Kristen Bell

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Kristen Bell

Bell at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
Born Kristen Anne Bell
July 18, 1980 (1980-07-18) (age 27)
Huntington Woods, Michigan
Occupation Film, stage, television actress
Years active 1998—present

Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American television and film actress as well as former stage actress. Bell has been cited by media as a component in the popularization of "Geek chic"[1] and is often recognized for her young looks.[2] She has received a Satellite Award and Saturn Award, and has been nominated for a Television Critics Association Award and Teen Choice Award.

Though her first film role came with an uncredited appearance in Polish Wedding, Bell previously acted in stage and musical productions. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. After re-locating to Los Angeles, Bell landed various television guest appearances and small film parts, before she gained notability for starring as the title role on the critically acclaimed television show Veronica Mars from September 2004 to May 2007. During her time on Veronica Mars, Bell reprised her role as Mary Lane in the film version of Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical, a stage production she had taken part in. She also portrayed the lead role in Pulse, a remake of a J-Horror film. In 2007, she joined the cast of Heroes playing the sultry vixen Elle Bishop, and Gossip Girl as the titular narrator.

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[edit] Early life and family

Bell was born and raised in Huntington Woods, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. She is the daughter of Tom Bell, a television news director, and Lorelei "Lori" Bell, a registered nurse.[3][4] Her parents divorced when she was two years old, and she has 2 half sisters from her father's remarriage: Sara and Jody.

At the age of 4, Bell claimed she did not like her first name and opted to change it to "Smurfette" after the character in the The Smurfs; however, her mother convinced Bell to go by her middle name of Anne instead; she used the name Annie until high school.[2] She attended Burton Elementary school in Huntington Woods[5] where she studied singing and tap dancing.

Just before her freshman year of high school, Bell's parents decided to pull her from the public school system.[6] She then attended Shrine Catholic High School in nearby Royal Oak, where she took part in the drama and music club.[7] During her time at the school, she gained the starring role in the school's 1997 production of The Wizard of Oz as Dorothy Gale[8] and also appeared in productions of Fiddler on the Roof (1995), Lady Be Good (1996), and Li'l Abner (1998). In 1998, the year she graduated, Bell was named the yearbook's "Best Looking Girl" by senior class vote.[9]

When Bell was 17, her best friend Jenny DeRita, whom she met at age 11 during a Detroit community theater production, was killed in an automobile accident. Bell said that it was "both the best and worst thing that has ever happened to me. [...] Once you learn not to take people for granted, you live a lot happier life."[10]

Shortly after her high school graduation, Bell moved to New York and attended the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University,[2] majoring in musical theater.[11] In 2001, during her senior year at New York University, Bell left a few credits shy of graduating[12] to take a role in the Broadway musical of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

[edit] Career

[edit] Early work, 1992 - 2003

In 1992 at the age of eleven, Bell went to her first audition and won a dual role as a banana and a tree[10] in a suburban Detroit theater's production of Raggedy Ann and Andy.[2] Her mother had established her with an agent before Bell was thirteen, which allowed her to appear in newspaper advertisements for several Detroit retailers and television commercials. She also began private acting lessons.[2] In 1998, she appeared with an uncredited role in the locally filmed movie Polish Wedding.

In 2001, Bell left New York University to take a key role as Becky Thatcher in the short-lived Broadway musical of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. That same year she made her first credited film debut in Pootie Tang. However, her one line in the film was cut and her appearance exists only as a scene shown during the credit sequence.[13] Additionally, she auditioned for the television series Smallville for the role of Chloe Sullivan, a part eventually won by Allison Mack.[14] In 2002, she appeared in the Broadway revival of The Crucible with Liam Neeson, Angela Bettis and Laura Linney. Bell then moved to Los Angeles, California in 2002 because of her friendship with writers Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney,[13] and appeared in a handful of television shows as a special guest, finding trouble gaining a recurring role in a television series. Bell had "tested like eight times and booked nothing and every show [she] tested for got picked up," including auditions for Skin and a Norm Macdonald series.[10] In 2003, she landed a role in the Hallmark movie The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay. Later in 2003, Bell stared in the lead role of Sneaux in the Los Angeles stage production "SnEauX! - The SINsational Gothic Figure Skating Musical" [1] which ran at the Matrix Theatre in Hollywood for 6 months and was nominated for 6 LA Weekly Theatre Awards for 2003.

[edit] Breakthrough, 2004 - 2006

Bell on the set of Veronica Mars.
Bell on the set of Veronica Mars.

