Kristen Bell
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| Kristen Bell | |
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Bell at the 2007 Scream Awards
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| Born | Kristen Anne Bell July 18, 1980 Huntington Woods, Michigan, U.S. |
| Residence | Los Angeles County, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress, Singer |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse(s) | Dax Shepard (m. 2013) |
| Children | 1 |
During her time on Veronica Mars, Bell appeared as Mary Lane in the film Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical, a reprise of the role she had played in the New York theatrical production of the musical upon which the film was based. She also portrayed the lead role in the 2006 film Pulse, the remake of a J-Horror film. In 2007, Bell joined the cast of the sci-fi television series Heroes, playing the character Elle Bishop, and the drama series Gossip Girl, as the off-screen titular narrator. In 2008, she played Sarah Marshall in the comedy film Forgetting Sarah Marshall. She has since appeared in a various number of comedy films, such as Fanboys, Couples Retreat, You Again, and When in Rome. Bell also voices Lucy Stillman in the Assassin's Creed video game series and Princess Anna in the 2013 Disney animated film Frozen, the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
Bell has been the recipient of a Satellite Award and a Saturn Award, and has been previously nominated several times for Television Critics Association Awards and Teen Choice Awards, amongst other accolades.
Contents
Early life and family
Bell was born and raised in Huntington Woods, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. Her mother, Lorelei (née Frygier), is a registered nurse, and her father, Tom Bell, works as the television news director for CBS Television in Sacramento.[2] Her parents divorced when she was two years old, and she has two half-sisters, Sara and Jody, from her father's second marriage. Bell is of Polish and Scottish descent.[3] Bell has strabismus, which affects her right eye. She inherited it from her mother, who had it corrected as a child. Bell claims that if she does not get enough sleep, it aggravates the ailment. She calls her right eye "Wonky."[4][5]Bell stated that she did not like her first name at the age of four. Bell's mother convinced her to go by her middle name of Anne instead; she used the name Annie until high school.[6]
Just before her freshman year of high school, Bell's parents decided to pull her from the public school system.[7] She then attended Shrine Catholic High School in nearby Royal Oak, where she took part in the drama and music club.[8] During her time at the school, she won the starring role in the school's 1997 production of The Wizard of Oz, as Dorothy Gale[9] 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.[10]
Shortly after her high school graduation, Bell moved to New York City to attend the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University,[6] 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 version of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Career
Early work (1992–2003)
In 1992, Bell went to her first audition and won a dual role as a banana and a tree[13] in a suburban Detroit theater's production of Raggedy Ann and Andy.[6] Her mother had established her with an agent before Bell was 13, which allowed her to appear in newspaper advertisements for several Detroit retailers and television commercials. She also began private acting lessons.[6] In 1998, she appeared with an uncredited role in the locally filmed film Polish Wedding.In 2001, Bell left New York University to play a role as Becky Thatcher in the short-lived Broadway musical of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. That same year, she made her credited film debut in Pootie Tang. Her one line in the film was cut and her appearance exists only as a scene shown during the credit sequence.[14] Additionally, she auditioned for the television series Smallville for the role of Chloe Sullivan, a part eventually won by Allison Mack.[15] 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,[14] 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.[13]
In 2003, she landed a role in the Hallmark Channel film The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay. Bell appeared on the show Punk'd.
