Lake Bell | |
|---|---|
 Bell at the 2013Montclair Film Festival | |
| Born | Lake Siegel Bell (1979-03-24)March 24, 1979 (age 46) New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Skidmore College Rose Bruford College (BA) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Lake Siegel Bell[1] (born March 24, 1979)[2] is an American actress, screenwriter, and director. She has appeared in various television series, includingBoston Legal (2004–2006),Surface (2005–2006),How to Make It in America (2010–2011),Childrens Hospital (2008–2016), andBless This Mess (2019–2020) and in films includingOver Her Dead Body (2008),What Happens in Vegas (2008),It's Complicated (2009),No Strings Attached (2011),Million Dollar Arm (2014),No Escape (2015),Man Up (2015),The Secret Life of Pets (2016),Shot Caller (2017),Home Again (2017),The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019), andBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).
She wrote and directed the short filmWorst Enemy, which debuted at theSundance Film Festival in 2012, followed by her 2013 feature film directing debut,In a World..., in which she also starred.[1] In 2017, she directed, wrote, co-produced, and starred inI Do... Until I Don't.[citation needed] Bell has also voicedPoison Ivy in theMax seriesHarley Quinn (2019–present) andBlack Widow in theDisney+ seriesWhat If...? (2021–2024).[3]
Bell was born in New York City. Her mother, Robin Bell, owns the design firm Robin Bell Design in New York.[4][5][6][7][8] Her father is real estate developer Harvey Siegel.[9] He bought theVirginia International Raceway after it had closed, and converted it to a racetrackcountry club. He also ownedNew Jersey Motorsports Park.[10]
Bell's father isJewish and her mother isProtestant. Bell has stated that she was raised in a "comically dysfunctional" family.[11][12]
Bell attendedThe Chapin School in New York andWestminster School inSimsbury, Connecticut. As a high school junior, Bell attendedSchool Year Abroad (SYA) at its school located inRennes, France. For part of her teenage years, she lived inVero Beach, Florida and attendedSaint Edwards School.[13] She attendedSkidmore College inSaratoga Springs, New York, but decided to focus on acting and transferred toRose Bruford College in London, which emphasized theater and the arts.[14][15]
At Rose Bruford, she acted in theatrical productions includingThe Seagull,The Children's Hour,Six Degrees of Separation,Light Shining in Buckinghamshire andThe Pentecost.[16]
Bell began her career in 2002 with roles in the filmSpeakeasy, a film about two men who become unlikely friends after a minor traffic accident, and in two episodes of the TV medical dramaER. After appearing in thepsychological thrillerI Love Your Work, she was cast alongsideJeff Goldblum as the female lead in theNBC television filmWar Stories. She next playedAlicia Silverstone's wisecracking best friend, Victoria Carlson, in NBC'scomedy-drama seriesMiss Match. In 2004, Bell appeared in the wrestling filmSlammed and made her debut asSally Heep in the final four episodes of the seriesThe Practice. Her character was carried over into thespinoffBoston Legal, where she was a regular cast member until she left the series in 2005. She also appeared alongsideDustin Hoffman in anAudi commercial that spoofed his well-known filmThe Graduate.
Bell played the lead role in thescience fiction seriesSurface, which aired between September 2005 and May 2006. She also starred in the filmRampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders (2006) about theHillside Strangler of the late 1970s; and returned toBoston Legal for two episodes, reprising her role as Sally Heep, opposing counsel toAlan Shore (portrayed byJames Spader). In 2008, she played the female lead in the thrillerUnder Still Waters, for which she won theNewport Beach Film Festival Award for Outstanding Performance in Acting.[17] She also starred alongsidePaul Rudd andEva Longoria in theromantic comedyOver Her Dead Body, played the best friend ofCameron Diaz's character in the romantic comedyWhat Happens in Vegas; and played the wife ofColin Farrell's character in thecrime dramaPride and Glory.