In 2004, Bell performed in the stage production of Reefer Madness in Los Angeles, allowing her to work with writers Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney. Later, she appeared in the Lifetime television movie Gracie's Choice, which received one of the network's highest ratings.[12] She made her debut in a theatrically released film, with David Mamet's Spartan, as Laura Newton, the kidnapped daughter of a high-ranking U.S. government official, acting alongside Val Kilmer. Bell also guest-starred on the HBO's drama Deadwood in a two-episode story arc ("Bullock Returns to the Camp" and "Suffer the Little Children").

She then won the role of the title character in UPN's drama Veronica Mars, which was launched in the fall of 2004. Created by Rob Thomas, Bell starred as the seventeen year old detective Veronica, which put her alongside actors Enrico Colantoni who played her father, Jason Dohring, Percy Daggs III and Ryan Hansen. Veronica Mars was described as "a little bit Buffy and a little bit Bogart".[15] Bell noted the parallels between the character of Veronica and her own life - Bell's parents had divorced and her best friend had also passed away, like that of Veronica.[12] The series earned positive reviews from television critics, as did Bell's performance. Some critics felt that she was overlooked, however, and deserved an Emmy Award nomination.[16][17][18] As a writer at the tvaddict.com commented, "[Bell's] complete lack of Emmy recognition proves that voters don’t actually watch the tapes before they vote."[19]

In 2005, Bell starred in Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical, reprising the role she played in the off-Broadway musical. The musical was based on a spoof of the 1936 exploitation film of the same name; the 1936 film itself was in turn was based on Tell Your Children, an anti-marijuana propaganda film. Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical debuted on the Showtime network on April 16, 2005. On September 18, 2005, Bell performed the theme song from Fame on the "Emmy Idol" portion of the 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. She and the cast of Veronica Mars were nominated for two Teen Choice Awards in 2005: "Choice Breakout Actress" and "Choice Breakout TV Show".

In 2006, Bell won the Saturn Award in 2006 for "Best Actress on Television" for her acting on Veronica Mars, while the series was nominated for "Best Network Television Show". Aside from working on Veronica Mars, in April Bell starred as Gracie in Fifty Pills, an entry for the Tribeca Film Festival. She appeared in an award winning short independent film called The Receipt [2] and the horror film Roman, which was directed by her The Crucible co-star Angela Bettis. Released on August 11, 2006, Pulse starred Bell as the lead Mattie. A remake of the Japanese horror film Kairo, the film grossed $27.9 million worldwide,[20] however it garnered negative response from critics. Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter commented, "despite the starring presence of Kristen Bell, [the] young actress has far less interesting material to work with here than she does as [the character] "Veronica Mars.""[21]

[edit] Recent and future roles, 2007 - present

Veronica Mars continued on UPN until the third season, in which the show was renewed and returned on the newly created The CW. On January 19, 2007 CW Entertainment President Dawn Ostroff announced that, while she was pleased with the gradual improvement of Veronica Mars's ratings, the series would be put on hiatus after February sweeps to air a new reality series, Pussycat Dolls Present. On May 17, 2007 Ostroff announced the cancellation of the series.[22] The two-hour series finale aired in the United States on May 22, 2007 and on June 11, 2007 it was announced that Veronica Mars had been officially canceled by the CW, after receiving an email from Thomas.[23] A Veronica Mars feature film and comic book series continuation had been discussed,[24] and for a short time there was talk of another collaboration between Bell and creator Thomas that would be unrelated to the Veronica Mars series.[22] Shortly after the cancellation, Bell filmed on location in Hawaii for her starring role as the title character in the Judd Apatow comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. She noted that the improvisational comedy in the film was "a lovely experience".[13] The film, written by and also starring Jason Segel was released theatrically on April 18, 2008.

Following the cancellation of Veronica Mars, Bell had voiced interest in appearing on Heroes because she was a fan previous to being cast.[25] In July 2007, during a train ride back from the San Diego Comic Con with Heroes actors Zachary Quinto and Masi Oka, and writers from the series, the writers had mentioned that if she "ever want[ed] to come on Heroes, give us [writers] a call", to which Bell said she would love to.[26] She was also spoken to about a role on Lost, but was not offered one[27] despite speculation that she was to portray Charlotte Staples Lewis.[28] Announced in August 2007, Bell was to portray Elle Bishop, a "mysterious young lady" with an "awesome power".[26] She did not have to audition for the role of Elle,[13] who made her first appearance in an October 2007 episode, and will appear in at least thirteen episodes during the run of the series.[29] The casting of Bell, as Heroes creator Tim Kring explains, "was not easy to pull off", but because of the large ensemble cast of the series and multiple story arcs, "we found a way to jump into a small window in [Bell’s] schedule."[29] Concurrently with filming on Heroes, she narrates as title character in the CW series Gossip Girl.

