Kristen Bell American actress Date of Birth: 18.07.1980 Country: USA

Biography of Kristen Bell

Kristen Anne Bell was born on July 18, 1980, in Huntington Woods, Michigan, in a family of a local news program editor, Tom Bell, and a nurse, Lorelei 'Lori' Bell. Despite her parents' divorce when she was only two years old, Kristen admitted that her childhood was happy. She stayed with her father, who remarried two years later. "I spent equal time with both my father and mother," Bell said in an interview.

At the age of four, Kristen suddenly wanted everyone to call her Smurfette, a character from the animated series The Smurfs. However, her mother didn't dare to change her name drastically and suggested using her middle name, Anne, instead of Kristen. So, until the end of middle school, all of Kristen's classmates believed her name was Anne.

Kristen Bell was a gifted child. She not only participated in local theater productions but also played hockey. However, when she broke both her wrists in one of the amateur matches, she had to give up hockey. Nevertheless, she remained a passionate hockey fan and continues to support the Detroit Red Wings team. Until the age of eight, she attended the Burton International School for gifted children, where she studied singing and dancing. Kristen recalled her first stage success in a school production of Raggedy Ann and Andy when she was only 11 years old. "During the audition, I was constantly running around and shouting something incomprehensible," Bell remembers. "But they still chose me for the play. I played a banana in the first act and a tree in the second."

Before starting high school, her parents transferred her to Shrine High School in Royal Oak. There, she continued her acting career, performing in the school theater troupe, Stagecrafters. She played the role of Dorothy Gale in the production of The Wizard of Oz, as well as in the plays Lady Be Good and Li'l Abner. By the time she was 14, Kristen already had her own agent, who was looking for roles for her in local theaters. The school principal later recalled that "Kristen was an active, curious, and interesting girl. It was clear that she would become a good actress." In 1998, the year of her graduation, Kristen was named "The Most Attractive Girl in School" in the school yearbook. Several years later, Maxim magazine included Bell in its list of the 100 sexiest stars.

In the same year, Kristen experienced a huge tragedy when her best friend, Jenny DeRita, died in a car accident. "My world just turned upside down," Kristen confessed. "And at that moment, I realized that not only my friend had changed, but also my life: I started growing up." Kristen secluded herself in her room, not going out or talking to anyone. After the tragedy, she moved to New York, where she enrolled in the Tisch School of Arts, majoring in musical theater.

In 2001, Kristen Bell tried her hand in the Broadway production of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, where she played Becky Thatcher. A year later, she left university to pursue a career on Broadway. In the same year, she auditioned for the role of Chloe Sullivan in the TV series Smallville, but the role went to Allison Mack. In 2002, Kristen performed in the musical The Crucible, alongside Liam Neeson, Angela Bettis, and Laura Linney. After several successful roles, upon the advice of friends, Bell moved to Los Angeles. She actively participated in various film projects, even in supporting roles, and appeared as a guest in TV shows. Within a few weeks, she appeared in the films The Shield, Hallmark Hall of Fame, and in 2003, she starred in the film King and Queen of the Moonlit Bay.

In 2004, after being invited to the film Gracie's Choice, Bell's career began to gain momentum. After playing Laura Newton in the film Spartan, she caught the attention of director Rob Thomas, who invited Bell to star in the series Veronica Mars.

In 2005, alongside her work on Veronica Mars, Kristen appeared in the films Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical and Deepwater. A year later, Kristen Bell was invited to the TV series Heroes and Gossip Girl. Today, despite her busy schedule, Kristen loves to meet old friends and take walks in Los Angeles with her dogs, Lola and Mr. Shakes.