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 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”.
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
The Last Mile (1930) as Richard Walters
Kill That Story (1934) as Duke Devlin
Tobacco Row as Lester[citation needed]
Selected filmography
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) – Red (uncredited)
The Monkey’s Paw (1933) – Flute Player (uncredited)
The King’s Vacation (1933) – Anderson
Infernal Machine (1933) – Spencer
Private Detective 62 (1933) – Whitey
Storm at Daybreak (1933) – Peter (uncredited)
Day of Reckoning (1933) – Slim
White Woman (1933) – Hambly
Student Tour (1934) – Indian Fakir (uncredited)
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935) – Indian Officer (uncredited)
Holiday Inn (1942) – Dunbar
I Walked with a Zombie (1943) – Dr. Maxwell
The Leopard Man (1943) – Dr. Galbraith
My Friend Flicka (1943) – Gus
So Proudly We Hail! (1943) – Col. White
Gangway for Tomorrow (1943) – Tom Burke
I Love a Soldier (1944) – Williams
Thunderhead, Son of Flicka (1945) – Gus
Blood on the Sun (1945) – Charley Sprague
The Girl of the Limberlost (1945) – Wesley Sinton
The Spiral Staircase (1946) – Constable
The Unknown (1946) – Edward Martin
Dead Reckoning (1947) – Father Logan
Blind Spot (1947) – Det. Lt. Fred Applegate
The Sea of Grass (1947) – Sam Hall
The Millerson Case (1947) – Ezra Minnich
Brute Force (1947) – Crenshaw – Convict in Print Shop
The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947) – John Willhart
Philo Vance’s Secret Mission (1947) – Sheriff Harry Madison
Driftwood (1947) – Sheriff Bolton
Killer McCoy (1947) – Father Patrick Ryan
I, Jane Doe (1948) – Judge Bertrand
Black Eagle (1948) – Frank Hayden
Sealed Verdict (1948) – Mr. Hockland
Roughshod (1949) – Pa (Ed) Wyatt
Streets of Laredo (1949) – Ike
Dial 1119 (1950) – Harrison D. Barnes
The Company She Keeps (1951) – Mr. Neeley
Buckaroo Sheriff of Texas (1951) – Sheriff Tom White
The Dakota Kid (1951) – Sheriff Tom White
Flying Leathernecks (1951) – Colonel
Arizona Manhunt (1951) – Sheriff Tom White
Red Mountain (1951) – Dr. Terry
Japanese War Bride (1952) – Ed Sterling
Wild Horse Ambush (1952) – Sheriff Tom White
Ride the Man Down (1952) – John Evarts
Million Dollar Mermaid (1952) – Judge
Hannah Lee: An American Primitive (1953) – Man at Carousel in Prologue (uncredited)
The Last Posse (1953) – Will Romer
Devil’s Canyon (1953) – Dr. Betts
Crime Wave (1953) – Daniel O’Keefe
All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953) – Aaron Burnham
The Glenn Miller Story (1954) – Mr. Burger
Riding Shotgun (1954) – Doc Winkler
About Mrs. Leslie (1954) – Mr. Herbert Poole
Black Tuesday (1954) – John Norris
Strategic Air Command (1955) – Rev. Dr. Thorne
Marty (1955) – Mr. Snyder (uncredited)
Lay That Rifle Down (1955) – Mr. Fetcher
Sincerely Yours (1955) – Grandfather Hunt
Texas Lady (1955) – Cass Gower
Lay That Rifle Down (1955) – Thomas Paul Grant
A Lawless Street (1955) – Asaph Dean
Tribute to a Bad Man (1956) – L.A. Peterson
A Day of Fury (1956) – Doc Logan
Huk! (1956) – Stephen Rogers
The Search for Bridey Murphy (1956) – Hugh Lynn Cayce
Four Girls in Town (1957) – Walter Conway
The Lonely Man (1957) – Judge Hart
Back from the Dead (1957) – Mr. Bradley
Johnny Trouble (1957) – Reverend Harrington
The Tin Star (1957) – Judge Thatcher
In Love and War (1958) – Sidney Lenaine (uncredited)
The Trap (1959) – Sourdough (uncredited)
The Oregon Trail (1959) – Jeremiah Cooper
-30- (1959) – Ben Quinn
Posse from Hell (1961) – Benson
Claudelle Inglish (1961) – Josh
Bonanza (1962, Episode: “The Jury”) – Hjalmer Olson
The Virginian (1963 episode “To Make This Place Remember”) – Dr. David T. Harvey
Twilight of Honor (1963) – Charles Crispin
Where Love Has Gone (1964) – Judge – Divorce Court (uncredited) (final film role)
External Links
Actor James Bell – Wikipedia
