Wayne Francis Earl Bell (18 April 1944 – 3 May 1994) was a New Zealand-born actor who achieved international stardom playing the part of original character Max Ramsay in the early years of the popular Australian soap opera, Neighbours. During his career he also acted in Australian serials The Sullivans and Sons and Daughters. He appeared in 15 films from 1976 until his death.

Career

Bell had a BA in philosophy and English in Auckland, New Zealand, and an MA in drama from Leeds University. He was a member of the National Theatre. He began his career with major roles in British theatre productions, includuing King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, and Hamlet. Bell had minor roles in The Sullivans, Cop Shop, Carson's Law, Special Squad, and Sons and Daughters. In 1985, Bell played the role of Major-General Howard "Pompey" Elliott in the critically acclaimed Australian mini-series Anzacs, alongside Paul Hogan and Andrew Clarke. From 1985 until 1986, Bell played original character Max Ramsay in soap opera Neighbours. Soon after the serial switched from the Seven Network to Network Ten, Bell abruptly left the show due to a serious back injury. Bell had intended to leave Neighbours before his back problems flared up. While negotiations were ongoing between his agent and the production company, Bell realised that he did not want to do the show anymore. He also took a fall on the set, which aggravated his back injury and left him with muscle spasms and pain. Bell filmed his final scenes in March 1986. To accommodate this loss, the new character of Max's brother Tom Ramsay (Gary Files) was hastily introduced. In the story Tom arrived to take the reins of Max's plumbing business while Max was away; behind the scenes the scriptwriters went through the scripts replacing "Max" with "Tom", with Tom speaking the dialogue written for Max. After leaving Neighbours, Bell returned to recording voiceovers for commercials.

Personal life

Bell married his partner of five years, Swedish textile designer Monica Dare in Melbourne on 27 March 1986. It was the second marriage for both of them. Bell and Dare separated six months after marrying. He is survived by his daughter. On 3 May 1994, Bell was found dead after falling from a building in Auckland, New Zealand. The city's police released a statement stating that there were no suspicious circumstances regarding his death. His agent Graham Dunster later revealed that Bell had been hospitalised with depression prior to his death. His former Neighbours co-stars Anne Haddy and Alan Dale paid tribute to him, with Dale calling Bell "one of the best actors I have ever worked with." The show's casting director Jan Russ also called him a "colourful and eccentric character" and said that "he was well liked and respected by everyone." Bell was buried at Purewa Cemetery.

Filmography