Kristen Anne Bell was born on July 18, 1980, inHuntington Woods, a northern suburb ofDetroit.[2] Her mother, Lorelei Jo (née Frygier), was a registered nurse and her father, Thomas Michael "Tom" Bell, was a television news director.[3][4][5] Kristen described her mother as "very religious" which put a strain on their relationship.[6] Her mother is of Polish descent, and her father has German, Scottish, and Irish ancestry.[7] Her parents divorced when she was six months old;[6] both have remarried and Bell has six siblings: two half-sisters from her father's second marriage and four step-siblings from her mother's second marriage.[8]
At the age of four, Bell said that she did not like her first name, so her mother encouraged her to use her middle name, Anne, which she used until she attended high school.[9] Just before her first year of high school, Bell's parents decided to remove her from the public school system.[10] She attendedShrine Catholic High School in nearbyRoyal Oak, where she was in the drama and music clubs.[11][12] Before going to Shrine Catholic, she was a student at Burton Elementary School in Huntington Woods.[8][13] At Shrine, she won the starring role in the school's 1997 production ofThe Wizard of Oz asDorothy Gale, and appeared in productions ofFiddler on the Roof (1995),Lady, Be Good (1996), andLi'l Abner (1998). In 1998, the year she graduated, she was named the yearbook's "Best Looking Lil' Lady" via a senior class vote.[14]
In 1992, Bell went to her first audition and won a dual role as a banana and a tree[18] in a suburban Detroit theater's production ofRaggedy Ann and Andy.[15] 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 began private acting lessons.[15] In 1998, she had an uncredited role in the filmPolish Wedding.[8] In 2001, Bell left New York University to playBecky Thatcher in the short-lived Broadway musical ofThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer.[19] That year, she made her credited film debut inPootie Tang. Her single line of dialogue was cut, and she appears only during the credits.[20]
In 2002, she appeared in the Broadway revival ofThe Crucible withLiam Neeson,Angela Bettis andLaura Linney. Bell moved to Los Angeles in 2002 because of her friendship with writersKevin Murphy and Dan Studney,[20] and appeared in a handful of television shows as a special guest, finding trouble gaining a recurring role in a television series. Bell said she "tested like eight times and booked nothing and every show [she] tested for got picked up", including auditions forSkin and what she called"that Norm Macdonald show".[18] In 2003, Bell appeared in FX'sThe Shield, season 2, episode 1, which aired on January 7, 2003. She appeared inEverwood, season 2 episode 2 as a cheerleader. She co-starred in the filmThe King and Queen of Moonlight Bay as Alison, a 17-year-old girl who travels to Arizona to reconnect with the father who abandoned her family.[21]
At 24, she won the role of the title character in theUPN noir drama seriesVeronica Mars, which was launched in the fall of 2004. Created byRob Thomas, the series starred Bell as the seventeen-year-old anti-establishment high school student and private detective. Bell drew on the parallels between the character of Veronica and her own life, since Bell's parents had divorced and her best friend had also died.[17] The series earned acclaim from critics. Bell's performance earned her theSaturn Award for Best Actress on Television and a nomination for theTCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama, among numerous others. Some critics asserted that her performance was overlooked, and deserved consideration for aPrimetime Emmy Award.[24][25][26]
Aside from working onVeronica Mars, Bell starred inReefer Madness: The Movie Musical, reprising the role she played in the short-lived 2001Off-Broadway musical. The musical was a spoof ofReefer Madness, the 1936 exploitation film.Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical debuted on theShowtime network on April 16, 2005. Also in April, Bell starred as Gracie inFifty Pills, an entry for theTribeca Film Festival. She appeared in a short independent film calledThe Receipt and the horror filmRoman, which was directed by herCrucible co-star Angela Bettis. Released on August 11, 2006,Pulse starred Bell as the lead Mattie. A remake of the Japanese horror filmKairo, the film grossed US$27.9 million worldwide[27] but garnered negative response from critics. Frank Scheck ofThe 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.'"[28]
Veronica Mars continued on UPN for a second season; for the third season, the show was renewed and appeared on the newly createdThe CW. On January 19, 2007, CW Entertainment PresidentDawn Ostroff announced that while she was pleased with the gradual improvement ofVeronica 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 cancelation of the series.[29] A two-hour series finale aired in the United States on May 22, 2007, and on June 11, 2007, Thomas officially announced in an email toTV Guide's Michael Ausiello thatVeronica Mars had been canceled by The CW.[30] AVeronica Mars feature film and comic book series continuation had been discussed,[31] and for a short time there was talk of another collaboration between Bell and creator Thomas that would be unrelated to theVeronica Mars series.[29]
