Tobin Bell
| Tobin Bell | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bell at the 2007 Scream Awards | |
| Born |
Joseph Henry Tobin, Jr.[1] August 7, 1942 Queens, New York, United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Children | 2 |
| Website |
www |
Tobin Bell (born Joseph Henry Tobin, Jr.; August 7, 1942)[2][3] is an American film and television character actor, known for his portrayal of John Kramer/Jigsaw of the Saw film series. After years of work doing stand-ins and background work on films, he got his first major acting job in Mississippi Burning (1988) and went on to star in made-for-television films and guest star in television shows throughout the 1990s.
A life member of the Actors Studio,[4] Bell also voice acted his Jigsaw character in two video games based on the films, Saw and its sequel, Saw II: Flesh & Blood. Bell's portrayal of Jigsaw has earned him five award nominations and two wins.
Before his breakthrough with Saw, Bell appeared in many notable films, including The Verdict (1982), Tootsie (1982), Mississippi Burning (1988), False Identity (1990), Loose Cannons (1990), Goodfellas (1990), Ruby (1992), The Firm (1993), In the Line of Fire (1993), Malice (1993), The Quick and the Dead (1995), Brown's Requiem (1998), a voice role in The Road to El Dorado (2000) and a narration in Boiling Point (1993).
Early life
Bell was born in Queens, New York and raised in Weymouth, Massachusetts.[2] His English-born mother, Eileen Julia Bell Tobin, is an actress who worked at the Quincy Repertory Company. His American-born father, Joseph H. Tobin, who was of Irish descent,[5] built and established the radio station WJDA in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1947 and once ran for mayor of Gloversville, New York. Bell's maternal grandmother, Julia Gandon Bell, was born in Cork, Ireland. Bell has one sister and one brother.[2][3] Bell studied liberal arts and journalism in college, with the intention of becoming a writer and entering the broadcasting field. He also has an interest in environmental matters, holding a master's degree in environmental science from Montclair State University as well as having worked for the New York Botanical Garden.[6] He credits hearing a seminar by Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy at Boston University with inspiring him to begin an acting career.[7]
Bell later joined the Actors Studio where he studied with Lee Strasberg and Ellen Burstyn, and joined Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse.[8][9] He played background roles in the late seventies and early eighties in over thirty films, including films by Woody Allen (Manhattan) and Martin Scorsese, while also performing in Broadway.[8][10] Bell said that other actors at the Actors Studio thought doing stand-in and background work was "stupid or degrading", but he never felt that way.[11]
Career
Early work: 1982–1999
In 1982, Bell had a short uncredited scene in the Sydney Pollack film, Tootsie, playing a waiter at the Russian Tea Room. He told Movieline, "You know, when you're talking about Tootsie, it's the tip of the iceberg, because those other twenty-nine films I did aren't even on the IMDb."[12] He worked on The Verdict (1982) for two weeks as a courtroom reporter in the trial. He recollected it being a "great opportunity" watching Sidney Lumet and Paul Newman, while also learning the technical aspect of acting.[12] For every role he plays, starting with the initial reading of the script to the final shot of a production, he keeps a journal of various questions about and motivations for his character. "I write all kinds of stream-of-consciousness things that help me."[9]
In 1982 Bell landed his first speaking role in the last few moments of the drama Sophie's Choice, starring Meryl Streep. In the mid-1980s, Bell said "I was doing off-Broadway plays three nights a week, working on my craft. And a director at the Actors Studio said, 'You know, Tobin you've been doing that for a while. I think you should go to Hollywood and play bad guys'." Bell moved to Los Angeles and was cast in his first feature film, Alan Parker's Mississippi Burning (1988), as a "tough,street smart, FBI agent".[11] Bell played an assassin called "The Nordic Man" in another Pollack film, The Firm (1993). He went on to appear in an episode of the sitcom Seinfeld titled "The Old Man" playing a record store owner. He appeared in two episodes of NYPD Blue playing different characters; he played Donald Selness in a 1993 episode and Jerry the Artist in a 1996 episode.
In 1994, Bell played a hospital administrator in the second episode of the first season of ER and went on to appear in an episode of another medical drama Chicago Hope, playing a terminally ill inmate on death row. That same year, he portrayed the "Unabomber" in the made-for-television film Unabomber: The True Story. In 1997, Bell guest starred in an episode of La Femme Nikita and Nash Bridges. The following year, he guest starred in an episode of Stargate SG-1 and a two-part episode of Walker, Texas Ranger. He also appeared as villain Peter Kingsley during the second season of 24.
2004–present
In 2004, Bell was cast as the nefarious Jigsaw Killer, an engineer who wants others to appreciate the value of life via twisted "games", in the horror film Saw.[10][13] The low-budget film was a box office success, spawning six sequels: Saw II (2005), Saw III (2006), Saw IV (2007), Saw V (2008), Saw VI (2009), and Saw 3D (2010). He provided his voice for the Jigsaw character in the Saw video game (2009) and its sequel, Saw II: Flesh & Blood (2010), to which he provided his likeness.[14] Even though Bell spent three weeks lying on a floor and had very few lines, his role was pivotal to the first film.[15][16] For his role as "Jigsaw", Bell received MTV Movie Awards nominations in 2006 and 2007 for "Best Villain", won "Best Butcher" in the Fuse/Fangoria Chainsaw Awards and was given the "Best Villain in a Film Series" title at the 2010 Chiller-Eyegore Awards.[17] Although he considers his role in Saw to have been "a great blessing", he hopes to soon have the opportunity to be cast against type.[18]
Personal life
Bell is married and has two children. When not acting, he coaches a Little League Baseball team and flag football.[19] His other hobbies include hiking and playing guitar.[18]
Filmography
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| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Verdict, TheThe Verdict | Courtroom Observer | uncredited |
| 1982 | Tootsie | Waiter | uncredited |
| 1988 | Mississippi Burning | Agent Stokes | |
| 1989 | Innocent Man, AnAn Innocent Man | Zeke | |
| 1990 | False Identity | Marshall Errickson | |
| 1990 | Loose Cannons | Gerber | |
| 1990 | Goodfellas | Parole Officer | |
| 1992 | Ruby | David Ferrie | |
| 1993 | Boiling Point | Roth | |
| 1993 | Firm, TheThe Firm | The Nordic Man | |
| 1993 | In the Line of Fire | Mendoza | |
| 1993 | Malice | Earl Leemus | |
| 1995 | Serial Killer | William Lucian Morrano | Direct-to-video |
| 1995 | Quick and the Dead, TheThe Quick and the Dead | Dog Kelly | |
| 1996 | Cheyenne | Marshal Toynbee | |
| 1998 | Brown's Requiem | Stan the Man | |
| 1998 | Overnight Delivery | John Dwayne Beezly | |
| 1998 | Best of the Best 4: Without Warning | Lukast Slava | |
| 1999 | The 4th Floor | The Locksmith | |
| 2000 | Road to El Dorado, TheThe Road to El Dorado | Zaragoza | Voice |
| 2001 | Good Neighbor | Geoffrey Martin | |
| 2002 | Power Play | Clemens | |
| 2002 | Black Mask 2: City of Masks | Moloch | |
| 2004 | Saw | John Kramer/Jigsaw | |
| 2005 | Saw II | John Kramer/Jigsaw | |
| 2006 | Saw III | John Kramer/Jigsaw | |
| 2007 | Buried Alive | Lester | |
| 2007 | Decoys 2: Alien Seduction | Professor Erwin Buckton | Direct-to-video |
| 2007 | Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It, TheThe Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It | The Stranger | Direct-to-video |
| 2007 | Boogeyman 2 | Dr. Mitchell Allen | Supporting role |
| 2007 | Saw IV | John Kramer/Jigsaw | |
| 2008 | Saw V | John Kramer/Jigsaw | |
| 2009 | Saw VI | John Kramer/Jigsaw | |
| 2010 | Saw 3D | John Kramer/Jigsaw | |
| 2014 | Dark House | Seth | |
| 2014 | Finders Keepers | Dr. Freeman | |
| 2015 | Phantom Halo | Smasmouth | |
| 2015 | Manson Family Vacation | Blackbird | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Equalizer, TheThe Equalizer | Episode: "The Day of the Covenant" | |
| 1989 | Perfect Witness | Dillon | Television film |
| 1990 | Alien Nation | Brian Knox | Episode: "Crossing the Line" |
| 1990 | Jake and the Fatman | Vic | Episode: "More Than You Know" |
| 1990 | Broken Badges | Martin Valentine | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1991 | Love, Lies and Murder | Al Stutz | Television film |
| 1991 | 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage, TheThe 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage | Television film | |
| 1991 | 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage, The. Disney PresentsDisney Presents The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage | Tony Gianini | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1991 | Vendetta: Secrets of a Mafia Bride | Barman | Television film |
| 1992 | Mann & Machine | Richards | Episode: "No Pain, No Gain" |
| 1992 | Calendar Girl, Cop, Killer? The Bambi Bembenek Story | Television film | |
| 1992 | Silk Stalkings | Emil Rossler | Episode: "Hot Rocks" |
| 1993 | Seinfeld | Ron | Episode: "The Old Man" |
| 1993 | Sex, Love, and Cold Hard Cash | Mansfield | Television film |
| 1993 | NYPD Blue | Donald Selness | Episodes: "Personal Foul" "He's Not Guilty, He's My Brother" |
| 1994 | Deep Red | Warren Rickman | Television film |
| 1994 | Dead Man's Revenge | Bullock | Television film |
| 1994 | ER | Hospital Administrator | Episode: "Day One" |
| 1994 | Mortal Fear | Dr. Alvin Hayes | Television film |
| 1994 | New Eden | Ares | Television film |
| 1995 | Under Suspicion | Ron O'Keefe | Episode: "A Haunting Case" |
| 1996 | Babysitter's Seduction, TheThe Babysitter's Seduction | Det. Frank O'Keefe | Television film |
| 1996 | Lazarus Man, TheThe Lazarus Man | Episode: "Among the Dead" | |
| 1996 | Murder One | Jerry Albanese | Episode: "Chapter Twenty-Two" |
| 1996 | Unabomber: The True Story | Theodore Kaczynski | Television film |
| 1996 | Chicago Hope | Luther Evans | Episode: "A Time to Kill" |
| 1997 | La Femme Nikita | Perry Bauer | Episode: "Love" |
| 1997 | Nash Bridges | William Boyd | Episode: "Payback" |
| 1998 | Stargate SG-1 | Omoc | Episode: "Enigma" |
| 1998 | One Hot Summer Night | Vincent "Coupe" De Ville | Television film |
| 1998 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Karl Storm | Episodes: "The Wedding: Part 1" "The Wedding: Part 2" |
| 1998 | Vengeance Unlimited | Teddy Hix | Episode: "Bitter End" |
| 1999 | Strange World | Owen Sassen | Episode: "Eliza" |
| 1999 | Pretender, TheThe Pretender | Mr. White | Episode: "The World's Changing" |
| 2000 | X-Files, TheThe X-Files | Darryl Weaver | Episode: "Brand X" |
| 2000 | Harsh Realm | Slater | Episode: "Reunion" |
| 2001 | Once and Again | Man in Suit | Episode: "Aaron's Getting Better" |
| 2001 | Sopranos, TheThe Sopranos | Maj. Carl Zwingli | Episode: "Army of One" |
| 2001 | Guardian, TheThe Guardian | Episode: "The Funnies" | |
| 2001 | Alias | SD-6 Agent Karl Dreyer | Episodes: "Time Will Tell" "Mea Culpa |
| 2002 | Charmed | Orin | Episode: "The Eyes Have It" |
| 2002 | West Wing, TheThe West Wing | Colonel Whitcomb | Episode: "Process Stories" |
| 2003 | 24 | Peter Kingsley | Episodes: "Day 2: 2:00 a.m.-3:00 a.m." "Day 2: 3:00 a.m.-4:00 a.m." "Day 2: 6:00 a.m.-7:00 a.m." "Day 2: 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m." |
| 2004 | Revelations | Nathan Volk | 5 episodes |
| 2007 | Kill Point, TheThe Kill Point | Alan Beck | 6 episodes |
| 2014 | Criminal Minds | Malachi Lee | Episode: "Blood Relations" |
| 2014 | Wilfred | Charles/The Man | Episode: "Happiness" |
| 2016 | Days of Our Lives | Yo Ling |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Saw | John Kramer/Jigsaw | Voice |
| 2010 | Saw II: Flesh & Blood | John Kramer/Jigsaw | Voice |
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Fuse/Fangoria Chainsaw Award | Best Villain | Saw II | Won |
| 2006 | MTV Movie Award | MTV Movie Award for Best Villain | Saw II | Nominated |
| 2006 | Scream Award | Scream Award for Best Villain | Saw II | Nominated |
| 2007 | MTV Movie Award | MTV Movie Award for Best Villain | Saw III | Nominated |
| 2007 | Scream Award | Scream Award for Best Villain | Saw III | Nominated |
| 2008 | Scream Award | Scream Award for Best Villain | Saw IV | Nominated |
| 2009 | Chiller-Eyegore Award | Best Villain in a Series Award | Saw series | Won |
Further reading
- Voisin, Scott; Roebuck, Daniel (2009-05-25). Character Kings: Hollywood's Familiar Faces Discuss the Art & Business of Acting. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1-59393-342-5.
References
- ↑ The Cross & Crescent - Google Books. Books.google.ca. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
- 1 2 3 Barbuto, Dana (2008-10-24). "Weymouth native puts the buzz in Saw movies". The Patriot Ledger (GateHouse Media). Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
- 1 2 "Tobin, Ex-candidate In Gloversville, Dies". Schenectady Gazette. 1977-09-05. p. 27. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
- ↑ Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 280. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
- ↑ "Genealogy of Tobin Bell's paternal family". Retrieved January 23, 2016.
- ↑ Rose, Lisa (2009-10-22). "Tobin Bell 'Saw' the future in horror series". NJ.com. Archived from the original on 2010-10-03. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ↑ Dobuzinskis, Alex (2009-10-22). "A Minute With: Tobin Bell of the "Saw" horror films". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2010-10-03. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
- 1 2 Harrington, Richard (2007-10-29). "Cult icon born with 'Saw' star - Tobin Bell key to franchise's success". The Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Indiana: The Journal Gazette Co): 5D.
- 1 2 Carroll, Larry (2007-10-22). "'Saw IV' Star Tobin Bell Reveals Method Behind Jigsaw's Madness". MTV.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
- 1 2 Buchanan, Kyle (2009-10-16). "The Only Tobin Bell Interview You'll Ever Need". Movieline. PMC. p. 3. Archived from the original on 2010-10-06. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
- 1 2 Harrington, Richard (2007-10-26). "Tobin Bell: A Pivotal Piece of the 'Saw' Puzzle". The Washington Post (The Washington Post Company) 130 (325): 32–35. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27.
- 1 2 Buchanan, Kyle (2009-10-16). "The Only Tobin Bell Interview You'll Ever Need". Movieline. PMC. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
- ↑ "Saw (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
- ↑ Berardini, César (2009-07-04). "Konami Signs Tobin Bell To Voice Jigsaw In Saw Game". Team Xbox. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
- ↑ Heisler, Steve (2008-10-29). "Tobin Bell Random Roles". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Archived from the original on 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
- ↑ Dirks, Tim. "Greatest Movie Plot Twists, Spoilers and Surprise Endings". Filmsite.org. AMC. Archived from the original on 2011-9-19. Retrieved 2011-10-29. Check date values in:
|access-date=, |archive-date=(help) - ↑ "Dread Central at the 2009 Chiller-Eyegore Awards and Halloween Horror Nights". DreadCentral. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
- 1 2 Moore, Roger (2010-10-24). ""Jigsaw" Tobin Bell would rather be cutting a rug". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
- ↑ Koltnow, Barry (2008-10-25). "Tobin Bell carves out a niche as 'Jigsaw'". The Orange County Register (Freedom Communications).
External links
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