Bell lent her voice and likeness to the video game Assassin's Creed which was released on November 13, 2007 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and 8 April 2008 for the PC.[30] In the spring of 2006, she finished filming the Star Wars-themed comedy Fanboys, which recently had its release date pushed to January 14, 2008. This was due to additional funding given to director Kyle Newman to shoot new scenes, however, the busy schedules of the actors only allowed for filming in September 2007, thus moving the release date to accommodate that.[31] Bell will voice the character of Marybelle in the animated feature Sheepish, which also has a 2008 release date.[32] She will also star in the comedy Serious Moonlight, alongside Meg Ryan, about a high-powered attorney who duct-tapes her adulterous husband to the toilet just as the house is invaded by burglars. Serious Moonlight is in post-production and has an estimated 2009 release date. On March 31, 2008 Bell will begin shooting for the Mark Steven Johnson written Disney film When in Rome in locations in Rome and New York. She will star as a successful real estate agent who can not find a lasting relationship until her younger sister impulsively marries in Rome. After picking up coins from a reputed "fountain of love," Bell's character finds an overabundance of suitors waiting for her back home.[33]

Bell has also said that when she is free from film and television roles, she would like to perform on stage again.[34]

[edit] In the media

Bell at the 2007 Scream Awards, an award show dedicated to the horror and science fiction genres.
Bell at the 2007 Scream Awards, an award show dedicated to the horror and science fiction genres.

In 2005, Bell was named by Jane magazine as "one of the 11 people you'd most like to see naked",[5] appearing in a simulated nude pictorial, and in 2006, Bell was selected "World's Sexiest Vegetarians" on PETA's yearly poll.[35] She was placed #68 on Maxim's 2005 "Hot 100" list,[36] #11 in Maxim's 2006 "Hot 100" list,[37] and #46 in Maxim's 2007 "Hot 100" list in which she was stated to have "single-handedly saved the CW from becoming the worst network ever".[38] In 2006, Maxim also placed Bell at the top of the "Fall TV's Criminally Sexy Investigators" List.[35] In 2008, she was featured at #59 on Ask Men's Top 99 Women of 2008 List.[39] Reflecting on her admitted popularity with "geeks", Bell was voted the fourth sexiest woman on TV by the staff at Wizard magazine.[40]

She claims to have never thought of herself as womanly because she "always play[ed roles] and look and act 10 years younger than [she is]", however as she explains, "Something magical happened when I turned 25 — I looked in the mirror and was like, You might not get carded for an R-rated movie anymore. Like I didn’t have a little stick figure anymore."[1] Bell has said that many of the characters she has played are tomboys because she was "not homely enough to play the nerdy girl and not nearly pretty enough to play the pretty girl".[1]

Bell has been associated with the idea that "nerdy is the new cool", and she explains, "what was previously perceived as nerdy is now viewed as original. What I like about nerdiness, geekiness, is it doesn’t really matter what you’re into—it just means you’re not a follower."[1] She has also said, "I love nerds. Comic-Con junkies are the tastemakers of tomorrow. Isn't that funny? The tables have turned."[13] Vanessa Juarez of Entertainment Weekly commented that Bell's role on Veronica Mars, Heroes and as a Star Wars fanatic in the upcoming Fanboys has "solidif[ied] her placement at the center of the geek universe", while Rodney Rothman stated, "I guess she's cornered the market on losers."[41] Bell's work is often compared to Sarah Michelle Gellar's portrayal of the titular character on the cult television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.[15] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter stated that Bell was "arguably the television successor [to Gellar's portrayal of Buffy] when it comes to fighting bad guys."[21]

Despite "new celebrity" status, Bell claims that she is not concerned because "no one ever recognizes [her] anyway". As Bell explains, "I hang out with Hayden [Panettiere] quite a bit—they never take pictures of me. I just step to the side, and I push myself in front of her when she wants to get out of it, or put her in the car."[1]

[edit] Personal life

Bell signing in January 2005 at San Francisco's Metreon.
Bell signing in January 2005 at San Francisco's Metreon.

