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, and graduated from

Virginia Polytechnic Institute Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

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 Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

through 1941. Bell's first film role was in ''

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang ''I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime-drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Paul Muni as a wrongfully convicted man on a chain gang who escapes to Chicago. It was released on November 10, 1932. The f ...

'' 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 (actor), James Ellison, Frances Dee, and Tom Conway, and follows a Canadian nurse who trave ...

'' and ''

The Leopard Man ''The Leopard Man'' is a 1943 American horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur, and starring Dennis O'Keefe, Jean Brooks, and Margo. Based on the book ''Black Alibi'' by Cornell Woolrich, it follows a series of violent murders in a small Ne ...

'', both of which were directed by

Jacques Tourneur Jacques Tourneur (; November 12, 1904 – December 19, 1977) was a French film director known for the classic film noir ''Out of the Past'' and a series of low-budget horror films he made for RKO Studios, including ''Cat People (1942 film), Cat ...

, 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 pain ...

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

legal drama A legal 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 which a system of justice play ...

series ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

''. 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 The Last Mile may refer to: * The Last Mile (prison rehabilitation program), a program for inmates in the California corrections system * ''The Last Mile'' (play), a 1930 play by John Wexley * ''The Last Mile'' (1932 film), an American adaptatio ...

'' (1930) as Richard Walters * ''Kill That Story'' (1934) as Duke Devlin * ''Tobacco Row'' as Lester

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1932) - Red (uncredited) * ''

The Monkey's Paw "The Monkey's Paw" is a horror short story by English author W. W. Jacobs, first published in the collection '' The Lady of the Barge'' in 1902. In the story, three wishes are granted to the owner of The Monkey's Paw, but the wishes come with ...

'' (1933) - Flute Player (uncredited) * ''

The King's Vacation ''The King's Vacation'' is a 1933 American pre-Code romance film starring George Arliss and Marjorie Gateson and directed by John G. Adolfi. The supporting cast features Dick Powell, Patricia Ellis, Florence Arliss, Dudley Digges and O. P. Hegg ...

'' (1933) - Anderson * '' Infernal Machine'' (1933) - Spencer * ''

Private Detective 62 ''Private Detective 62'' is a 1933 American pre-Code detective film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring William Powell as a private detective who falls for a woman whom he has been hired to frame in a scandal. Plot In France, United States ...

'' (1933) - Whitey * ''

Storm at Daybreak ''Storm at Daybreak'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Richard Boleslawski, written by Bertram Millhauser, and starring Kay Francis, Nils Asther, Walter Huston, Phillips Holmes, Eugene Pallette and C. Henry Gordon. It was rele ...

'' (1933) - Peter (uncredited) * '' Day of Reckoning'' (1933) - Slim * ''

White Woman ''White Woman'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Stuart Walker and starring Carole Lombard, Charles Laughton, and Charles Bickford.''The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1931-40'' published by The American Film ...

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

Holiday Inn Holiday Inn is an American chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia. and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson, who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee that year. The chain was a division ...

'' (1942) - Dunbar * ''

'' (1943) - Dr. Maxwell * ''

'' (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 p ...

'' (1943) - Gus * ''

So Proudly We Hail! ''So Proudly We Hail!'' is a 1943 American war film directed and produced by Mark Sandrich and starring Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard – who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance – a ...

'' (1943) - Col. White * ''

Gangway for Tomorrow Broadly speaking, a gangway is a passageway through which to enter or leave. Gangway may refer specifically refer to: Passageways * Gangway (nautical), a passage between the quarterdeck and the forecastle of a ship, and by extension, a passage th ...

'' (1943) - Tom Burke * ''

I Love a Soldier ''I Love a Soldier'' is a 1944 American drama film directed by Mark Sandrich and written by Allan Scott (American screenwriter), Allan Scott. The film stars Paulette Goddard, Sonny Tufts, Beulah Bondi, Walter Sande, Mary Treen and Ann Doran. The ...

'' (1944) - Williams * ''

Thunderhead, Son of Flicka ''Thunderhead, Son of Flicka'' is a 1945 American Western film directed by Louis King and starring Roddy McDowall, Preston Foster, and Rita Johnson. It is a sequel to the 1943 film ''My Friend Flicka'' (parodied in 2006 as ''Flicka''). The film wa ...

'' (1945) - Gus * ''

Blood on the Sun ''Blood on the Sun'' is a 1945 American war film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring James Cagney and Sylvia Sidney. The film is based on a fictional history behind the Tanaka Memorial document. The film won the Academy Award for Best Productio ...

'' (1945) - Charley Sprague * ''

The Girl of the Limberlost ''The Girl of the Limberlost'' is a 1945 American drama film starring Ruth Nelson, Dorinda Clifton, and Loren Tindall, and directed by Mel Ferrer. The film is based on a 1909 novel by Gene Stratton-Porter, which was previously filmed in 1909 as ...

'' (1945) - Wesley Sinton * '' The Spiral Staircase'' (1946) - Constable * '' The Unknown'' (1946) - Edward Martin * ''

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

'' (1947) - Father Logan * '' Blind Spot'' (1947) - Det. Lt. Fred Applegate * ''

The Sea of Grass ''The Sea of Grass'' is a 1936 novel by Conrad Richter. It is set in New Mexico in the late 19th century, and concerns the clash between rich ranchers, whose cattle run freely on government-owned land, a prairie "sea of grass", and the homestead ...

'' (1947) - Sam Hall * ''

The Millerson Case ''The Millerson Case'' is a 1947 American mystery drama film directed by George Archainbaud and starring Warner Baxter, Nancy Saunders and Clem Bevans. In the 8th film of Columbia's '' Crime Doctor'' series, Dr. Robert Ordway (Warner Baxter) is ...

'' (1947) - Ezra Minnich * '' Brute Force'' (1947) - Crenshaw - Convict in Print Shop * ''

The Romance of Rosy Ridge ''The Romance of Rosy Ridge'' is a 1947 American Western film directed by Roy Rowland, about a rural community bitterly divided during the aftermath of the American Civil War. It stars Van Johnson, Thomas Mitchell, and Janet Leigh in her film d ...

'' (1947) - John Willhart * '' Philo Vance's Secret Mission'' (1947) - Sheriff Harry Madison * ''

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

'' (1947) - Sheriff Bolton * ''

Killer McCoy ''Killer McCoy'' is a 1947 American drama film about a boxer starring Mickey Rooney. It is a remake of '' The Crowd Roars'' (1938). The picture was directed by Roy Rowland with a supporting cast featuring Brian Donlevy, Ann Blyth, James Dun ...

'' (1947) - Father Patrick Ryan * ''

I, Jane Doe ''I, Jane Doe'' is a 1948 American drama war film directed by John H. Auer and written by Lawrence Kimble and Decla Dunning. The film stars Ruth Hussey, John Carroll, Vera Ralston, Gene Lockhart, John Howard and Benay Venuta. Plot When the po ...

'' (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 ...

'' (1948) - Frank Hayden * ''

Sealed Verdict ''Sealed Verdict'' is a 1948 American adventure drama war film directed by Lewis Allen and starring Ray Milland and Florence Marly. Plot Maj. Robert Lawson ( Ray Milland), a lawyer working in Germany as part of the American Army's tribunal f ...

'' (1948) - Mr. Hockland * '' Roughshod'' (1949) - Pa (Ed) Wyatt * '' Streets of Laredo'' (1949) - Ike * ''

Dial 1119 ''Dial 1119'' is a 1950 film noir directed by Gerald Mayer, nephew of Louis B. Mayer. The film stars Marshall Thompson as a deranged escaped killer holding the customers of a bar hostage. The telephone number "1119" is the police emergency number ...

'' (1950) - Harrison D. Barnes * ''

The Company She Keeps ''The Company She Keeps'' is a 1951 drama film starring Lizabeth Scott, Jane Greer and Dennis O'Keefe. The film was directed by John Cromwell, whose film the previous year, '' Caged'', also concerned a woman sent to prison. It marked Jeff Bri ...

'' (1951) - Mr. Neeley * '' Buckaroo Sheriff of Texas'' (1951) - Sheriff Tom White * ''

The Dakota Kid ''The Dakota Kid'' is a 1951 American Western film directed by Philip Ford and starring Michael Chapin, Eilene Janssen and James Bell.Pitts p.76 The film's sets were designed by the art director Art director is the title for a variety of s ...

'' (1951) - Sheriff Tom White * ''

Flying Leathernecks ''Flying Leathernecks'' is a 1951 American Technicolor action war film directed by Nicholas Ray, produced by Edmund Grainger, (who had produced ''Sands of Iwo Jima'') and starring John Wayne and Robert Ryan. The movie details the exploits an ...

'' (1951) - Colonel * ''

Arizona Manhunt ''Arizona Manhunt'' is a 1951 American Western film directed by Fred C. Brannon and starring Michael Chapin, Eilene Janssen and James Bell.Drew p.656 The film's sets were designed by the art director Frank Hotaling. Plot Cast * Michael ...

'' (1951) - Sheriff Tom White * '' Red Mountain'' (1951) - Dr. Terry * ''

Japanese War Bride ''Japanese War Bride'' (also known as ''East is East'') is a 1952 drama film directed by King Vidor. The film featured the American debut of Shirley Yamaguchi in the title role. In February 2020, the film was shown at the 70th Berlin Internation ...

'' (1952) - Ed Sterling * '' Wild Horse Ambush'' (1952) - Sheriff Tom White * '' Ride the Man Down'' (1952) - John Evarts * ''

Million Dollar Mermaid ''Million Dollar Mermaid'' (also known as ''The One Piece Bathing Suit'' in the UK) is a 1952 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer biographical film of the life of Australian swimming star Annette Kellerman. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Arthur ...

'' (1952) - Judge * ''Hannah Lee: An American Primitive'' (1953) - Man at Carousel in Prologue (uncredited) * ''

The Last Posse ''The Last Posse'' is a 1953 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Alfred L. Werker and starring Broderick Crawford, John Derek, Charles Bickford and Wanda Hendrix.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 and starring James Stewart in their second non-western collaboration. Plot The film follows big band leader Glenn ...

'' (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 ...

'' (1954) - Doc Winkler * ''

About Mrs. Leslie ''About Mrs. Leslie'' is a 1954 American drama film directed by Daniel Mann and starring Shirley Booth and Robert Ryan. It was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 1955. Plot Vivien Leslie, a Beverly Hills, California rooming house owner, reminisces i ...

'' (1954) - Mr. Herbert Poole * ''

Black Tuesday The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange coll ...

'' (1954) - John Norris * ''

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both 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 ...

'' (1955) - Rev. Dr. Thorne * '' Marty'' (1955) - Mr. Snyder (uncredited) * ''

Lay That Rifle Down ''Lay That Rifle Down'' is a 1955 American comedy film directed by Charles Lamont starring Judy Canova. It was the thirteenth and last in a series of Judy Canova films released by Republic Pictures.Hurst p.233 Plot Judy Canova works in a hotel fo ...

'' (1955) - Mr. Fetcher * '' Sincerely Yours'' (1955) - Grandfather Hunt * ''

Texas Lady ''Texas Lady'' is a 1955 color American Western film directed by Tim Whelan in his final film before his death in 1957, and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. It stars Claudette Colbert, Barry Sullivan and Ray Collins. The film tells the story ...

'' (1955) - Cass Gower * ''

A Lawless Street ''A Lawless Street'' is a 1955 American Western film directed by Joseph H. Lewis and starring Randolph Scott and Angela Lansbury. The film is also known as ''The Marshal of Medicine Bend'' in the United States. Plot The marshal of Medicine Ben ...

'' (1955) - Asaph Dean * ''

Tribute to a Bad Man ''Tribute to a Bad Man'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Robert Wise and starring James Cagney about a rancher whose harsh enforcement of frontier justice alienates the woman he loves. It was based on the short story "Hanging's for ...

'' (1956) - L.A. Peterson * ''

A Day of Fury ''A Day of Fury'' is a 1956 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Harmon Jones and starring Dale Robertson, Mara Corday and Jock Mahoney. Plot A gunslinger named Jagade happens upon a stranger in trouble on the trail and saves his ...

'' (1956) - Doc Logan * ''

Huk! ''Huk!'' is a 1956 American action film directed by John Barnwell and written by Stirling Silliphant and filmed in the Philippines. The film stars George Montgomery, Mona Freeman, John Baer, James Bell, Teddy Benavides and Mario Barri. The fil ...

'' (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 Manni ...

'' (1957) - Walter Conway * ''

The Lonely Man ''The Lonely Man'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by Henry Levin and written by Harry Essex and Robert Smith. The film stars Jack Palance, Anthony Perkins, Elaine Aiken,Neville Brand, Robert Middleton, Elisha Cook, Jr., Claude Akin ...

'' (1957) - Judge Hart * '' Back from the Dead'' (1957) - Mr. Bradley * ''

Johnny Trouble ''Johnny Trouble'' is a 1957 American drama film directed by John H. Auer and written by Charles O'Neil and David Lord. The film stars Ethel Barrymore in her final film, Cecil Kellaway, Stuart Whitman, Carolyn Jones, Jesse White and Rand Harp ...

'' (1957) - Reverend Harrington * ''

The Tin Star ''The Tin Star'' is a 1957 American Western film based on a short story, directed in VistaVision by Anthony Mann and starring Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins, in one of Perkins' first roles. The film became one of the few low-budget westerns t ...

'' (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 to indicate the end of a story or article that is submitted for editing and typesetting. It is commonly employed when writing on deadline and sending bits of the story at a time, v ...

'' (1959) - Ben Quinn * ''

Posse from Hell ''Posse from Hell'' is a 1961 American Western film directed by Herbert Coleman and starring Audie Murphy and John Saxon. Plot In 1880 four escapees from death row, Crip, Leo, Chunk, and Hash ride into the town of Paradise and enter the Roseb ...

'' (1961) - Benson * ''

Claudelle Inglish ''Claudelle Inglish'' is a 1961 American film directed by Gordon Douglas and based on the 1958 novel by Erskine Caldwell. It stars Diane McBain and Arthur Kennedy. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1962 for Best Costume Design ( Howard S ...

'' (1961) - Josh * ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...

'' (1962, Episode: "The Jury") - Hjalmer Olson * '' The Virginian'' (1963 episode "To Make This Place Remember") - Dr. David T. Harvey * ''

Twilight of Honor ''Twilight of Honor'', released in the UK as ''The Charge is Murder'', is a 1963 film directed by Boris Sagal and starring Richard Chamberlain, Nick Adams (actor, born 1931), Nick Adams, Claude Rains, and featuring Joey Heatherton and Linda Evans ...

'' (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 Virginia Tech alumni Actors from Virginia