Marie Bell (23 December 1900 – 14 August 1985), born Marie-Jeanne Bellon-Downey, was a French tragedian, comic actor and stage director. She was the director of the Théâtre du Gymnase in Paris from 1962 onwards, and this theatre now bears her name.
Bell was a classical actress. She also appeared in avant-garde theatre, Jean Genet in particular.
Her interpretation of the role of Phèdre is highly noted: "Voir Marie Bell dans Phèdre est une chance unique pour quiconque veut savoir ce qu'est le génie français." André Malraux
During the German Occupation of France (1940–1944), she participated in the French resistance as one of nine directors of the Front national du théâtre. She was awarded the decoration of the Légion d'honneur by PresidentCharles de Gaulle.
↑Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins (Fifthed.). Jefferson and London: McFarland and Company. 2010. p.55. ISBN978-0-7864-4373-4.
↑"Marie Bell". Archived from the original on 5 October 2010.
↑"Seeing Marie Bell in Phèdre is a unique opportunity for anyone who wants to know what is the French genius." Cited in L'Avant-Scène n°342 (October 1965)
↑Marie-Agnès Joubert, La Comédie-Française sous l’Occupation, Paris, Tallandier, 1998, p. 353.