Tom Bell (actor)
| Tom Bell | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Thomas George Bell 2 August 1933 Liverpool, Lancashire, England, UK |
| Died | 4 October 2006 (aged 73) Brighton, Sussex, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1959– 2006 |
| Spouse(s) | Lois Daine (1960–76) (divorced) (1 child) |
| Partner(s) | Frances Tempest (1976–2006) (his death) (1 child) |
| Children | Aran Bell Polly Bell |
Thomas George "Tom" Bell (2 August 1933 – 4 October 2006) was an English actor on stage, film and television. He was dark-haired and lean, and in his later years often played characters having a sinister side to their nature.
Thomas George Bell was born on 2 August 1933 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. Evacuated as a child during the Second World War, he lived with three different families in Morecambe, Lancashire. In 1948, at age 15, Bell began to act in his first school plays, and though he never dominated the performances he nonetheless demonstrated an acting ability.
On leaving school he trained under Esme Church at the Bradford Civic Theatre; fellow pupils included Billie Whitelaw and Robert Stephens. He later worked in repertory in Liverpool and Dublin.
Bell made his first film appearances in the 1960s in so-called "kitchen sink dramas", including The Kitchen (1961) and The L-Shaped Room (1962), opposite Leslie Caron.
As a young actor, he gained somewhat of a reputation for being a hellraiser who liked a drink. At an awards ceremony, drunk, he interrupted a speech by the guest of honour, Prince Philip, by yelling "Tell us a funny story" – to the obvious embarrassment of table companions, Richard Attenborough and Bryan Forbes. Although (it is said) the Prince took the heckle in good humour with his retort "If you want a funny story, I suggest you engage a professional comic", the incident didn't do Bell's career any favours at the time.
In 1978 he came to worldwide attention portraying Adolf Eichmann in the Emmy-winning tv-series Holocaust, and he received a BAFTA nomination for the series Out, in which he played convicted armed robber, Frank Ross.
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