8 May 2013) was an English film director, screenwriter, film producer, actor and novelist described as a "Renaissance man"Falk Q. . BAFTA. 17 October 2 ...

. While the Duke of Edinburgh apparently took the heckle in good humour, retorting "If you want a funny story, I suggest you engage a professional comic", the incident added to Bell's reputation as a hellraiser, and "did little to further iscareer". His other notable films of the decade included '' H.M.S. Defiant'' (1962), '' A Prize of Arms'' (1962), '' Ballad in Blue'' (1965), ''

He Who Rides a Tiger ''He Who Rides a Tiger'' is a 1965 British crime drama directed by Charles Crichton, and starring Tom Bell (actor), Tom Bell and Judi Dench. It was written by Trevor Peacock. Plot On his release from Peter Rayston returns to his life as a hous ...

'' (1965), and '' The Long Day's Dying'' (1968), followed by All the Right Noises in 1971. In 1978, Bell received a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

nomination for his portrayal of convicted armed robber Frank Ross in the crime-drama ''

Out Out or OUT may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 *Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander *O ...

''. Produced by Thames TV, this critically-acclaimed six-part 'mini-series' drew an audience of 10 million viewers per episode. That same year he portrayed

Adolf Eichmann Otto Adolf Eichmann ( ;"Eichmann"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; 19 March 1906 – 1 Ju ...

in the

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

-winning tv-series ''

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

''. Declared bankrupt in 1982 for

Inland Revenue The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation ta ...

debts of over £20,000, Bell bounced back with a later career renaissance, appearing in several British films including ''

Wish You Were Here Wish You Were Here may refer to: Film, television, and theater Film * ''Wish You Were Here'' (1987 film), a British comedy-drama film by David Leland * ''Wish You Were Here'' (2012 film), an Australian drama/mystery film by Kieran Darcy-Smith ...

'',

Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a British film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Mannerist painting in particular. Common traits in his films a ...

's '' Prospero's Books'', ''Swing'' and the 1990 film '' The Krays'', where he played the part of Jack "The Hat" McVitie, one of the

Kray twins Ronald Kray (24 October 193320 March 1995) and Reginald Kray (24 October 19331 October 2000) were English gangsters or organised crime figures and identical twin brothers from Haggerston who were prominent from the late 1950s until their arres ...

' murder victims. In 1991, he played the dour owner of a run-down seaside waxworks museum in the Thames TV sitcom ''Hope It Rains'', written by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey and directed by John Howard Davies. It ran for two series comprising thirteen episodes. Although he tended to eschew live performance, Bell's few stage appearances included a role in the 1979 UK première of '' Bent'', Martin Sherman's play about homosexuality, staged at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

. He played the character Horst, opposite

Ian McKellen Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. He has played roles on the screen and stage in genres ranging from Shakespearean dramas and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is regarded as a British cu ...

's Max. The play's examination of homosexual love, set in a

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

death camp, was shocking for many theatregoers at the time and uncovered a previously little-examined area of Nazi brutality. In the ITV series ''

'', Bell played Detective Sergeant Bill Otley opposite

in the first (1991), third (1993) and final series (2006), the latter being one of his last on-screen appearances. His gripping portrayal of the toxic character secured Bell's second BAFTA nomination, in 1993.

Personal life

Bell was married to the actress Lois Daine from 1960 to 1976. They had one son, Aran, who is also an actor. His partner from 1976 until his death was the costume designer Frances Tempest, with whom he had a step-daughter, Nellie, and a daughter, Polly.

Death

Bell had enjoyed working with TV director Danny Hiller, and agreed to appear in his first feature film ''Love Me Still'' at the suggestion of their mutual friend, showbiz accountant Jose Goumal. While clearly ill, Bell soldiered on and completed filming only a few days before the end of his life. He died in hospital in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

on 4 October 2006, aged 73, following a short illness. A few days later, "the poignantly timed broadcast of Prime Suspect - The Final Act" aired, "in which a visibly frail Otley died on screen".

Filmography

Film

* '' The Criminal'' (1960) – Flynn * ''

Payroll A payroll is a list of employment, employees of a company who are entitled to receive compensation as well as other work benefits, as well as the amounts that each should obtain. Along with the amounts that each employee should receive for time ...