Breakout (2004–06)
At 24 she 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, the series starred Bell 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. Bell noted the parallels between the character of Veronica and her own life—Bell's parents had divorced and her best friend had also died, 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]
In 2005, Bell starred in Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical, reprising the role she played in the short-lived 2001 off-broadway musical. The musical was a spoof of the 1936 exploitation film of the same name. 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 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 a short independent film called The Receipt 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 US$27.9 million worldwide,[19] 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.""[20]
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.[21] The two-hour series finale aired in the United States on May 22, 2007, and on June 11, 2007 Thomas officially announced in an email to TV Guide's Michael Ausiello that Veronica Mars had been canceled by the CW.[22] A Veronica Mars feature film and comic book series continuation had been discussed,[23] 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.[21]Following the cancellation of Veronica Mars, Bell had voiced interest in appearing on Heroes because she was a fan prior to being cast.[24] On July 29, 2007, during a train ride back to Los Angeles 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."[25] She was also spoken to about a role on Lost, but turned down the role[26][27] of Charlotte Staples Lewis.[28] Bell portrayed Elle Bishop on Heroes, a "mysterious young lady" with an "awesome power".[25] She did not have to audition for the role of Elle,[14] who made her first appearance in an October 2007 episode, and appeared in at least thirteen episodes during the run of the series.[29] The casting of Bell, Heroes creator Tim Kring explained, "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] Bell lent her voice to the CW series Gossip Girl: she voiced the title character in every episode of the series, appearing in person only for a surprise cameo in the final episode, portraying herself.
Bell has said that when she is free from film and television roles, she would like to perform on stage again.[35] She co-starred with singers Christina Aguilera and Cher in the film musical Burlesque which was released on Thanksgiving in 2010. Bell had a cameo in horror film, Scream 4, which was released on April 15, 2011.[36] She also starred in the 2012 film Big Miracle.[37] She has also appeared in the music video for "Madder Red" by Brooklyn experimental rock band Yeasayer. Bell portrayed "Mary Magdalene" in The Truth & Life Dramatized Audio New Testament Bible, a 22-hour, celebrity-voiced, dramatized audio New Testament which uses the RSV-CE translation.
Bell stars as Jeannie van der Hooven, the female lead on the Showtime series House of Lies, which premiered on January 8, 2012. Bell starred in The Lifeguard, written and directed by Liz W. Garcia, which began filming in July 2012, and was released in August 2013.[38] She also voiced the main character, Anna, in the Walt Disney Pictures animated film, Frozen, which was released on November 22, 2013. In 2013, for multiple episodes, Kristen Bell played Ingrid de Forest, an Eagleton City Councilwoman, on Parks and Recreation.
On March 13, 2013, it was confirmed that a Veronica Mars film would finally be coming to fruition. Bell and series creator Rob Thomas, launched a fundraising campaign to produce the film through Kickstarter and attained the $2 million goal in less than ten hours.[39] The main cast members of the series all reprised their roles in the feature film. Production of the film took place during summer 2013, and it was released theatrically and on video-on-demand on March 14, 2014.[40][41]
In April 2014, she expressed an interest in reprising her role in Frozen for the fourth season of ABC's fantasy-drama series Once Upon a Time.[42][43]
In the media
In 2006 and again in 2013,[44] Bell was selected "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" on PETA's yearly poll.[45] She was placed #68 on Maxim's 2005 "Hot 100" list,[46] #11 in Maxim's 2006 "Hot 100" list,[47] 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."[48] In 2006, Maxim also placed Bell at the top of the "Fall TV's Criminally Sexy Investigators" List.[45] In 2008, she was featured at #59 on Ask Men's Top 99 Women of 2008 List.[49] Reflecting on her admitted popularity with "geeks", Bell was voted the fourth sexiest woman on TV by the staff at Wizard magazine.[50]
