Wayne Francis Earl Bell[1] (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.

[2] He began his career with major roles in British theatre productions, includuing King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, and Hamlet.

[3] Bell had minor roles in The Sullivans, Cop Shop, Carson's Law, Special Squad,[4] 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.

[5] To accommodate this loss, the new character of Max's brother Tom Ramsay (Gary Files) was hastily introduced.