At age eleven, Bell became a vegetarian.[35] In an interview with PETA, Bell stated, "I have always been an animal lover. I had a hard time disassociating the animals I cuddled with—dogs and cats, for example—from the animals on my plate, and I never really cared for the taste of meat. I always loved my Brussels sprouts!"[35] During the time she lived in Michigan, Bell fostered animals from Michigan Humane Society and she now supports the San Diego based Helen Woodward Animal Center. Bell often attends fund raisers for the ASPCA and other non-profit organizations dedicated to protecting animals. She owns a Welsh Corgi-Chow Chow mix named Lola, a Welsh Corgi-Chihuahua mix named Shakey, and a black Labrador Retriever named Sadie, who was 11 years old when she was rescued from Hurricane Katrina and adopted by Bell in 2005.[42][6] She and many of those who worked on Veronica Mars, including friend Ryan Hansen, are involved with the charity organization Invisible Children Inc.. The goal of the organization is to create awareness regarding the plight of the people of Northern Uganda who are caught in the midst of a civil war between the government and Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army.[43] Bell has shown her support for the Writers Guild of America in the writer's strike, appearing in the picket lines in December 2007 stating, "the writers are just looking for some fairness."[44]

In 2007, Bell ended a five year[1] relationship with former fiancé Kevin Mann, and is now dating actor Dax Shepard.[45] She told Complex magazine that dating "makes me want to vomit. And not out of grossness — OK, a little bit out of grossness, but just nerves." Bell explains, "I’ve always been a serial monogamist."[1]

Being from Michigan, she is also an avid fan of the Detroit Red Wings hockey team.[46]

[edit] Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1998 Polish Wedding Teenage Girl (uncredited)
2001 Pootie Tang Record Executive's Daughter
2002 The Cat Returns Hiromi voice
2003 The Shield Jessica Hintel 1 episode
American Dreams Amy Fielding 1 episode
The O'Keefes Virginia's Owner 2 episodes
Everwood Stacey Wilson 1 episode
The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay Alison Dodge TV movie
2004 Gracie's Choice Gracie Thompson TV movie
Spartan Laura Newton
Deadwood Flora Anderson 2 episodes
Veronica Mars Veronica Mars 2004-2007
2005 Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical Mary Lane TV movie
Deepwater Nurse Laurie
The Receipt Pretty Girl
2006 Fifty Pills Gracie
Pulse Mattie Webber
Roman The Girl
2007 Gossip Girl Gossip Girl (uncredited) 2007-present, narrator
Heroes Elle Bishop 2007-present
Assassin's Creed Lucy Stillman voice and likeness
Flatland: The Movie Hex voice
2008 Forgetting Sarah Marshall Sarah Marshall
Fanboys Zoe awaiting release
2009 Serious Moonlight Sara post-production
When in Rome Beth filming
Sheepish Marybelle voice

