Soaps - William J. Bell Legendary Creator of CBS' The Young and the Restless and The Bold and

Charlize'sAngel · 05-02-2005, 11:28 AM

William J. Bell, the legendary and Emmy-Award winning daytime drama creator, died April 29, 2005 at the age of 78 of complications from Alzheimer’s.

Bell began his career in television in 1956 writing for Guiding Light before co-creating Our Private World and Another World. He was also a writer on As the World Turns from 1957-1966 and later became the head writer of Days of Our Lives in 1966. In 1973, while Bell was still the head writer on Days of Our Lives, he and his wife, Lee Phillip Bell, created The Young and the Restless. The series has been the Number One daytime program week after week for more than 16 years and has received numerous Emmy Awards, including six for Outstanding Drama Series, most recently in 2004, three as a writer for The Young and the Restless, five as the show’s producer and one as a writer for Days of Our Lives. Bell received the Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS).. In 1987, the Bells co-created the hit CBS daytime drama, The Bold and the Beautiful.

"Bill Bell is one of the true pioneers of daytime television, and his genius helped make CBS number one in this daypart for over 16 years," said Leslie Moonves, Co-President and Co-Chief Operating Officer, Viacom and Chairman, CBS. "He is without peer in his ability to create the most compelling, endearing stories and characters, and keep them fascinating for years on end. That is his legacy, and the millions of viewers who have followed his shows are a testament to that rare gift. We are incredibly saddened by his passing, for the daytime community has lost a true legend and the CBS family has lost a friend. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to his wife, Lee Phillip Bell, his children, Bill, Jr., Bradley and Lauralee, and the entire Bell family."

"Bill Bell’s talent, imagination and heart created a vast array of characters who have captivated audiences for generations," said Barbara Bloom, Senior Vice President of Daytime Programs, CBS. "He was an unequaled visionary whose passion and devotion to the daypart helped to elevate dramatic serial storytelling to an art form. The legacy he leaves continues to unfold across televisions world wide. We join The Young and Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful families in mourning their founder, and we extend our deepest sympathies to his beloved wife Lee, and their children, Bill Jr., Bradley and Lauralee, who have been kind enough to share him with us."

"Bill Bell was daytime television's most wonderful storyteller -- the Charles Dickens of daytime drama...a great mentor and a wonderful guy," said Edward Scott, Y&R Supervising Producer. "Every single Monday through Friday for 40 years, one, sometimes two Bill Bell episodes aired on network television. His equal will never come this way again. I was lucky to have spent 25 years at his side as his executive producer. He was our industry's greatest champion and fiercest defender and not a day goes by that I don't recall his advice, his constructive criticism and his wisdom. I am proud to carry forward the passion and inspiration that is the Bill Bell legacy to the next generation."

"Bill Bell was a supremely gifted writer, a fearless and farseeing producer, a tireless champion of our industry, and a gentleman," shared Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki). "He gave me the most incredible gift that any actress could ever wish to receive -- a complex, multifaceted character, 'Nikki Newman,' that has endured over 25 years and still remains compelling and challenging today, both to me, and to our audiences. Bill and his lovely wife Lee were also true friends to Edward and I, sharing our hopes and disappointments, our highs and lows over these many years. Together, they gave me everything in my life that I have today; through Bill and Lee and the show I met my husband Edward, we now have our three wonderful children and enjoy a great life. My thoughts and prayers are with Lee and the three children, Bill, Jr., Brad and Lauralee and their families during this sad time."

In 1992, CBS dedicated Studio 43 at CBS Television City in Los Angeles to both William J. Bell and to The Young and the Restless. The dedication, in conjunction with the 5,000th episode, marked the first time in the history of CBS that a studio had been dedicated to an individual and a series.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist Lee Phillip Bell, who was his colleague, co-collaborator and co-creator of both CBS soaps. Lee’s pioneering work as an investigative reporter for the CBS Chicago station provided Bill with many of the contemporary social issues which became the trademark of the two dramas which the couple co-created.

He is also survived by his three children son Bill, the president of Bell Dramatic Serial Company and Bell-Phillip Television Productions, Inc., son Bradley, head writer and executive producer of The Bold and the Beautiful and daughter Lauralee, one of the leading actresses on The Young and the Restless, as well as his grandchildren Liam, Sabrina, Chasen, Caroline, Charlotte and Oliver Bell, and Christian and Samantha Martin.

Funeral services will be arranged at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills, Calif. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association.