Joseph Henry Tobin Jr. (born August 7, 1942), known professionally as Tobin Bell, is an American actor and producer. He has appeared in a number of television shows and films, but is most recognized for his role as John Kramer / Jigsaw in the Saw franchise. He started his career in the late 1970s and early 1980s doing stand-ins and background work on feature films. He had his first feature film role in Mississippi Burning (1988). Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bell appeared in a number of films and television shows, including The Firm (1993), Unabomber: The True Story (1996), Walker, Texas Ranger (1998) and early seasons of The Sopranos (2001) and 24 (2003). His breakout role came in 2004 when he was cast as the serial killer Jigsaw in Saw (2004). The film was a box office success and Bell went on to portray the character in nine out of the ten sequels: Saw II (2005), Saw III (2006), Saw IV (2007), Saw V (2008), Saw VI (2009), Saw 3D (2010), Jigsaw (2017) and the upcoming Saw X (2023). The series was not a critical success, but financially it became one of the highest-grossing horror franchises of all time and earned Bell recognition as an horror icon. Early life and education Joseph Henry Tobin Jr. was born on August 7, 1942 in Queens, New York and raised in Weymouth, Massachusetts. His English mother, Eileen Julia Bell Tobin, was an actress who worked at the Quincy Repertory Company. His American father, Joseph H. Tobin, built and established the radio station WJDA in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1947 and once ran for mayor of Gloversville, New York. He has one sister and one brother. Bell studied liberal arts and journalism in college, with the intention of becoming a writer and entering the broadcasting field. He also has an interest in environmental matters, holding a master's degree in environmental science from Montclair State University as well as having worked for the New York Botanical Garden. He credits hearing a seminar by Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy at Boston University with inspiring him to begin an acting career. Bell later joined the Actors Studio where he studied with Lee Strasberg and Ellen Burstyn, and joined Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse. Career 1979–2003: Work in background roles, film debut and television appearances Bell played background roles in the late 1970s and early 1980s in over 30