Michael Bell

Michael Bell was born on July 30, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York. He commenced his career with live-action roles in films such as “Thunder Alley” (1967), “Blue” (1968), and “Brother John” (1971). His television acting credits include appearances in M*A*S*H, Three’s Company, and multiple episodes of Dallas as Les Crowley from 1980–1981. He also had a recurring role as Bill Duncan in “Charlie’s Angels” and appeared as King Edward Spencer in “Scarecrow and Mrs. King.” Bell is recognized for his guest appearances in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” as Groppler Zorn in the pilot episode “Encounter at Farpoint,” and in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” as a Bajoran in “The Homecoming” and in “The Maquis.”

Bell’s impact on animated entertainment began in the 1970s and 1980s. His initial voice role was Stutz in “The Houndcats.” He voiced Mark in the Hanna-Barbera series “Speed Buggy” in 1973. From 1977 to 1984, he voiced Zan and Gleek in various “Super Friends” iterations and was also The Riddler in “Challenge of the Superfriends.” He portrayed a young Lex Luthor in “Super Friends” and later voiced the character in the 1988 “Superman” series. Bell provided the voice for the title character in “The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show” in 1979 and made a guest appearance as Doctor Octopus in “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.” During the 1980s, Bell was a prominent voice in “The Smurfs” as Grouchy Smurf, Lazy Smurf, Handy Smurf, and Johan, and in “The Transformers” as Prowl, Scrapper, Sideswipe, and several others. He also voiced Duke in “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” and Lance & Sven in “Voltron: Defender of the Universe.” He starred as Bruce Banner in “The Incredible Hulk” (1982 animated series) and played Hiro Taka on “Spiral Zone” and Allstar Seaworthy on “The Snorks” (1984-1989).

Moving into the 1990s and 21st century, Bell voiced Quackerjack in Disney’s “Darkwing Duck,” Aziz in “Aladdin,” and Ezekiel Rage in “The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest.” From 1991 to 2004, he voiced three main characters’ parents in “Rugrats” and “All Grown Up!”: Drew Pickles, Charles Finster Sr., and Boris Kropotkin. His video game roles include Raziel in “Legacy of Kain,” Gleeman Vox in “Ratchet: Deadlocked,” and characters in “Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos” and “Diablo II: Lord of Destruction.” Bell has also provided narration for documentary programs such as “Earth’s Fury” and “Expeditions to the Edge.” He served as voice director for “Kidd Video,” “Peter Pan and the Pirates,” and “The LeBrons.” In 1991, he co-invented the Grayway Rotating Drain, a graywater recycling device.