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Bell, Kristen. Interview with Tim Leong. Kristen Bell in Complex Magazine. Complex. January 2008. Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
  2. ^ a b c d e Kristen Bell. Ask Men. Retrieved on 2007-01-02.
  3. ^ Kristen Bell Biography. People. Retrieved on 2008-01-04.
  4. ^ Kristen Bell Biography (1980-)
  5. ^ a b Kristen Bell. celebritywonder.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-04.
  6. ^ a b Hatty, Michele. "She came from Mars", USA Weekend, 2006-02-26. Retrieved on 2008-01-04. 
  7. ^ Bell, Kristen. Interview with Molly Lopez. Veronica Mars' Kristen Bell. 2005-04-22. Retrieved on 2008-01-04.
  8. ^ Kristen Bell. hollywood.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-04.
  9. ^ Bell, Kristen. Interview with Elijah Bates. Veronica Mars' star Kristen Bell. Saturday Night Magazine. 2007-04-25. Retrieved on 2009-01-04.
  10. ^ a b c Kristen Bell's star quality is no mystery on UPN. pittsburghlive.com (2004-11-23). Retrieved on 2008-01-04.
  11. ^ Personality & Talent. Ask Men. Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
  12. ^ a b c N. Nguyen, Lan (2004). Kristen Bell's a Tough Act to Follow. ivillage.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-04.
  13. ^ a b c d e Bell, Kristen. Interview with Daniel Robert Epstein. Kristen Bell of Veronica Mars (UPN). UGO. 2005. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
  14. ^ Holland, Richard (2007-05-27). Veronica Mars: Series Finale. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
  15. ^ a b Bianco, Robert. "'Veronica Mars': Intelligent life", USAToday.com, September 21, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-04-09. 
  16. ^ Ellis, Rick. "Predictions: 58th Annual Emmy Awards", KTVU, 2006-08-26. Retrieved on 2008-01-03. 
  17. ^ Goodman, Tim. "As Emmys loom, it's time to accept that rage is futile", The San Francisco Chronicle, 2005-09-15. Retrieved on 2008-01-03. 
  18. ^ Beaumont, Chris. "Emmy 2007: Down and Dirty Predictions", blogcritics.org, 2007-09-16. Retrieved on 2008-01-03. 
  19. ^ Emmy Watch 06: Lead Actress in a Drama. tvaddict.com (2007-08-21). Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
  20. ^ Pulse (2006). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
  21. ^ a b Scheck, Frank (2006-08-14). Pulse. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on 2008-01-17.
  22. ^ a b "2007 Cancelled Shows: CW Drops Old Favorites", tvseriesfinale.com, 2007-05-17. Retrieved on 2008-01-02. 
  23. ^ Veronica Mars is Now "Officially Dead". TV Guide (2007-06-11). Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
  24. ^ "'Veronica Mars' Eyes Comics, Movie", zap2it.com, 2007-06-13. Retrieved on 2008-01-02. 
  25. ^ Bell, Kristen & Kring, Tim. Interview with Renee Burl. Tim Kring & Kristen Bell interview. 2007-10-26. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
  26. ^ a b Bell, Kristen. Interview with Michael Ausiello. Exclusive: Kristen Bell's First Interview Since Becoming a Hero!. 2007-08-20. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
  27. ^ Kubicek, John. "'Heroes' Exclusive: Kristen Bell and Tim Kring Reveal Season 2 Spoilers", buddytv.com, 2007-10-16. Retrieved on 2008-01-04. 
  28. ^ Goldman, Eric. "Kristen Bell to Join Lost?", IGN, 2007-08-08. Retrieved on 2008-01-04. 
  29. ^ a b Adalian, Josef. "Kristen Bell throws curve to 'Heroes'", variety.com, 2007-08-19. Retrieved on 2007-11-25. 
  30. ^ Surette, Tim. "Assassin's Creed stalks Kristen Bell", GameSpot, 2007-11-06. Retrieved on 2008-01-02. 
  31. ^ Fanboys Pushed Back to January 2008. Theforce.net. Retrieved on 2007-10-05.
  32. ^ "AWARD-WINNING, CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED ACTRESS KRISTEN BELL ("VERONICA MARS") JOINS NBC'S EMMY AWARD-NOMINATED 'HEROES' FOR A SPECIAL MULTIPLE EPISODE ARC, BEGINNING IN OCTOBER", The Futon Critic, 2007-08-20. Retrieved on 2008-01-04. 
  33. ^ Fleming, Michael. "Bell to star in 'When in Rome'", Variety, 2008-02-10. Retrieved on 2008-02-11. 
  34. ^ Bell, Kristen. Interview. KRISTEN BELL on 'PULSE'. Radio Free. 2006-07-28. Retrieved on 2008-01-04.
  35. ^ a b c d Kristen Didn’t Like Kristen. stylecritics.com (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-04.
  36. ^ "MAXIM MAGAZINE Unveils Their ``Hot 100 for 2005; Eva Longoria Crowned #1 This Year", Business Wire, 2005-05-10. Retrieved on 2008-01-03. 
  37. ^ Kristen Bell of 2006 Hot 100 on Maxim.com. Maxim (2006). Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
  38. ^ Kristen Bell of 2007 Hot 100 on Maxim.com. Maxim (2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
  39. ^ Top 99 Women of 2008. Ask Men. Retrieved on 2008-02-11.
  40. ^ THE SEXIEST WOMEN OF TV. Wizarduniverse.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  41. ^ Bell, Kristen. Interview with Vanessa Juarez. Kristen Bell: Life After 'Mars'. Entertainment Weekly. 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
  42. ^ Bell, Kristen. Interview with Michigan Humane Society. Celebrity Chat with Kristen Bell. Michigan Humane Society. 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-04.
  43. ^ Bell, Kristen. Interview with Angel Cohn. Veronica Mars' Kristen Bell Talks of Laughs and LoVe. TV Guide. 2007-02-27. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
  44. ^ Bell, Kristen. Interview with Eric Goldman. Heroes: Kristen Bell on the Strike. IGN. 2007-12-11. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
  45. ^ Johnson, Richard (2007-12-27). Not Them Both. New York Post: Page 6. Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
  46. ^ Veronica Mars star a true 'Citizen of Hockeytown' - Red Wings Snapshots - MLive.com

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Persondata
NAME Kristen Bell
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Actress
DATE OF BIRTH July 18, 1980
PLACE OF BIRTH Huntington Woods, Michigan, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH