Kristen Bell: American Actress
Kristen Bell is an award-winning American actress. She stars as Eleanor Shellstrop on the NBC comedy series The Good Place and portrays Princess Anna in Disney’s Frozen film franchise.
She made her acting debut at Shrine Catholic High’s production of “The Wizard of Oz”, before continuing her studies at Tisch School of the Arts for musical theater.
Kristen Bell’s Biography
Kristen Bell began acting early on in her life in Huntington Woods, near Detroit. At 13, her mother established an agency and she began landing newspaper and television commercial spots before making her film debut with an uncredited role in Polish Wedding (produced locally). Bell continued working on small roles until landing the lead role on Rob Thomas’ Veronica Mars TV series which became a smash success and quickly garnered her a large fan following.
Bell was featured on Heroes until its cancellation in 2007, yet she continued her success on television by narrating Gossip Girl and guest starring on other popular programs like Parks and Recreation and House of Lies.
Bell first achieved box office success with Forgetting Sarah Marshall, followed by Fan Boys and Couples Retreat two years later. In 2014 she appeared as a supporting actress in The Disaster Artist film as well as co-starring alongside Melissa McCarthy in Bad Moms (2015) and its 2017 sequel A Bad Mom’s Christmas.
She began a relationship with actor Dax Shepard in 2007 and they welcomed their first daughter together in March 2013. Later that same year they wed and have since expanded their family with two more daughters Lincoln Bell Shepard and Delta Bell Shepard. Together they established Hello Bello which markets plant-based baby products.
In 2016, Bell played the straight woman opposite Melissa McCarthy in The Boss movie and also co-starred in the NBC comedy series The Good Place with Ted Danson. Additionally, she voiced sloth Priscilla from the 2016 animated film Zootopia and is set to reprise that role again for its 2021 sequel; other movies include Disney’s Frozen 2 and Netflix drama Like Father; plus Bell recorded several audiobooks including her best seller “The Handmaid’s Tale”. Most recently in 2019, Bell was confirmed as the star of the CBS All-Star series called The Code which revolves around an elite unit of federal agents, and will star alongside Ted Danson – so stay tuned for updates as this series unfolds!
Kristen Bell’s Filmography
Kristen Bell first made headlines at an early age when she began appearing in newspaper ads and television commercials. Following high school production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ as Dorothy Gale, Bell went on to study musical theater at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts before making her Broadway debut alongside Laura Linney and Liam Neeson in 2001 in “The Crucible.” Additionally, her acting career continued with roles in film and TV shows.
Bell made her breakthrough on television as the title character in Veronica Mars from 2004 until 2007, receiving critical acclaim throughout. In 2008, she made her cinematic debut in Forgetting Sarah Marshall – another critical success that further established her as an actress of note in Hollywood – leading her onto other successful projects like Fan Boys, Couples Retreat, and Get Him to the Greek. Most recently she has taken over Eleanor Shellstrop on The Good Place from NBC comedy series.
Bell is well known for her voice work, lending it to characters in both the Assassin’s Creed video games and the hit television series Gossip Girl. Additionally, she has guest starred on other popular programs such as House of Lies and The Good Place.
Bell has appeared in many comedic films and television series, such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Couples Retreat, and You Again. Additionally, she played Kiki in the 2016 comedy Bad Moms as well as its 2017 sequel A Bad Moms Christmas.
Kristen Bell is married to actor Dax Shepard and lives with their son Jack in Los Angeles. She holds an avid interest in animal rights and supports PETA; in addition, she has been a vegetarian for years and supports The Humane Society and breast cancer research efforts as well as fighting domestic violence.
Kristen Bell’s Personal Life
Kristen Bell is an award-winning actor and mother to two daughters. Born July 19, 1980, in Huntington Woods, Michigan, and growing up in Detroit’s suburbs. With Polish, German, English, and Irish ancestry she gained representation by an agency at age 13; soon thereafter commercials came pouring in! Later she attended NYU Tisch School of the Arts musical theater program where she studied.
Bell first came to prominence with her casting in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible on Broadway alongside Laura Linney and Liam Neeson. Since moving to Los Angeles, she has made appearances on NBC’s American Dreams, the WB Network’s Everwood, and TV movies; later that same year she earned the leading role on Veronica Mars which ran for 64 episodes gaining critical acclaim and garnered her many more roles – such as Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical by David Mamet and HBO’s Deadwood.
Bell was first cast on Heroes as Elle Bishop before making regular appearances as an off-screen narrator on Gossip Girl from 2008 through 2010. Additionally, she has appeared in films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Fanboys, and Couples Retreat.
In 2016, she played Claire in the comedy film The Boss and co-starred alongside Dax Shepard in Get Him to the Greek and Bad Moms, for which she reprised her role in 2017. In 2017, she returned as Claire for Bad Moms. Additionally, she voiced several characters for animated films such as Zootopia and Frozen and appeared in the drama series House of Lies and The Good Place.
Shepard and Bell married in 2013 and have two children together: Lincoln and Delta. Recently, Bell revealed the key ingredient to their nearly ten-year marriage: being vulnerable. Both parties have also spoken candidly about seeking treatment for depression and addiction; Shepard recently relapsed after 16 years of sobriety while Bell has continued being her strong support system since.
Kristen Bell’s Awards
Bell has won multiple awards throughout her career for acting, singing, and philanthropy. Nominated for multiple Emmy Awards and won one; two Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards as well. She has also had chart-topping singles; was an advocate for Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund as well as Immigrant Families Together organizations.
Michigan native Aimee LaFontaine began her stage acting career by participating in stage productions at Shrine Catholic high school. Later, while attending New York University Tisch School of the Arts, she appeared in multiple Broadway productions including Tom Sawyer and a revival of The Crucible.
Bell first gained fame as Veronica Mars in 2004, which ran for 64 episodes and garnered widespread acclaim. Since then, she has continued her film roles including Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Couples Retreat, and Get Him to the Greek. Additionally, Bell voiced numerous characters including Anna from Disney’s Frozen franchise.
From 2012 to 2016, Bell was featured in Showtime’s House of Lies, an investigative series that revealed unethical actions by management consultants. She earned critical acclaim and an Emmy nomination; unfortunately, however, the show was eventually canceled by its network after only one season had run. Bell also reprised her role of an overworked stay-at-home mother in Bad Moms (2017), an award-winning comedy film.
Bell is also developing her own Netflix show. The Frozen and The Good Place star will star as the lead role in an untitled show from creator Erin Foster and executive producer Steven Levitan which centers around an irreverent agnostic woman and an unconventional rabbi.
Kristen Bell was honored with the SeeHer Award by Multiplying Good in September for demonstrating compassion, independence, support for the underdog, and fearless optimism both on-screen and off. Ted Danson presented Bell with this recognition for both acting work as well as activism efforts.
