James Bell (actor)
James Harlee Bell 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 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 and The Leopard Man, both of which were directed by Jacques Tourneur, produced by Val Lewton, and released in 1943.
Among his television appearances were four guest roles on the legal drama 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 TV series Laramie, in the episode "Street of Hate".
The Bad Man as VenustianoA Free Soul as Bill WilfongJarnegan as Jimmy FallonYour Uncle Dudley as Robert KirbyThunder on the Left as MartinThe Last Mile as Richard WaltersKill That Story as Duke DevlinTobacco Row as Lester
Selected filmography
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang - Red The Monkey's Paw - Flute Player The King's Vacation - AndersonInfernal Machine - SpencerPrivate Detective 62 - WhiteyStorm at Daybreak - Peter Day of Reckoning - SlimWhite Woman - HamblyStudent Tour - Indian Fakir The Lives of a Bengal Lancer - Indian Officer Holiday Inn - DunbarI Walked with a Zombie - Dr. MaxwellThe Leopard Man - Dr. GalbraithMy Friend Flicka - GusSo Proudly We Hail! - Colonel WhiteGangway for Tomorrow - Tom BurkeI Love a Soldier - WilliamsThunderhead, Son of Flicka - GusBlood on the Sun - Charley SpragueThe Girl of the Limberlost - Wesley SintonThe Spiral Staircase - ConstableThe Unknown - Edward MartinDead Reckoning - Father LoganBlind Spot - Detective Lieutenant Fred ApplegateThe Sea of Grass - Sam HallThe Millerson Case - Walker BellBrute Force - Crenshaw, Convict in Print ShopThe Romance of Rosy Ridge - John WillhartPhilo Vance's Secret Mission - Sheriff Harry MadisonDriftwood - Sheriff BoltonKiller McCoy - Father Patrick RyanI, Jane Doe - Judge BertrandBlack Eagle - Frank HaydenSealed Verdict - Mr. HocklandRoughshod - Pa WyattStreets of Laredo - IkeDial 1119 - Harrison D. BarnesThe Company She Keeps - Mr. NeeleyBuckaroo Sheriff of Texas - Sheriff Tom WhiteThe Dakota Kid - Sheriff Tom WhiteFlying Leathernecks - ColonelArizona Manhunt - Sheriff Tom WhiteRed Mountain - Dr. TerryJapanese War Bride - Ed SterlingWild Horse Ambush - Sheriff Tom WhiteRide the Man Down - John EvartsMillion Dollar Mermaid - JudgeHannah Lee: An American Primitive - Man at Carousel in Prologue The Last Posse - Will RomerDevil's Canyon - Dr. BettsCrime Wave - Daniel O'KeefeAll the Brothers Were Valiant - Aaron BurnhamThe Glenn Miller Story - Mr. BurgerRiding Shotgun - Doc WinklerAbout Mrs. Leslie - Mr. Herbert PooleBlack Tuesday - John NorrisLassie 1954 S1E5 “Mr. Peabody” Mr. PeabodyStrategic Air Command - Reverend Dr. ThorneMarty - Mr. Snyder Lay That Rifle Down - Mr. FetcherSincerely Yours - Grandfather HuntTexas Lady - Cass GowerA Lawless Street - Asaph DeanTribute to a Bad Man - L.A. PetersonA Day of Fury - Doc LoganHuk! - Stephen RogersThe Search for Bridey Murphy - Hugh Lynn CayceFour Girls in Town - Walter ConwayThe Lonely Man - Judge HartBack from the Dead - Mr. BradleyJohnny Trouble - Reverend HarringtonThe Tin Star - Judge ThatcherIn Love and War - Sidney Lenaine The Trap - Sourdough The Oregon Trail - Jeremiah Cooper-30- - Ben QuinnAlfred Hitchcock Presents as Andy DavisPosse from Hell - BensonClaudelle Inglish - JoshBonanza - Hjalmer OlsonThe Virginian - Dr. David T. HarveyTwilight of Honor - Charles CrispinWhere Love Has Gone - Judge, Divorce Court