Bell has been associated with the idea that "nerdy is the new cool", and she explained, "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."[51] She has also said, "I love nerds. Comic-Con junkies are the tastemakers of tomorrow. Isn't that funny? The tables have turned."[14] Vanessa Juarez of Entertainment Weekly commented that Bell's roles on Veronica Mars, Heroes and as a Star Wars fanatic in Fanboys have "solidif[ied] her placement at the center of the geek universe", while Rodney Rothman stated, "I guess she's cornered the market on losers."[52] 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.[53] 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." Bell is sometimes confused with Lauren Conrad from the show The Hills. "Yeah, sometimes fans yell, 'Hey, Lauren' to me, but usually from a distance," said Kristen.[20]
Despite "new celebrity" status, Bell claimed that she was not concerned because "no one ever recognizes me anyway". As Bell explained, "I hang out with Hayden 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."[51] Bell is a recurring guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, appearing in interviews as well as sketches. On The Late Late Show, she shows a humorous hostility towards Craig's robot skeleton sidekick Geoff Peterson, claiming that she had wanted to be Craig's sidekick on his show and taking it upon herself to cut Geoff down every chance she gets. Both Bell and Geoff Peterson appeared with Ferguson during the five Late Late Shows filmed in France.[54]
In January 2011, it was announced that Bell would be the new face of Neutrogena.[55]
Bell posed topless for the May 2014 issue of Allure magazine.[56]
Personal life
Relationships and family
In 2007, Bell ended a five-year relationship with former fiancé Kevin Mann.[57] She later 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."[51]Bell began dating actor Dax Shepard in late 2007. The couple announced their engagement in January 2010,[58] however, they decided to delay marriage until the state of California passed legislation legalizing same-sex marriage.[59] They co-starred in the 2012 film Hit and Run.[60] After section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act fell on June 26, 2013, Bell asked Shepard to marry her through Twitter,[61] which he accepted.[62] Bell and Shepard were married at the Beverly Hills County Clerk's Office on October 17, 2013.[63] They have one daughter, Lincoln Bell Shepard, born in March 2013.[64] According to Bell in April 2014, Lincoln knows how to say 3 words and can dance.[65] In June 2014, it was announced that they were expecting their second child.[66]
Beliefs, interests, and charity work
She and many of those who worked on Veronica Mars, including personal 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 Northern Ugandans who are caught in the midst of a civil war between the government and Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army.[69] Bell has also done a public service announcement for Do Something's Healthy Living Campaign.[70]
Bell supported and campaigned for Barack Obama during the 2008 United States presidential election. Along with Rashida Jones, she visited college campuses in Missouri to discuss the candidates and encourage voter registration.[71][72][73] 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."[74]
Bell is a lover of sloths. When her then-fiancé Dax Shepard hired a sloth for her birthday celebration, she broke down in tears.[75][76] She is also an avid fan of the Detroit Red Wings hockey team.[77]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Polish Wedding | Teenage girl | Uncredited |
| 2001 | Pootie Tang | Record executive's daughter | |
| 2002 | People Are Dead | Angela's friend #1 | |
| 2002 | The Cat Returns | Hiromi (voice) | English dub |
| 2004 | Spartan | Laura Newton | |
| 2004 | Gracie's Choice | Gracie Thompson | |
| 2005 | Reefer Madness | Mary Lane | |
| 2005 | Deepwater | Nurse Laurie | |
| 2005 | Last Days of America | Friend in New York #1 | |
| 2005 | The Receipt | Pretty Girl | Short film |
| 2006 | Fifty Pills | Gracie | |
| 2006 | Pulse | Mattie | |
| 2006 | Roman | The Girl / Isis | |
| 2007 | Flatland: The Movie | Hex (voice) | Short film |
| 2008 | Fanboys | Zoe | |
| 2008 | Forgetting Sarah Marshall | Sarah Marshall | |
| 2009 | Serious Moonlight | Sara | |
| 2009 | Astro Boy | Cora (voice) | |
| 2009 | Couples Retreat | Cynthia | |
| 2010 | Astro Boy vs. The Junkyard Pirates | Cora (voice) | Short film |
| 2010 | Lost Masterpieces of Pornography | June Crenshaw | Short film |
| 2010 | When in Rome | Beth | |
| 2010 | Get Him to the Greek | Sarah Marshall | Cameo |
| 2010 | You Again | Marni Olsen | |
| 2010 | Burlesque | Nikki | |
| 2011 | Scream 4 | Chloe | Cameo |
| 2012 | Safety Not Guaranteed | Belinda St. Sing | |
| 2012 | Big Miracle | Jill Jerard[78] | |
| 2012 | Flatland 2: Sphereland | Hex (voice) | |
| 2012 | Hit and Run | Annie | Also co-producer |
| 2012 | Stuck in Love | Tricia | |
| 2013 | Movie 43 | Supergirl | Segment: "Super Hero Speed Dating" |
| 2013 | Some Girl(s) | Bobbi | |
| 2013 | The Lifeguard | Leigh | |
| 2013 | Frozen | Princess Anna (voice) | |
| 2014 | Veronica Mars | Veronica Mars | Also producer |
| 2014 | Unity | Narrator | Documentary |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Shield | Jessica Hintel | Episode: "The Quick Fix" |
| 2003 | American Dreams | Amy Fielding | Episode: "Act of Contrition" |
| 2003 | The O'Keefes | Virginia's Owner | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay | Alison Dodge | Movie |
| 2003 | Everwood | Stacey Wilson | Episode: "Extra Ordinary" |
| 2004 | Gracie's Choice | Gracie Thompson | Movie |
| 2004 | Deadwood | Flora Anderson | 2 episodes |
| 2004–07 | Veronica Mars | Veronica Mars | Lead role (64 episodes) |
| 2007–08 | Heroes | Elle Bishop | 12 episodes |
| 2007–12 | Gossip Girl | Gossip Girl (voice) | 121 episodes (uncredited); also appeared as herself in the series finale |
| 2009 | The Cleveland Show | Mandy (voice) | Episode: "Da Doggone Daddy-Daughter Dinner Dance" |
| 2009–10 | Party Down | Uda Bengt | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Glenn Martin, DDS | Hayley (voice) | Episode: "Videogame Wizard" |
| 2011 | Robot Chicken | Hermione Granger / Sara Lee (voice) | Episode: "Some Like It Hitman" |
| 2012– present |
House of Lies | Jeannie van der Hooven | Lead role (36 episodes) |
| 2012 | Unsupervised | Megan (voice) | 13 episodes |
| 2013–14 | Parks and Recreation | Ingrid de Forest | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | Lady Gaga and the Muppets' Holiday Spectacular | Herself | Special |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Assassin's Creed | Lucy Stillman |
| 2009 | Astro Boy: The Video Game | Cora |
| 2009 | Assassin's Creed II | Lucy Stillman |
| 2010 | Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood | Lucy Stillman |
| 2013 | Disney Infinity | Anna |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The Adventures of Tom Sawyer | Becky Thatcher | |
| 2002 | The Crucible | Susanna Walcott | |
| 2003 | Sneaux | Sneaux Devareaux | |
| 2004 | A Little Night Music | Fredrika Armfeld |
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Burning Love | Mandy | 4 episodes |
Discography
Singles
| Track title | Performer(s) | Peak position | Certifications | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [79] |
CAN [79] |
AUS [80] |
IRE [81] |
KOR [82] |
UK [83] |
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| "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" | Bell, Agatha Lee Monn, Katie Lopez |
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| "For the First Time in Forever" | Bell and Idina Menzel |
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| "Love Is an Open Door" | Bell and Santino Fontana |
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Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Saturn Award | Best Actress on Television | Veronica Mars | Nominated |
| 2005 | Satellite Award | Outstanding Actress in a Series, Drama | Nominated | |
| 2005 | Satellite Award | Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television | Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical | Won |
| 2005 | Teen Choice Award | Choice TV Breakout Performance - Female | Veronica Mars | Nominated |
| 2006 | Saturn Award | Best Actress on Television | Won | |
| 2006 | Satellite Award | Best Actress in a Series, Drama | Nominated | |
| 2006 | Teen Choice Awards | TV - Choice Actress: Drama/Action Adventure | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Saturn Award | Best Actress in a Television Program | Nominated | |
| 2008 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actress: Comedy | Forgetting Sarah Marshall | Nominated |
| 2008 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Breakout Female | Nominated | |
| 2009 | Saturn Awards | Best Guest Starring Role in a Television Series | Heroes | Nominated |
| 2009 | MTV Movie Award | Best WTF Moment (shared with Jason Segel) | Forgetting Sarah Marshall | Nominated |
| 2009 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Action/Adventure | Heroes | Nominated |
| 2010 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actress: Comedy | Couples Retreat | Nominated |
| 2010 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actress: Romantic Comedy | When in Rome | Nominated |
| 2013 | Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Best Animated Female | Frozen | Won |
| 2014 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actress: Drama | Veronica Mars | Pending |
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