Bob Bell
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Bob Bell (January 18, 1922 – December 8, 1997) was famous for his alter-ego, Bozo the Clown. He originated the character for Chicago's WGN-TV.
In 1960, WGN-TV asked character actor and staff announcer Bob Bell to portray "Bozo the Clown" on a live, 30-minute afternoon show consisting of one-man sketches and cartoons. "Bozo's Circus" was a live, hour-long telecast that aired weekdays at noon.
In 1970, Bell received his first Emmy for WGN-TV’s "Bozo’s Circus." He retired from WGN-TV and "The Bozo Show" in 1984, and was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in 1996. He joined his co-star and fellow clown Roy Brown, the circus cook Cooky, in the International Clown Hall of Fame.
Alternate use
"Bob Bell" is also the stage name of Nashville, Tennessee broadcaster Robert Bellar, who has intermittently hosted a sports talk show on clear channel radio station WLAC in Nashville, and served as a television sportscaster and commercial announcer. He is often the play-by-play broadcaster of University of Tennessee pay-per-view football games.
External links
- Clown Ministry - biography of Bob Bell, WGN-TV's Bozo the Clown (http://www.clown-ministry.com/history/bob-bell-bozo-clown.html)
- IMDb entry on Bell (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0068065/)