'' (1961) – Blackie * '' The Kitchen'' (1961) – Paul * ''

Echo of Barbara ''Echo of Barbara'' is a 1960 British crime film directed by Sidney Hayers, and starring Mervyn Johns and Maureen Connell. It was written by John Kruse based on the 1959 novel of the same title by Jonathan Burke. It was one of several crime film ...

'' (1961) – Ben * '' H.M.S. Defiant'' (1962) – Evans * '' A Prize of Arms'' (1962) – Fenner * ''

'' (1962) – Toby * ''Sands of Beersheba'' (1964) – Dan * '' Ballad in Blue'' (1965) – Steve Collins * ''

'' (1965) – Peter Rayston * '' The Violent Enemy'' (1968) – Sean Rogan * '' The Long Day's Dying'' (1968) – Tom Cooper * ''

In Enemy Country ''In Enemy Country'' is a 1968 American war film produced and directed by Harry Keller starring Anthony Franciosa, Anjanette Comer and Guy Stockwell.Jorgensen p.336 The film's art direction was by John Beckman and Alexander Golitzen. Plot During ...

'' (1968) – Ian * '' Lock Up Your Daughters!'' (1969) – Shaftoe * '' All the Right Noises'' (1971) – Len Lewin * '' Quest for Love'' (1971) – Colin Trafford * '' The Spy's Wife'' (1972) – Tom Tyler * '' Straight on Till Morning'' (1972) – Jimmy Lindsay * ''

Royal Flash ''Royal Flash'' is a 1970 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. It is the second of the Flashman novels. It was made into the film '' Royal Flash'' in 1975 and remains the only Flashman novel to be filmed. Plot summary ''Royal Flash'' is set duri ...

'' (1975) – De Gautet * '' The Sailor's Return'' (1978) – William Targett * ''

Summer Lightning ''Summer Lightning'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 1 July 1929 by Doubleday (publisher), Doubleday, Doran, New York, under the title ''Fish Preferred'', and in the United Kingdom on 19 July 1929 by Her ...

'' (1984) – Mr Clark * '' The Innocent'' (1985) – Frank Dobson * '' The Magic Toyshop'' (1987) – Uncle Philip * ''

'' (1987) – Eric * '' Resurrected'' (1989) – Mr. Deakin * Red King, White Knight (1989) - Tulayev * '' The Krays'' (1990) – Jack 'The Hat' McVitie * '' Prospero's Books'' (1991) – Antonio * ''

Let Him Have It ''Let Him Have It'' is a 1991 British drama film directed by Peter Medak and starring Christopher Eccleston, Paul Reynolds, Tom Courtenay and Tom Bell. The film is based on the true story of Derek Bentley, who was convicted of the murder of a ...

'' (1991) – Fairfax * ''Angels'' (1992) – Michael * ''Sensatsiya'' (1993) – American Scientist * ''Seconds Out'' (1993) – Jack * '' Feast of July'' (1995) – Ben Wainwright * '' Preaching to the Perverted'' (1997) – Henry Harding MP * '' Swept from the Sea'' (1997) – Isaac Foster * ''

The Boxer "The Boxer" is a song written by Paul Simon and recorded by the American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fifth and final studio album, '' Bridge over Troubled Water'' (1970). Produced by the duo and Roy Halee, it was released as a stan ...

'' (1997) – Joe MaGuire's father (uncredited) * '' Swing'' (1999) – Sid Luxford * ''

Tube Tales ''Tube Tales'' is a 1999 British anthology film of nine short films based on the true-life experiencesThe person who submitted the details of the experience to ''Time Out'' magazine being credited as 'Originator'. of London Underground passenger ...

'' (1999) – Old Gent (segment "Horny") * ''

The Last Minute ''The Last Minute'' is a 2001 British-American urban gothic film, written and directed by Stephen Norrington Stephen Norrington (born 1964) is an English special effects artist and retired film director known for his work in the horror and ...

'' (2001) – Grimshanks * ''

Lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

'' (2001) – Eric * '' My Kingdom'' (2001) – Quick * ''

Long Time Dead ''Long Time Dead'' is a 2002 horror film, co-written and directed by Marcus Adams in his directorial debut. Set in the United Kingdom, the film follows a group of college students in which they experiment with a Ouija board and inadvertently s ...

