He brought the character to national prominence when WGN-TV began broadcasting via satellite in 1978. In 1948, at age 15, Bell began to act in school plays. He was given an absolute discharge. His younger brother Keith also became an actor. Copyright 2023 /The Celebrity Deaths.com/All Rights Reserved. Early in his career there, Mr. Bell played a variety of characters on the "Wally Phillips Show" before debuting as Bozo in 1959 in a 30-minute show consisting of one-man sketches and cartoons. Bell was tipped for the front rank of film stardom alongside Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay; but he never quite made it, partly because he failed to try his luck in Hollywood, and partly because of his unpredictable private life he had a reputation for being difficult, and, as a young man, he was a heavy drinker. Anna his mother who worked as a stenographer was also a pianist. Rest in peace., Among Bells greatest works as he helped pioneer Philly Soul in the Seventies are songs like La-La Means I Love You by the Delfonics, Rubberband Man by the Spinners, Backstabber by the OJays and the Stylistics Ill Be Around and Betcha By Golly Wow. He also produced Elton Johns song Mama Cant Buy You Love., A post shared by Dyana R. Williams (@dyanawilliams), For his work, Bell won the prize for Producer of the Year at the 1975 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006. Bell played Detective Sergeant Bill Otley in Prime Suspect, a sexist officer who clashed with Dame Helen's character Jane Tennison. His ex-wife was actress Lois Dane, with After six decades, we are incredibly proud to finally share our life stories with the world and showcase all the hard work that has gone into creating this great music, the trio said in a statement earlier this year. It was shortly after this that Bell was in trouble over non-payment of income tax: in April 1982 he appeared in a bankruptcy court, saying he had no assets to meet debts of 21,574, mainly owing to the tax man. And from the things that I learned from doing the sessions with him, its lasted me my whole career. Here is all you want to know, and more! He was 83. He also appeared in films including Wish You Were Here, Prospero's Books and Swing. All rights reserved. Huff replaced Bell on piano when he left the band. Nor was he the one and only. I'm sure Tom would have wanted everybody to enjoy themselves this evening and have a good drink on him.". His family was large, and he had little contact with his father, a merchant seaman. Another critic referred to "his Cherokee profile and face which is expressive even when it's frozen". The movie actor Tom Bell died at the age of 73. Perhaps the oddest appearance of Bell's career was in court, in July 1962, after he had been arrested at 2.45am on a Sunday morning picking flowers from someone's garden in Hampstead. He often played menacing or seedy roles, perhaps most memorably playing sexist Detective Sergeant Bill Otley, antagonist to Helen Mirrens DCI Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect. But perhaps no city was as smitten with Bozo as Chicago, where Mr. Bell's version of the floppy-shoed clown--seen in 182 other television markets nationwide at his character's popularity peak in the late 1960s. He died in hospital following a short illness, the actor's agent said. Bell appeared opposite Dame Helen Mirren in the first three series of Prime Suspect, and returns in the seventh being shown on ITV1 next month. He earned a 1979 Bafta TV nomination for Out, and played Jack "The Hat" McVitie in the 1990 film The Krays. [2] He arranged some of the early big hits, including the O'Jays' "Back Stabbers", on Gamble & Huff's own record label, Philadelphia International Records, which they launched in 1971. Tom Bell (actor), better known by her family name Thomas George Bell, was a popular British English actor on stage, film and television (1933-2006). Tommy and I have been best friends for over 60 years, said Gamble in a press statement. Evacuated as a child during the Second World War, he lived with three different families in Morecambe, Lancashire. At the ceremony in question, Richard Attenborough and Bryan Forbes kept their It fell to Miss Caron to apologise on Bell's behalf and explain that "Tom was a little merry". Mr. Bell, who was inducted into the Clown Hall of Fame last year, was not the nation's original Bozo. Saved by the Bell actor Dustin Diamond has died from cancer, his representative has said. Roy Wood Jr. Over four months after his untimely passing, Friday star Tommy Tiny Listers cause of death has been revealed. [20] Producing and [19] He died at his home in Bellingham, Washington after what was described as a "lengthy illness". maker followed him for several years. When we first met, we decided to start writing songs together and form a singing duo, Kenny and Tommy, and then our band, The Romeos. During that era, fans waited up to 11 years for tickets to the show, Hall said. In 1963, some months after