Actor. He will be best remembered for playing the role as 'Mr. Pipp' in the film comedy, "The Education Of Mr. Pipp" (1914). The film which was directed by William F. Haddock, which was based on the play written by Charles Dana Gibson and Augustus Thomas, and which also starred Kate Jepson and Belle Daube, tells the story of the members of a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, family who are trying to break into society through the million dollars obtained by their father's selling his business to the Steel Trust. They move to New York, establish themselves in a Fifth Avenue residence, and backed by the father's money endeavor to penetrate New York society. The mother in her ambition engages a bogus French nobleman to teach herself and her daughters the French language. This Frenchman is in reality one of a group of crooks. The elder daughter at Durland's meets a young riding master named Fitzgerald, and it is a case of love at first sight. The young riding master is in reality Lord Fitzmaurice, son of an old English family. The younger daughter is desperately fond of John Willing, who has been her father's manager in his Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, business and who has been established in the bank that her father presides over in New York City. The family decides to make a trip to England. Just before they leave, the French teacher is given a check for $75 in payment for his lessons and he in connection with the other two members of his band raises this check to $75,000 and gets it cashed while the Pipps are on the liner bound for Europe. John Willing and young Fitzmaurice meet and learn of each other's feelings towards the two Pipp girls. Willing suspects that the check is bad and gets in touch with Mr. Pipp by cable. On learning that the check is a forgery, he engages Pinkerton to assist in recovering the $75,000, and young Fitzmaurice decides to accompany them. Mrs. Pipp has a letter of introduction to Lady Viola, the mother of young Fitzgerald, and the Pipps go to her home for a visit. Pinkerton and the two young men arrive in England shortly and also go to the Fitzmaurice home. The young Lord gets his mother and the servants to keep his identity a secret and many tine scenes of mistaken identity and cross purposes are the results. The crooks are finally located in Paris, France, and the Pipps, accompanied by Pinkerton, go there. Two of the band try to steal a valuable tiara from Mrs. Pipp, and one of them. Count Charmarot, attempts the life of Mr. Pipp with poison thinking that with him out of the way there is an opportunity for him to make love to and marry the impressionable Mrs. Pipp. Pinkerton, with the assistance of the French Prefect of Police, blocks their plans and brings about their arrest. Mrs. Pipp, realizing the mistake she has made, begs Mr. Pipp to take her back to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The love affairs of the young people are successfully carried on and end in happy marriages. He was born one of three children as Digby Valentine Bell in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to William J. Bell (1828-1869), and his wife Jeannette L. Seymour Bell (1829-1906), on November 8, 1849. He was educated locally and also attended the prestigious French and English Institution for Young Gentlemen in New York under the direction of Professor Elie Charlier. Following his education, he pursued an acting career and studied to become a concert singer. He went onto become a renowned comic theater actor, and singing comedian, in vaudeville who starred in many Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas and with the McCaull Comic Opera Company. He gave a concert at Chickering Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26, 1878, that was favorably reviewed by the New York Times, and he appeared in his first starring role in the musical "Jupiter" (1892). He also worked many times with actress Lillian Russell in shows such as "Princess Nicotine," "The Queen Of Brilliants," and "The Grand Duchess Of Gerolstein." He also sang the songs, "The Man Who Broke The Bank At Monte Carlo," "The Tough Boy On The Right Field Fence," "The Blind Boy In The Gallery," "The Man Who Fanned Casey," "Experiences Of A Commuter," "Day And Knight," and "A Discontented Egg." He also appeared on Broadway in New York City, New York, in several stage productions of such plays as, 'Coquelicot' in "Olivette" (December 25, 1880, to May 14, 1881), as 'Myhnt-Jhuleep' in "The Begum" (September 21, 1887, to December 10, 1887), as 'Dr. Willow' in "The Hoosier Doctor" (Apr 18, 1898 - ), as 'Sam Weller' in "Mr. Pickwick" (January 19, 1903, to May 1903), as 'J. Wesley Pipp' in "The Education Of Mr. Pipp" (February 20, 1905, to April 1905), "An International Marriage" (January 04, 1909, to January 1909), as 'William Dorritt' in "The Debtors" (October 12, 1909, to October 1909), "The Yeomen Of The Guard" (April 19, 1915, to May 08, 1915), and as 'Dr. Daly' in "The Sorcerer" (May 24, 1915, to June 05, 1915). During his time on the Broadway stage he worked with such acting personalities as Laura Joyce Bell, Nina Bertini, Mathilde Cottrelly, Jefferson De Angelis, Paula Franko, Edwin Hoff, DeWolf Hopper Sr., Josephine Knapp, Harry MacDonough, Marion Manola, Annie Meyers, Grace Seavey, Hubert Wilke, Emma Butler, Ethel Vance, K. Adams, Guy H. Bartlett, St. Clair Bayfield, W. George Bennett, Kathleen Clifford, Arthur De Breanski, Francis Fay, Courtenay Foote, Edward H. Kelly, Della Knight, Frederick Powell, Frances Ross, Willie Ross, Paul Scardon, F. Percival Stevens, Glen Thomas, Gertrude Dalton, Charles N. Greene, Cuyler Hastings, Florence Huntington, Edward Jack, William J. Kelley, Amelia Mayborn, John Daly Murphy, Christine Norman, Albert Perry, Fred W. Peters, Florence Robertson, John Sainpolis, and Percy Waram, among many others. During this time he also made the transition to appear in films. Besides, playing the role of 'Mr. Pipp' in the film comedy, "The Education Of Mr. Pipp" (1914), he was also featured in the short documentary film, "The Lambs' All-Star Gambol" (1914), which also starred Edward S. Abeles, George Ade, Arthur Aldridge, Will Archie, and George Barnum, among many others. His last film role was playing 'Lemuel Morewood' in the comedy film drama, "Father And The Boys" (1915). The film which was directed by Joseph De Grasse, which was based on the play by George Ade and which was written for the screen by Ida May Park, and which also starred Louise Lovely, Harry Ham, Colin Chase, Yona Landowska, and Lon Chaney, tells the story of Lemuel Morewood who is a wealthy businessman to whom riches bring no pleasure because he has entirely lost the sympathy of his sons, for whom he lives. Billy is society mad and completely enthralled by Mrs. Bruce Guilford, a leader of the smart set. Tom thinks of nothing but sport. He is an amateur athlete of national prominence. Lemuel longs to see the boys interested in the business. He especially wants Tom to marry Frances Berkeley and Billy to marry Emily Donelson. But the boys will have none of them. Bessie Brayton is a western orphan who has come to New York and taken up society entertaining for a living. Her only property is a half interest in the Bluebird mine, which she supposes is worthless. The Morewoods employ Bessie one evening to entertain at an exclusive dinner they are giving, and here Bessie meets Major Bellamy Didsworth, who offers to sell her half interest for her. Lemuel has run away from this dinner. But, goaded by Bessie's taunts that he is old-fashioned, he gets into his evening clothes and enters into the gambling that follows. Bessie encourages him and he cleans up on Didsworth, as the others look on, staggered by his plunging. Leaving them dazed, Lemuel makes a spectacular exit with Bessie to "blow his winnings." Lemuel keeps up the pace he has set. He goes to the races and there his conduct is so riotous, and his followers, Bessie and a sporting man, so conspicuous that Mrs. Bruce Guildford is scandalized. She criticizes Lemuel to his son. Billy defends his father, and the quarrel results in a complete break. Bessie has a telegram from Didsworth saying he can get $1,000 for her stock. Lemuel suspects that Didsworth is planning to rob her and takes the matter in his own hands. He and Bessie go out to Nevada together. Lemuel's sons think he has run away to get married to Bessie, and they follow, with Emily, Frances and Ford, the family lawyer. Out in Nevada, Lemuel and Bessie find that her half of the Bluebird is worth at least $75,000, and they discover that the other half is owned by Carl Higbee, Bessie's old sweetheart who disappeared in Alaska. On the way to Nevada, Tom becomes engaged to Emily and Billy to Frances, which is exactly contrary to what Lemuel planned. They arrive in time to stop the wedding, as they think, and are mortified to learn that they are all wrong, and that Bessie is to be married to Higbee. Lemuel is delighted that his sons are going to bring the girls into the family, even though they have shifted partners. Lemuel agrees to go back and help the boys run the business. He continued acting until his death. He passed away in New York, New York, on June 20, 1917, at the age of 67, and he was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York. He was married twice, first to Lillian Dunton Brooks until his wife divorced him in March 1883, and second to the opera singer Laura Joyce "Hannah" Maskell Bell (1858-1904), in Jersey City, New Jersey, on April 21, 1883. Together the couple had two children, a son named Herbert James Taylor Bell (1877-1950), and a daughter named Laura Seymour Bell Schlichting (1893-). On an interesting note, outside of acting he was a fervent golfer usually in Siasconset, Massachusetts, and an avid New York Giant baseball fan, as was his best friend and frequent co-star actor DeWolf Hopper.