'' (2002) – Becker * ''Oh Marbella!'' (2003) – Ronnie, Ackerman * '' Devil's Gate'' (2003) – Jake * '' Dead Man's Cards'' (2005) – Billy The Cowboy * ''Friends and Enemies'' (2006) * ''Love Me Still'' (2008) – Lenny Ronson

Television (selected)

* 1958: ''

Armchair Theatre ''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. The Ca ...

'': "

No Trams to Lime Street ''No Trams to Lime Street'' is a 1959 British television play, written by the Welsh playwright Alun Owen for the '' Armchair Theatre'' anthology series. Produced by ABC Weekend TV for transmission on the ITV network, the play was broadcast on 18 ...

" * 1960: ''

'': '' A Night Out'' * 1967: '' The Virginian'' Series 6 Episode 5 – Cpl. Johnny Moon * 1970: ''

Play for Today ''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage ...

'': ''Angels Are So Few'' * 1972: ''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage.Meyer, Michael Lever ...

'' (''

Play of the Month ''Play of the Month'' is a BBC television anthology series, which ran from 1965 to 1983 featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays (or adaptations) which were usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different wor ...

'', BBC) – Eilert Lovborg * 1974: ''

The Protectors ''The Protectors'' is a British action thriller television series created by Gerry Anderson. It starred Robert Vaughn as Harry Rule, Nyree Dawn Porter as the Contessa Caroline di Contini, and Tony Anholt as Paul Buchet. It was Anderson's seco ...

'' – Shadbolt * 1978 ** ''

'' (US mini-series) –

Adolf Eichmann Otto Adolf Eichmann ( ;"Eichmann"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; 19 March 1906 – 1 Ju ...

** ''

'' (UK series) – Frank Ross * 1981: ''

Sons and Lovers ''Sons and Lovers'' is a 1913 novel by the English writer D. H. Lawrence. It traces emotional conflicts through the protagonist, Paul Morel, and his suffocating relationships with a demanding mother and two very different lovers, which exert ...

'' – Walter Morel * 1983: ''

Reilly, Ace of Spies ''Reilly, Ace of Spies'' is a 1983 British television programme dramatizing the life of Sidney Reilly, a Russian-born adventurer who became one of the greatest spies ever to work for the United Kingdom and the British Empire. Among his exploits ...

'' –

Felix Dzerzhinsky Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky (; ; – 20 July 1926), nicknamed Iron Felix (), was a Soviet revolutionary and politician of Polish origin. From 1917 until his death in 1926, he led the first two Soviet secret police organizations, the Cheka a ...

* 1988: ''

The Rainbow ''The Rainbow'' is a novel by British author D. H. Lawrence, first published by Methuen & Co. in 1915. It follows three generations of the Brangwen family living in Nottinghamshire, focusing particularly on the individual's struggle for growt ...

'' - Old Tom Brangwen * 1990: ''

Chancer ''Chancer'' is a British television crime drama serial, produced by Central Independent Television for ITV, that first broadcast on 6 March 1990. Starring Clive Owen in the title role of Stephen Crane, ''Chancer'' tells the story of a likable c ...

'' – Mr. Love, Derek's father * 1991: ''

'' (series 1) – D.S. Bill Otley * 1991–92: ''Hope It Rains'' (UK sitcom series) – Harry Nash * 1993: ** ''

'' (series 3) – D.S. Bill Otley ** ''

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ''The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'' (sometimes referred to as ''Young Indy'') is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 4, 1992, to July 24, 1993. Filming took place in various locations around the world, with "Old Indy" ...

'': "Young Indiana Jones and the Phantom Train of Doom" – Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck * 1999 ''

Dalziel and Pascoe Detective Superintendent Andrew "Andy" Dalziel and Detective Sergeant, later Detective Inspector, Peter Pascoe are two fictional Yorkshire detectives featuring in a series of novels by Reginald Hill. Characterisation and style Dalziel is d ...

'' (" Recalled to Life") * 2006 ** '' Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire'': "Revolution" –

Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio (182 or 181 – 132 BC) was a Roman politician. He is most well known for mobilising the mob which killed Tiberius Gracchus, who was at the time attempting to stand for re-election as plebeian tribune ...

** '' Blue Murder'' – Vinny McAteer (broadcast 3 November 2006 on ITV) ** ''

: The Final Act'' (series 7) – D.S. Bill Otley

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Tom 20th-century English male actors 1933 births 2006 deaths