She was cast as the lead female role, Dr. Cat Black, inRob Corddry'ssatirical comedyChildrens Hospital.[18] The fourth season began airing in August 2012 and featured two episodes that were directed by Bell: the season premiere, "The Boy with the Pancakes Tattoo", a parody of the filmThe Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; and the ninth episode, "A Kid Walks in to a Hospital".[19]
In 2009, Bell voiced the role of Dana Mercer in the video gamePrototype. That year she also playedAlec Baldwin's wife in the romantic comedyIt's Complicated and guest starred in an episode of the fourth season of the seriesWainy Days. In 2010 Bell voiced a supporting role inShrek Forever After, starred in the satirical filmBurning Palms, guest starred in an episode of the second season of thesitcomThe League, and was cast as a lead character in theHBO seriesHow to Make It in America,[17] which aired for two seasons from February 2010 to November 2011. Bell was to play DeputyJudy Hicks inScream 4, but dropped out four days before filming due to scheduling conflicts, with the role going toMarley Shelton.[20]
In 2011, Bell starred alongsideJosh Lucas andTerrence Howard in thesupernatural thrillerLittle Murder, playedAshton Kutcher's boss in the romantic comedyNo Strings Attached, a performance that won her critical praise and was called "scene-stealing";[21] starred in the ensemble comedyA Good Old Fashioned Orgy; and guest starred in an episode of the first season ofNew Girl.
Bell had a lead role alongsideKate Bosworth in the 2012 thrillerBlack Rock.[22][23]
In 2021, Bell lent her voice to the adult animated filmCryptozoo.[24]
In 2024, Bell was cast as Lisa in Miles Levin's directorial debut,Under The Lights.[25]
In 2010, Bell[26] made her writing and directing début with the short filmWorst Enemy,[27] which starredMichaela Watkins,[28]Matt Walsh andLindsay Sloane. Her film débuted at the2011 Sundance Film Festival[29][30][31][32] and has also played at theNantucket Film Festival, theDallas International Film Festival, theGen Art Film Festival andAspen Shortsfest, winning the Tony Cox Award for Screenwriting in a Short Film from Nantucket and receiving a Shorts Jury Special Mention from Dallas. Her film led to her being named one of the "2012 Inspiring Filmmakers" byLUNAFEST.[33] Speaking on the film, Bell stated:
The film is about a milk-drinking, lactose-intolerant misanthrope on a quest for real human connection. Being an ordinary, unoriginal and unloved woman, she instead becomes so wrapped up in her own quiet neurosis that she finds herself physically stuck in a full body girdle. I wrote and directedWorst Enemy in 2010 as an experiment to see if I could take on being a filmmaker[34]
Bell made her writing and directing feature film debut at the 2013Sundance Film Festival withIn a World....[1][35][36] which she wrote and directed and in which she starred.[21] She describes the film as "a comedy about a female voice-over artist and family dysfunction and relationships. I’m obsessed with the voice-over world, so it makes sense for me."[21][37][38] The film was picked up byRoadside Attractions and Sony.[39][40]
In February 2014 she said her next project would beWhat's the Point? (And Other Fair Questions About Marriage), a film she would write and direct, which was eventually renamedI Do... Until I Don't and released in 2017 to mixed reviews.[41][42]
Bell also has a number of television directing credits, including two 2017 episodes of theHulu comedy-drama seriesCasual, two 2019 episodes of theABC sitcomBless This Mess (a show in which she co-created and starred), and two episodes of the 2022 Hulu biographical miniseriesPam & Tommy.
Bell was listed as number 45 onFemme Fatales' list of the 50 Sexiest Women of 2003; 6th onBritish Vogue's list of the 10 Best Dressed Women of 2007, 32nd onMaxim's Hot 100 of 2008, 44th on Maxim's Hot 100 of 2012 and 89th onAskMen's 99 Most Desirable Women of 2012.
In 2007, Bell appeared in a photo shoot forGQ;[11] in 2008 she appeared in a photo shoot forMarie Claire;[43] in 2009 she modeled forScott Caan, for his first book,Scott Caan Photographs, Vol. 1;[44] and in 2011 she appeared in photo shoots forElle,[45]Los Angeles,[46]Maxim[47] andEsquire,[48] the latter in conjunction with the websiteMe In My Place.[49] In September 2011, Bell modeled atPirelli's Fashion Week inMilan, Italy.[50][51] ForNew York Fashion Week 2013, Bell modeled nude with strategic body painting (done by her husband) on the cover ofNew York shot byMark Seliger.[52] In April 2014, Bell appeared inEsquire for the second time.[53]
Bell has an automotive column inThe Hollywood Reporter called "Test Drive" and is the magazine's automotive contributing editor.[54] In 2022, her bookInside Voice—on the topic of the human voice—was published.[55]
In 2011, Bell began datingScott Campbell, an artist and tattoo artist. The two met when he played himself in an episode of the second season ofHow to Make It in America. The couple became engaged on Bell's birthday in March 2012[56] and were married on June 1, 2013, at theMarigny Opera House inNew Orleans, Louisiana.[57] In late October 2014, her representative confirmed that Bell had given birth to their daughter.[58] In May 2017, Bell gave birth to their second child.[59][60] In October 2020, the couple announced that they were separating, with Bell filing for divorce on October 28, 2020.[61][62] On July 7, 2022, it was reported that Bell started dating comedian and actorChris Rock.[63] Rock later confirmed in his 2023 Netflix special that he was single.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Speakeasy | Sara Marnikov | |
| 2003 | War Stories | Nora Stone | |
| I Love Your Work | Felicia | ||
| 2004 | Fresh out of Tears | Leila | Short film |
| Slammed | Gina Micelli | ||
| 2006 | Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders | Jillian Dunne | |
| 2008 | Under Still Waters | Charlie | Newport Beach Film Festival Award for Outstanding Performance in Acting |
| Over Her Dead Body | Ashley | ||
| What Happens in Vegas | Tipper | ||
| Pride and Glory | Megan Egan | ||
| Prop 8: The Musical | Scary Catholic School Girls From Hell | Short forFunny or Die | |
| 2009 | It's Complicated | Agness Adler | National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble |
| 2010 | Shrek Forever After | Patrol Witch / Wagon Witch #2 (voice) | [64] |
| Burning Palms | Mary Jane | ||
| The Doctors of Childrens Hospital Answer Your Medical Questions | Dr. Blake Black | Short forFunny or Die | |
| 10 Minutes | Herself | Short forFunny or Die | |
| Worst Enemy | Writer and director Short film Tony Cox Award for Screenwriting in a Short Film,Nantucket Film Festival Shorts Jury Special Mention,Dallas International Film Festival | ||
| 2011 | Little Murder | Corey Little | Distributed in US in 2017 asGhost of New Orleans |
| No Strings Attached | Lucy | ||
| A Good Old Fashioned Orgy | Alison Cohen | ||
| Home for Actresses | Lake | Short forFunny or Die | |
| 2012 | Black Rock | Louise | |
| El Tonto | Writer and director Short film | ||
| 2013 | In a World... | Carol Solomon | Also writer, director, and producer Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award,Sundance Film Festival 2013 |
| 2014 | Mr. Peabody & Sherman | Mona Lisa (voice) | [64] |
| Million Dollar Arm | Brenda Paauwe Bernstein | ||
| 2015 | Man Up | Nancy Patterson | |
| No Escape[65] | Annie Dwyer | ||
| 2016 | The Secret Life of Pets | Chloe (voice) | [64] |
| 2017 | Shot Caller | Kate Harlon | |
| Home Again | Zoey Bell | ||
| I Do... Until I Don't | Alice Brewing | Also writer, director, and producer | |
| 2018 | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse | Vanessa Fisk (voice) | [64] |
| Time of Day | Herself | Short film | |
| 2019 | The Secret Life of Pets 2 | Chloe (voice) | [64] |
| 2021 | Cryptozoo | Lauren Grey (voice) | |
| 2022 | Summering | Laura | |
| Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Dr. Graham | ||
| 2023 | Mother, Couch | Anne | |
| 2025 | Under the Lights | Lisa |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | ER | Jody Holmes | Episodes: "One Can Only Hope", "Tell Me Where It Hurts" |
| 2003 | Miss Match | Victoria Carlson | Main role; 18 episodes |
| 2004 | The Practice | