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Bradley Phillip Bell was born in Chicago on June 29, 1964, one of three children of television pioneers Lee Phillip Bell, an Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist and talk show host, and the late William J. Bell, an Emmy Award-winning creator of some of the most popular daytime dramas. After graduating from Chicago Latin School, Bell studied television production at the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and UCLA.
Bell began his writing career in 1984, mentored by his father and working unofficially on The Young and the Restless (1973), contributing to writing breakdowns and scripts. He played a key role in creating and launching The Bold and the Beautiful (1987). Starting on the writing team from the premiere episode, Bell advanced to associate producer in 1989 and supervising producer in 1992. In 1993, after a six-month trial co-written with his father in 1992, he became head writer and then executive producer in 1995, a position he has held ever since, marking one of the longest tenures in television. Bell received his first Daytime Emmy nomination in 2000, and by 2015 he had won three Emmys for writing (2010, 2013, 2015) from 11 nominations. He also earned three consecutive Emmy wins for Best Drama Series (2009, 2010, 2011) out of nine nominations, along with two additional Emmys in other categories.
Under Bell's guidance, The Bold and the Beautiful rose from the sixth to the third highest-rated daytime drama during the 1992-1993 season. Currently, it ranks as the second most-watched daytime serial in the U.S., trailing only its sister show, The Young and the Restless, with a stable daily viewership of around 4 million. The series remains a global phenomenon, popular in countries such as Italy, Australia, and South Africa. Bell has upheld his father's storytelling legacy while introducing a sharper, more glamorous style to the show’s writing. He has maintained a highly stable production and behind-the-scenes team, resulting in a modern 21st-century aesthetic with regular location shoots worldwide and permanent outdoor sets on the studio lot, all managed on an efficient filming schedule. On January 14, 2015, CBS Television City honored Bell by dedicating Studio 31—the show’s home since its 1987 debut—in recognition of his contributions as the series celebrated its 7,000th episode.
Bell has been married to fellow Chicago native Colleen Bell since October 1991. They have four children: Bradley Chasen, Caroline Catherine, Charlotte Cordelia, and Oliver Phillip.