delighting audiences and critics in The L-Shaped Room, he was present, with Caron and the film's producer Richard Attenborough, at the British Film Academy awards at the London Hilton. The 44-year-old was best known for playing Samuel "Screech" "From 1962 till about 1975 or so, it was just absolutely a huge thing," said Allen Hall, longtime producer of the show. It was there, in the building where he had worked with Mr. Bell for so many years, that he heard his old friend had died. Thomas George Bell (2 August 1933 4 October 2006) was an English actor on stage, film and television. He often played "menacing or seedy roles, perhaps most memorably playing sexist Detective Sergeant Bill Otley, antagonist to Helen Mirren 's DCI Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect ". Bell was born on 2 August 1933, in Liverpool, Lancashire. Bell and Creed became one of the era's dominant soul songwriting teams, penning hits such as "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)", "You Are Everything", "Betcha by Golly, Wow", "Break Up to Make Up", "You Make Me Feel Brand New", and "I'm Stone in Love with You" (the latter with Anthony Bell). He was 79. mini-series, "Out". Bob Bell, the 75-year-old actor who played the raucous, shoe-slapping character of Bozo the Clown for 25 years on Chicago's WGN-TV, died quietly Monday in a California hospital. Past Orchestra members played in MFSB, the house band who played on many Bell productions. He later worked at stations in South Bend, Ind., Indianapolis and Cincinnati, before joining the staff at WGN Continental Broadcasting Co. in 1956. of knighthoods slipping away, urged him to sit down and keep quiet. Bell's first big break in soul music came with Cameo Records in Philadelphia where he worked as a session player and arranger. "I love my work and enjoy making children laugh," he once said. In the same year took on the role of the father of Clive Owen in the television drama Chancer. Tom Bell was one of the UK's finest actors but he never achieved the A cause of death was not immediately available. [2] In 1967, he was introduced to a local group called The Delfonics, producing two singles for them on subsidiary label, Moonglow. Hampstead. At the time, Bell was seated at the table of [13], In 1975, Bell produced an album with Dionne Warwick called Track of the Cat, one year after he had teamed her with the Spinners on the song, "Then Came You", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 and reached #2 on the R&B chart. In June 2006, Bell was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Bell worked until the end of his life, having recorded the last-ever Prime Suspect, due to be screened next week on ITV, and appearing as Nasica in Ancient Rome, currently on BBC1. He is survived by his wife, Vanessa; and his kids, Royal, Troy, Tia, Mark, Cybell and Christopher. A stepmother accused of killing her boyfriends young daughter could face the death penalty over her alleged murder as DailyMail.com picture her with her . [10], Bell, classically trained as a musician, sang as a teenager with Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Daryl Hall (of Hall & Oates fame). If you act you need to have threat. Breaks Down His Killer White House Correspondents Dinner Set The adults would bring the children to the show, and the adults would have more fun than the kids," he said. Trending An ITV1 spokeswoman said: "We are greatly saddened by the news of Tom's death and extend our deepest sympathies to his family.". Producer Thom Bell, who co-created The Sound of Philadelphia alongside Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff as the Mighty Three, has died at age 79. Tom Bell's marriage to Lois Daine, with whom he had a son, was dissolved in 1976. He died in hospital following a short illness, the actor's agent said. The well-refreshed Bell heckled Prince Philip as he reached the end of his presidential speech, twice shouting: "Tell us a funny story." "Because they had grown up with it.". "It was very sad," said Marshall Brodien, who played Wizzo the Clown on the old show. Born on 4 October 2006 in Unknown, Tom Bell (actor) started his career as English actor on stage, film and television (1933-2006) . On leaving school he trained under Esme Church at the Bradford Civic Theatre; fellow pupils included Billie Whitelaw and Robert Stephens. 17,029 pages were read in the last minute. Photograph: PA. Bell was born on 2 August 1933, in Liverpool, Lancashire. He was 79. Hall said he learned of Mr. Bell's death from a telephone call during rehearsal for the Christmas show. In his final interview, he was clearly battling coronavirus symptoms, as he had a hard time speaking the worse for drink, he stood up at an awards function and asked Prince [2], In 1972, Bell agreed to produce The Spinners for Atlantic Records. English actor who played the role ofAdolf Eichmannin the Emmy Award-winning television series Holocaust and played William Targett in the 1978 film The Sailors Return. Ended up being shunned by the acting community, following a drunken incident at an awards ceremony. WebTom Bell, who has died aged 73 after a short illness, was a naturally gifted and unusually reserved leading actor who never fulfilled the star promise of his breakthrough success as Most Popular Now | 56,514 people are reading stories on the site right now. Realizing there was no way to keep the secret, Hall called all the performers and producers out of the studio to confirm the bad news. fashionable in the 1960s and floods of angry young men emerged onto the All rights reserved. Rest in peace buddy., Thom Bell was my favorite musician, arranger, songwriter, and music producer of all time!addedLeon Huff. (modern), Tom Bell in ITV's Prime Suspect. [citation needed], Bell had also joined the fast-growing record production company operated by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff in Philadelphia, working as an arranger for acts such as Jerry Butler, Archie Bell & The Drells, Jerry Bell, The O'Jays, and Dusty Springfield. Rest in peace, buddy!, Huff told the outlet: Thom Bell was my favorite musician, arranger, songwriter and music producer of all time! After the service, he joined a theater group and then returned to his hometown of Flint, Mich., where he went to work for a local radio station. July 14, 2021 He married the former Vanessa Joanne Wittrock in Seattle on December 29, 1985. His father was a botanist.His mother a secretary. Tom Bell died on October 5, 2006, in Brighton, East Sussex, England, of unspecified causes, just two months after his seventy-third birthday. during the war, and lived with three different families in the Bell is survived by a son and two daughters. Bell was married to the actress Lois Daine from 1960 to 1976. At the time of his death, he was -2006 years old. should get a comedian". Leroy his father who owned a fish market and a restaurant also played the accordion and Hawaiian guitar. While clearly ill, Bell soldiered on and completed filming only a few days before the end of his life. It also sealed his reputation as a hellraiser. Although he planned to wait until the show was over to share the bad news, "It spread like wildfire throughout the building.". It was my esteemed honor and pleasure to work with him creatively and as a business partner. He studied classical piano, but would eventually venture into the pop space. Biography - A Short Wiki. Bell, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff worked together to create The Sound of Philadelphia in the late 1960s and early 70s. At the ceremony in question, Richard Attenborough and Bryan Forbes kept their distance from Tom Bell as his alleged drunken behavior worried them that they wouldn't be considered for a knighthood. Time and time again, Bell gave memorable performances. Phillip to, "Tell us a joke!" A little When we first met, we decided to start writing songs together and form a singing duo Kenny and Tommy and then our band The Romeos He was a great talent and my dear friend. [8][9], Thom Bell was one of ten children born to Anna and Leroy Bell. Attenbourgh and Brian Forbes who, probably seeing their future chances Thom Bell, Sound of Philadelphia producer, dead at 79 - New York The Lancashire 4 October 2006-born English actor on stage, film and television (1933-2006) expert was arguably the worlds most influential Tom Bell (actor) was expert, with a wide-ranging social media outreach. He also produced the Delfonics hits La-La (Means I Love You) and Didnt I (Blow Your Mind This Time).. A subdued response greeted the first night of a new West End show last night, not because of the play but at news of the death of Tom Bell, one of the original production's co-stars, and an accomplished stage and TV actor whose career spanned almost 50 years. Russell Thompkins, Jr. of the Stylistics honored Bell in a Grammy interview for their Salute to Music Legends back in 2017, calling Bell the major influence of my career., Thats when I first started learning my craft, he said. Tom Bell was a phenomenal celebrity influencer. Before being declared bankrupt, Bell was asked by the deputy official receiver: "Were you being quite truthful when you swore on oath that, apart from a few pounds in your pocket, you had nothing in the world?". Bell kick-started his theatrical career in 1961 when he auditioned for and landed the starring role in Alun Owen's Progress to the Park; Alan Brien in The Sunday Telegraph hailed Bell as "a cocky, tough, tart young actor, who has muscles in his voice as well as on his bones". View. scene, he was in good company along with Albert Finney and Tom Courtney The Tribune regrets the error. Roy Brown, who played Cookie the Clown and frolicked alongside Bozo said of Mr. Bell's death, "I've lost a dear friend.". Feb. 1, 2021, 11:08 AM PST. Robert L. Kaiser and Tribune Staff Writer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006.
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