Digby Bell

Quality 0.50 · 1 view · Updated 2 months ago

American actor and vaudeville entertainer

title: "Digby Bell" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1849-births", "1917-deaths", "19th-century-american-male-singers", "19th-century-american-male-actors", "american-male-stage-actors", "male-actors-from-milwaukee", "american-vaudeville-performers", "20th-century-american-male-actors", "burials-at-woodlawn-cemetery-(bronx,-new-york)", "20th-century-american-male-singers", "20th-century-american-singers", "members-of-the-lambs-club"] description: "American actor and vaudeville entertainer" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digby_Bell" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American actor and vaudeville entertainer ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameDigby Bell
imageActor Digby Bell (SAYRE 4457) (cropped).jpg
captionBell c. 1906
birth_nameDigby Valentine Bell
birth_date
birth_placeMilwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
death_date
death_placeNew York City, U.S.
occupationVaudeville entertainer and Broadway performer
spouseLillian Brooks (divorced, 1883)

| ::

| name = Digby Bell | image = Actor Digby Bell (SAYRE 4457) (cropped).jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Bell c. 1906 | birth_name = Digby Valentine Bell | birth_date = | birth_place = Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = New York City, U.S. | occupation = Vaudeville entertainer and Broadway performer | alias = | years_active = | spouse = Lillian Brooks (divorced, 1883)

Digby Bell (born Digby Valentine Bell; November 8, 1849 – June 20, 1917) was a popular vaudeville entertainer and Broadway performer at the beginning of the 20th century.

Early life

Bell was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on November 8, 1849.

Performing career

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Harvard_Theatre_Collection_-_Digby_Bell_TCS_1.1981.jpg" caption="Bell featured on [[cabinet card]], c. 1885"] ::

Bell studied in Europe to become a concert singer, and became famous for his roles in comic musical productions, such as Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas and with the McCaull Comic Opera Company. His first starring role was in the musical Jupiter in 1892. He appeared many times with Lillian Russell in shows such as Princess Nicotine, The Queen of Brilliants and The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein. He introduced the song '"The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo".

Bell gave a concert at Chickering Hall in New York City on April 26, 1878, that was favorably reviewed by the New York Times.

Much of Bell's later career was in nonmusical plays or vaudeville.

Notable stage appearances

Broadway appearances

  • The Begum, Sep 21, 1887 - Dec 10, 1887, role - Myhnt-Jhuleep
  • The Hoosier Doctor, Apr 18, 1898 - [unknown], role - Dr. Willow
  • Mr. Pickwick, Jan 19, 1903 - May 1903, role - Sam Weller
  • The Education of Mr. Pipp, Feb 20, 1905 - Apr 1905, role - J. Wesley Pipp
  • An International Marriage, Jan 4, 1909 - Jan 1909
  • The Debtors, Oct 12, 1909 - Oct 1909, role - William Dorritt
  • The Yeomen of the Guard, Apr 19, 1915 - May 8, 1915, role - Chorus
  • The Sorcerer, May 24, 1915 - Jun 5, 1915, role - Dr. Daly

Film appearances

Partial discography

1909

  • The Tough Boy on the Right Field Fence
  • The Blind Boy in the Gallery
  • The Man Who Fanned Casey (A reply to 'Casey at the Bat'.)
  • Experiences of a Commuter
  • Day and Knight
  • A Discontented Egg

Personal life

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/DigbyBell.jpg" caption="Bell playing golf in [[Siasconset, Massachusetts]], c. 1911"] ::

Bell was married at least twice. His first wife, Lillian Brooks, divorced him in March 1883. He married his second wife, Laura Joyce Bell (née Hannah Joyce Maskell), a day or so after his divorce from Brooks was finalized. Laura Joyce Bell died in New York in 1904.

Bell was a fervent golfer and New York Giants baseball fan, as was his best friend and frequent co-star DeWolf Hopper.

Death

Bell died on June 20, 1917, in New York City.

Filmography

References

References

  1. "Digby Bell".
  2. (April 27, 1878). "Amusements. Mr. Digby Bell's concert". [[The New York Times]].
  3. "Digby Bell – Broadway Cast & Staff".
  4. "Digby Bell".
  5. ^ Digby V. Bell again Married. ''The New York Times,'' March 19, 1883, p. 14
  6. "Answers - The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

1849-births1917-deaths19th-century-american-male-singers19th-century-american-male-actorsamerican-male-stage-actorsmale-actors-from-milwaukeeamerican-vaudeville-performers20th-century-american-male-actorsburials-at-woodlawn-cemetery-(bronx,-new-york)20th-century-american-male-singers20th-century-american-singersmembers-of-the-lambs-club