James Harlee Bell (1891-1973) was a stage actor who made his Broadway debut in 1920 and continued to make regular appearances throughout the 1920s and 30s.
Bell’s first uncredited film role was as the prisoner Red in I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932). His appearances became more prolific after his final Broadway play in 1941.
He played Dr Alexander in I Walked With a Zombie, and immediately followed this with an excellent performance as the killer in The Leopard Man (both 1943). Other notable pictures included The Spiral Staircase (1946), The Sea of Grass (1947), The Glenn Miller Story (1954), Strategic Air Command (1955) and The Tin Star (1957).
From 1954 onwards, Bell appeared regularly in episodes of popular television series. His final role was as a judge in Where Love Has Gone (1964).
James Bell acted in two MGM musicals, Student Tour and Million Dollar Mermaid.
