Rex Bell

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Rex Bell

Rex Bell (actually George Francis Beldam , born October 16, 1903 in Chicago , Illinois , † July 4, 1962 in Las Vegas , Nevada ) was an American actor and politician .

Life

Bell, whose family moved to Iowa and then California as a child , graduated from Hollywood High School .

In 1928 Bell got a contract with Fox Film Corporation and received several leading roles in B-Westerns in the late stages of the silent film era . Despite his lack of acting training, his elegant and charming charisma made him a heartthrob that was also used in other company productions. In 1930 he met Clara Bow , whom he married the following year. Both lived on a large ranch in Nevada, which they sold in 1944.

During the 1930s Bell was seen in relatively few productions; In 1932 he received a contract for eight films with the Monogram in the team with Bob Steele . After that he was only able to get some roles in smaller production companies; Westerns were still the most numerous, but also serials were among them. In 1936 he directed a series of six westerns for Colony Pictures ; then Bell gave up his acting career and settled entirely in Nevada.

A brief film comeback at the beginning of the 1940s remained an intermezzo; Bell and the mentally ailing Bow moved to Las Vegas. Bell tried to break into the clothing industry as a businessman, had a brief television show and started a political career for the Republican Party . In 1954 and 1958 he was elected lieutenant governor of Nevada. He died of a heart attack on July 4, 1962, during the election campaign for governor of Nevada .

Filmography (selection)

Web links and sources

personal data
SURNAME Bell, Rex
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Beldam, George Francis (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actor and politician
DATE OF BIRTH October 16, 1903
PLACE OF BIRTH Chicago , Illinois
DATE OF DEATH 4th July 1962
Place of death Las Vegas , Nevada