Following the cancellation ofVeronica Mars, Bell voiced interest in appearing onHeroes because she was a fan.[32] On July 29, 2007, during a train ride back to Los Angeles fromSan Diego Comic-Con withHeroes actorsZachary Quinto andMasi Oka, and writers from the series, the writers had mentioned that if she "ever want[ed] to come onHeroes, give us [writers] a call," to which Bell said she would "love to".[33] Meanwhile, there were discussions about a role onLost, but Bell turned down the role[34][35] ofCharlotte Staples Lewis.[36] Bell portrayedElle Bishop onHeroes, a "mysterious young lady" with an "awesome power".[33] She did not have to audition for the role of Elle,[20] who made her first appearance in an October 2007 episode, and appeared in twelve episodes during the run of the series.[37] The casting of Bell,Heroes creatorTim Kring explained, "was not easy to pull off", but because of the large ensemble cast of the series and multiplestory arcs, "we found a way to jump into a small window in [Bell's] schedule."[37] Bell lent her voice to The CW seriesGossip Girl; she voiced the titular character in every episode of the series, appearing in person only for a surprise cameo in the final episode, portraying herself.[38][39]
Shortly after the cancelation ofVeronica Mars in early 2007, Bell filmed on location inHawaii for a starring role as the title character in theJudd Apatow comedyForgetting Sarah Marshall. She regarded theimprovisational comedy in the film as "a lovely experience".[20] The film, written by and also starringJason Segel, was released theatrically on April 18, 2008, and greatly increased Bell's profile. Bell lent her voice and likeness to the video gameAssassin's Creed, which was released in November 2007 for consoles and April 2008 for the PC.[40] Bell reprised her role of Lucy inAssassin's Creed II, released in November 2009, and again inAssassin's Creed: Brotherhood, released in November 2010.[41] In the spring of 2006, she finished filming theStar Wars-themed comedyFanboys. DirectorKyle Newman received additional funding to shoot new scenes, but the busy schedules of the actors only allowed for filming in September 2007. As a result, the release was delayed until January 14, 2008.[42] Bell starred in the 2009 comediesSerious Moonlight, alongsideMeg Ryan, andCouples Retreat, which chronicles four couples who partake in therapy sessions at a tropical island resort.Jason Bateman played her husband.[43] She provided the voice for Cora inAstro Boy. On March 31, 2008, Bell began shooting theMark Steven Johnson-writtenDisney filmWhen in Rome on location in Rome and New York; the film was released in 2010.[44] Bell reprised her role as Sarah Marshall for a cameo appearance in the filmGet Him to the Greek, a spin-off sequel fromForgetting Sarah Marshall, released June 4, 2010.[45][46]
Bell co-starred alongside singersChristina Aguilera andCher in the backstage musical filmBurlesque, which was released in November 2010. She had a cameo appearance alongsideAnna Paquin in the slasher horror filmScream 4, which was released on April 15, 2011.[47]
In 2012, Bell starred in the family drama filmBig Miracle.[48] She appeared in the music video for "Madder Red" by Brooklynexperimental rock bandYeasayer.[49] Bell portrayedMary Magdalene inThe Truth & Life Dramatized Audio New Testament Bible, a 22-hour, celebrity-voiced, dramatized audio adaptation of theNew Testament that uses theRSV-CE translation.[50]
Bell at the premiere ofFrozen in 2013 at the El Capitan Theatre
Bell starred as Jeannie van der Hooven, the female lead on theShowtime comedy seriesHouse of Lies, which premiered on January 8, 2012. The series ended on June 12, 2016. Bell appeared in a supporting role in the science-fiction comedySafety Not Guaranteed (2012). She starred in the drama filmThe Lifeguard, written and directed byLiz W. Garcia, which began filming in July 2012 and was released in August 2013.[51] She voicedAnna inFrozen, which was released on November 27, 2013.[52] In 2013, for multiple episodes, Bell played Ingrid de Forest, an Eagleton City Councilwoman, onParks and Recreation.[53]
On March 13, 2013, it was confirmed that aVeronica Mars film would be coming to fruition. Bell and series creatorRob Thomas launched a fundraising campaign to produce the film throughKickstarter and attained the $2 million goal in less than ten hours.[54] 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.[55][56]
In 2018, she began hosting the web seriesMomsplaining with Kristen Bell, with episodes airing on theEllen DeGeneres video platform Ellentube. In the series, Bell gives new and expecting mothers tips about motherhood. The title of the series is a pun on the commonly used term "mansplaining".[64][65][66] Bell later had the leading role in theNetflix comedy-drama filmLike Father. She voiced the character of Jade Wilson in the animated comedy filmTeen Titans Go! To the Movies and reprised her voice role as Princess Anna in the animated comedy sequel filmRalph Breaks the Internet.[67]
On September 20, 2018,Hulu confirmed that Bell would reprise her role of Veronica Mars in an eight-episodefourth season of the drama seriesVeronica Mars, which would premiere in July 2019.[68] In 2019, she again reprised her role of Princess Anna in the video gameKingdom Hearts III[69] and the sequelFrozen 2[70] which was released on November 22, 2019.[71] Bell served as host and executive producer on theDisney+ docuseriesEncore!, which premiered in November 2019.[72] She made her directorial debut with the eighth episode of the fourth season ofThe Good Place.[73] The series concluded after its fourth season, airing its final episode in January 2020.[74] At the25th Critics' Choice Awards, Bell received the #SeeHer Award, which recognizes women who "push boundaries on changing stereotypes and acknowledge the importance of authentic portrayals of women across the entertainment landscape".[75]
In 2020, Bell published the children's bookThe World Needs More Purple People,[76] which she co-wrote withBenjamin Hart. Also in 2020, Bell voiced Molly Tillerman in theApple TV+ animated musical comedy seriesCentral Park, which reunited her withFrozen co-starJosh Gad andBad Moms co-starKathryn Hahn.[77]Central Park received a two-season order from Apple and the series premiered on May 29, 2020. In June 2020, it was announced that Bell, who is white, would no longer voice the biracial character of Molly. The role would be re-cast with a black or mixed race actress, with Bell voicing a new role.[78]
In 2021, Bell produced and voiced a lead character in theAmazon Prime Video animated musical pre-school seriesDo, Re, & Mi.[79] She returned to narrate as the titular character of theHBO Max teen drama seriesGossip Girl, a soft reboot and sequel to the 2007–2012 seriesGossip Girl.[80] Bell starred alongsideKirby Howell-Baptiste as a pair of housewives who created a multi-million dollar coupon scam in the comedy filmQueenpins.[81][82] The film was released toParamount+ on September 10, 2021.[83]
In 2006 and again in 2013,[87] Bell was selected "World's SexiestVegetarian" onPETA's yearly poll.[88] She was placed 68 onMaxim's 2005 "Hot 100" list,[89] 11 inMaxim's 2006 "Hot 100" list,[90] and 46 inMaxim's 2007 "Hot 100" list in which she was stated to have "single-handedly savedThe CW from becoming the worst network ever".[91] In 2006,Maxim also placed Bell at the top of the "Fall TV's Criminally Sexy Investigators" List.[88] In 2008, she was ranked 59 onAskMen's Top 99 Women of 2008 List.[92] Reflecting on her admitted popularity with "geeks", Bell was voted the fourth-sexiest woman on TV by the staff atWizard magazine.[93]
Bell stated she never thought of herself as womanly because "I always play and look and act 10 years younger than I am." However, she said, "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."[94] Bell has said that many of her characters aretomboys because she was "not homely enough to play thenerdy girl and not nearly pretty enough to play the pretty girl".[94]
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."[94] She has also said, "I love nerds.Comic-Con junkies are the tastemakers of tomorrow. Isn't that funny? The tables have turned."[20] Vanessa Juarez ofEntertainment Weekly commented that Bell's roles onVeronica Mars,Heroes and as aStar Wars fanatic inFanboys have "solidif[ied] her placement at the center of the geek universe," whileRodney Rothman stated, "I guess she's cornered the market on losers."[95] Bell's work is often compared toSarah Michelle Gellar's portrayal of thetitle character on the television seriesBuffy the Vampire Slayer.[96] Frank Scheck ofThe 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 withLauren Conrad fromThe Hills. "Yeah, sometimes fans yell, 'Hey, Lauren' to me, but usually from a distance," said Bell.[28]
Despite "new celebrity" status, Bell claimed that she was not concerned because "no one ever recognizes me anyway". She has said that her friendHayden Panettiere is more famous than she is and attracts more attention; 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."[94]
Bell was a recurring guest onThe Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, appearing in interviews as well as sketches. OnThe Late Late Show, she repeatedly showed a humorous hostility towardsCraig Ferguson's robot skeleton sidekickGeoff Peterson, claiming that she had wanted to be Ferguson's sidekick on his show and taking it upon herself to cut Peterson down every chance she got. Both Bell and Peterson appeared with Ferguson during the fiveLate Late Show episodes filmed in France in 2011.[97]
In January 2011, it was announced that Bell would be the new face ofNeutrogena.[98] In 2014, Bell posed nude for the May issue ofAllure magazine – alongsideJenna Dewan,Minnie Driver, andNia Long.[99] In April 2019, Bell was featured on the cover ofEntrepreneur magazine's April–May issue. In the article, she discussed her snack bar company, This Bar Saves Lives, which donates its sales to help feed malnourished children around the globe.[100] In November 2019, Bell andIdina Menzel, who play sisters inDisney'sFrozen franchise, received neighboring stars—Bell's was the 2681st and Menzel's was the 2682nd—on theHollywood Walk of Fame.[101][102]
In 2007, Bell ended a five-year relationship with former fiancé Kevin Mann.[103] She later toldComplex magazine that dating "makes me want to vomit. And not out of grossness—OK, a little bit out of grossness, but just nerves... I've always been aserial monogamist."[94]
In late 2007, Bell began dating actorDax Shepard, who is also from theDetroit metropolitan area. They announced their engagement in January 2010.[104] They decided to delay marriage until the state of California passed legislation legalizingsame-sex marriage.[105] They co-starred in the 2010 filmWhen in Rome, the 2012 filmHit and Run,[106] and the 2017 filmCHiPs. After section 3 of theDefense of Marriage Act was ruled unconstitutional by theSupreme Court on June 26, 2013, Bell asked Shepard to marry her through Twitter,[107] which he accepted.[108] They were married at theBeverly Hills County Clerk's Office on October 16, 2013.[109] They have two daughters, born in March 2013 and December 2014.[110][111]
In May 2016, Bell said that she has received treatment fordepression andanxiety.[112] She said, "It's important for me to be candid about this so people in a similar situation can realize that they are not worthless and that they do have something to offer."[113] In a March 2020 blog post, Bell wrote, "Don’t be fooled by this game of perfection that humans play. Because Instagram and magazines and TV shows, they strive for a certain aesthetic, and everything looks so beautiful, and people seem like they don’t have any problems, but everyone’s human. Everyone has problems. Everyone feels yucky on the inside sometimes."[114]
In an interview withJimmy Kimmel in August 2018, Bell discussed why she wears scuba gloves while swimming. She stated that she fears the sensation of touching things with water-immersed, wrinkled fingers, otherwise known as "prune fingers". The gloves have allowed her to swim with her children without fearing touching them.[115]
At age 11, Bell became avegetarian.[88] In an interview with PETA, Bell discussed her pets, "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 myBrussels sprouts!"[116] By 2012, Bell and Shepard had becomevegan after watching the documentaryForks Over Knives.[117][118] However, during her first pregnancy she went back to eating dairy products and eggs.[119]
In 2023, Bell revealed that she had taken upBrazilian jiu-jitsu. She was training under Cesalina Gracie in mother-daughter classes alongside her daughter.[127]
Bell and otherVeronica Mars cast members, includingRyan Hansen, are involved with the charityInvisible Children, Inc. The goal of the organization is to create awareness of the plight ofNorthern Ugandans who are caught in the midst of acivil war between the government andJoseph Kony'sLord's Resistance Army.[129] In 2014, Bell launched aPrizeo campaign offering fans a chance to win a date with her in return for donating to Invisible Children, Inc.[130] In 2018, Bell participated in a television advertisement for bone marrow donations, specifically the Gift of Life Marrow Registry. Her actions resulted in several matches that are documented on the Gift of Life website.[131] Bell won a2020 Webby Special Achievement Award.[132]
In 2013, Kristen Bell, along with actorsRyan Devlin,Todd Grinnell, andRavi Patel, founded the granola bar company This Bar Saves Lives to help fight malnutrition. The business donates food aid in the form of nutrition packets to children inHaiti,South Sudan,Ethiopia, andSomalia. Since its launch, the company has donated more than 10 million packets as of February 2019.[133]
In 2019, Bell and her husband founded the company Hello Bello that markets plant-based baby care products said to be environmentally friendly and affordable.[134] As of 2021, Hello Bello's estimated annual revenue was $26.1 million a year with 104 employees.[135] In 2020, she partnered to start Happy Dance, a line of vegan CBD products such as eye cream and hand moisturizers. In 2023, Hello Bello filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy, blaming years of declining sales and the financial startup crisis. The company is set to be acquired by private equity firm Hildred Capital Management.[136]
^Bell, Kristen; Kring, Tim (October 26, 2007)."Tim Kring & Kristen Bell interview".Thescifiworld.net (Interview). Interviewed by Renee Burl.Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. RetrievedNovember 26, 2007.
^Peak chart positions for charted songs in Australia:
"Do You Want to Build a Snowman?":"Kristen Bell discography".Australian-charts.com.Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. RetrievedSeptember 30, 2018.
