Bob Bell (actor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bob Bell
|
|
|---|---|
Bell on the Bozo's Circus set at WGN-TV before getting into character, c. 1960s
|
|
| Born |
Robert Lewis Bell
January 18, 1922 Flint, Michigan, U.S.
|
| Died | December 8, 1997 (aged 75) |
| Occupation | Actor, announcer |
| Years active | 1953–1997 |
| Known for | Bozo the Clown Andy Starr |
| Spouse(s) | Carol Atkinson (m. 1947–1997) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Trevor Bell (grandson) |
Robert Lewis Bell (born January 18, 1922 – died December 8, 1997), known to many as Bob Bell, was an American actor and announcer. He became very famous for playing Bozo the Clown. He was the first person to play Bozo for the TV station WGN-TV in Chicago.
Contents
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Bob Bell was born in Flint, Michigan. His father worked at a General Motors factory. After high school, Bob worked many different jobs. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps and later the U.S. Navy during World War II. He did not fight in battles because he had limited vision in one eye. Bob also played baseball in high school. His father, George M. Bell, was also a baseball player.
Bob started his broadcasting career in Flint, Michigan. He worked as an announcer at a local radio station called WMRP. Later, he moved to South Bend, Indiana, and worked at WHOT. There, he met his future wife, Carolyn. In 1950, he began working in television at Indianapolis station WFBM-TV.
Moving to Cincinnati and Chicago
In 1953, Bob Bell moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. He worked at WLW Radio and WLWT-TV. He joined a show called The Wally Phillips Show. Bob was very good at comedy and played many different characters. In 1956, some of the show's team, including Bob, moved to Chicago. They joined WGN Radio and WGN-TV. There, they created their own variety shows.
Becoming Bozo the Clown
In 1960, the TV station asked Bob to play Bozo the Clown. His new show was live and 30 minutes long. It featured Bob as Bozo doing sketches and showing cartoons. The first episode aired on June 20, 1960.
The show became very popular. On September 11, 1961, it changed into Bozo's Circus. This was a live, hour-long show. At the same time, Bob also hosted WGN's Three Stooges show. He played an old man named Andy Starr. This show ran for nine years.
In 1968, Bob had to take a break from the show for his health. He returned to Bozo's Circus in March 1969. In 1970, Bob Bell won an Emmy Award for his work on Bozo's Circus. That same year, he was the Grand Marshal for Chicago's Christmas Parade. About 500,000 people came to see him!
Life After Bozo
Bob Bell retired from WGN-TV and The Bozo Show in 1984. In 1996, he was honored by being added to the International Clown Hall of Fame.
He spent his last years in Lake San Marcos, California. He was active in the Kiwanis club, a group that helps communities. Bob Bell passed away on December 8, 1997. A memorial service was held for him in Deerfield, where he had lived for many years.
Remembering Bob Bell
Bob Bell received many honors after his death. The City of Chicago and the State of Illinois declared April 18, 1998, "Bob Bell Day." A street near the WGN-TV studios was named "Bob Bell Way."
In 2005, the Museum of Broadcast Communications honored WGN-TV's Studio 1. They placed a plaque there to remember forty years of children's television. Bob Bell as Bozo the Clown was featured on this plaque. In 2008, he was honored again in Chicago. One of Bob Bell's Bozo costumes is now part of the museum's collection.
Bob Bell's grandson, Trevor Bell, became a professional baseball player. He joined the Major League Baseball team Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2005. The voice actor Dan Castellaneta has said that Bob Bell influenced the voice of Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons.
