# Marshall Bell

Archibald Marshall Bell (born September 28, 1942) is an American character actor. He has appeared in many character roles in movies and television. He is known for roles in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985), Stand by Me (1986), Twins (1988), Total Recall (1990) and Starship Troopers (1997).

## Early life and education

Bell was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he lived until age 13. His family then moved to Denver, Colorado. Bell attended boarding school at St. Paul's, Concord, New Hampshire, but was expelled. He then went to Fountain Valley School in Colorado Springs, where he became interested in acting after performing as Elwood Dowd in the play Harvey.
Bell was discouraged by others, however, who told him he was not a good enough actor, and did not act again for over 20 years. He attended the University of Colorado, majoring in sociology, and served three years in the Army. He eventually became a consultant, teaching business executives to improve their speaking skills.

## Career

Bell's movie debut was in the role as Ronsky in Alan Parker's drama Birdy (1984). After Birdy, he played Gerry Jones in the Fred Roos comedy Seven Minutes in Heaven (1985). His first major role was as the cruel Coach Schneider in the slasher/horror A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985). Bell played Mr. Lachance, Gordie's grieving father, in the adventure/drama Stand by Me (1986); the ruthless hitman, Webster, in the comedy Twins (1988) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito; and George, who has mutant Martian resistance leader, Kuato, attached to his stomach, in director Paul Verhoeven's blockbuster science fiction/adventure Total Recall (1990) starring Schwarzenegger.
He made his TV acting debut in the series The Oldest Rookie in 1987, playing Det. Gordon Lane. Bell starred as Ford Plasko in the short-lived series G vs E. His many guest appearances include Hill Street Blues, Wiseguy, Tales from the Crypt, The X-Files, Millennium, Deadwood and House. He has also appeared in a TV commercial for IBM.
Other movie roles include Lips' Cop in the action/crime thriller Dick Tracy (1990) opposite Warren Beatty; the title role of a frightening homeless man terrorizing Bill Paxton's character in the comedy/thriller The Vagrant (1992) opposite Paxton and Michael Ironside; General Owen in the science fiction/adventure Starship Troopers (1997); the warden, Marshall Krutch, in the award-winning biopic Capote (2005) opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman; John Leshing in the family/mystery Nancy Drew (2007) opposite Emma Roberts; and Principal Rocker in the comedy Hamlet 2 (2008). Bell also played the voice acting role as Mr. Sesehund in the animated feature Heidi 4 Paws (2008).

## Personal life

Bell is married to Milena Canonero, a four-time Oscar-winning costume designer, and they live in West Hollywood, California.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1984 | Birdy | Ronsky | |
| 1985 | Seven Minutes in Heaven | Gerry Jones | |
| 1985 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge | Coach Schneider | |
| 1986 | Legal Eagles | Process Server | Uncredited |
| 1986 | Manhunter | Atlanta Policeman | Uncredited |
| 1986 | Stand by Me | Mr. LaChance | |
| 1987 | No Way Out | Contra #1 | |
| 1987 | Cherry 2000 | Bill | |
| 1988 | Johnny Be Good | Chief Elkans | |
| 1988 | Tucker: The Man and His Dream | Frank | |
| 1988 | Wildfire | Lewis | |
| 1988 | Twins | Webster, The Hitman | |
| 1990 | Total Recall | George / Kuato | |
| 1990 | Dick Tracy | Lip's Cop | |
| 1990 | Air America | Q.V. | |
| 1991 | Oscar | Reporter #1 | |
| 1992 | The Vagrant | The Vagrant | |
| 1992 | Leather Jackets | Stranger | |
| 1992 | Diggstown | Warden Bates | |
| 1992 | Innocent Blood | March | |
| 1993 | Undercover Blues | Sykes | |
| 1993 | Heaven & Earth | Dinner Guest #3 | |
| 1994 | The Chase | Ari Josephson | |
| 1994 | The Silence of the Hams | Cross Dressing Agent | |
| 1994 | Airheads | Carl Mace | |
| 1994 | Natural Born Killers | Deputy #1 | |
| 1994 | The Puppet Masters | General Morgan | |
| 1994 | Love Is a Gun | Jean's Husband | |
| 1995 | Payback | Tom 'Gully' Gullerman | |
| 1995 | Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead | Lieutenant Atwater | |
| 1995 | Operation Dumbo Drop | Colonel Pederson | |
| 1995 | Just Looking | Dave | |
| 1996 | Too Fast Too Young | Detective Quentin Thompson | |
| 1997 | Truth or Consequences, N.M. | Police Lieutenant | |
| 1997 | The Brave | Larry | |
| 1997 | The End of Violence | Sheriff Call | |
| 1997 | Starship Troopers | General Owen | |
| 1997 | One of Our Own | Colonel Dale Cameron | |
| 1999 | Virus | J.W. Woods Jr. | |
| 1999 | A Slipping-Down Life | Mr. Casey | |
| 1999 | Black and White | 'Toast' | |
| 2000 | Mercy | Gil Reynolds | |
| 2000 | Sand | Gus | |
| 2000 | Face the Music | Tommy The Bartender | |
| 2002 | Beneath Clouds | Boy At Service Station | |
| 2002 | Serving Sara | Warren Cebron | |
| 2003 | Northfork | Mr. Stalling | |
| 2003 | Identity | District Attorney | |
| 2004 | Dandelion | Uncle Bobby | |
| 2005 | Rebound | NCBA Vice President | Uncredited |
| 2005 | Capote | Warden Marshall Krutch | |
| 2005 | Pomegranate | Producer | |
| 2006 | Art School Confidential | Lonny | |
| 2006 | Room 6 | Mr. Roberts | |
| 2006 | Rescue Dawn | Admiral Berrington | |
| 2006 | The Astronaut Farmer | Judge Miller | |
| 2006 | Little Chenier | Tuck Dupuis | |
| 2007 | Nancy Drew | John Leshing | |
| 2007 | Sex and Death 101 | Victor Rose III | |
| 2007 | The Final Season | Harvey Makepeace | |
| 2008 | Hamlet 2 | Principal Rocker | |
| 2008 | Stargate Atlantis | Terrence Kramer | Season 5: Episode 16 "Brain Storm " |
| 2009 | Heidi 4 Paws | Mr. Sesehund | Voice |
| 2010 | The Rock 'n' Roll Dreams of Duncan Christopher | Uncle Virgil | |
| 2010 | Footsteps | Mr. Dennenberg | |
| 2011 | Puncture | Jeffrey Dancort | |
| 2011 | The Rum Diary | Donovan | |
| 2012 | Somebody Up There Likes Me | Lyla's Father | |
| 2012 | To the Wonder | Bob | |
| 2013 | Vertical | Walter Stewart | |
| 2013 | The Bling Ring | L.A. Detective #1 | |
| 2013 | Palo Alto | Jake | |
| 2014 | A Bit of Bad Luck | Mr. Creech | |
| 2014 | Home, James | Larry | |
| 2015 | 90 Minutes in Heaven | Dr. Greider | |
| 2015 | Waffle Street | Miles Drake III | |
| 2016 | Director's Cut | Moving Company Guy | |
| 2016 | Is That a Gun in Your Pocket? | Dwayne | |
| 2016 | The Congressman | Sherm Hawkins | |
| 2016 | Rules Don't Apply | Colonel Maxwell | |
| 2016 | Thirty Nine | Lawyer | |
| 2017 | The Last Word | Mr. Daniels | |
| 2020 | Mainstream | Marty | |
| 2020 | Love Is Love Is Love | John | |
| 2021 | Outer Banks | Doctor | Season 2, Episode 3: "Prayers" |
| 2025 | Dreams | Michael McCarthy | |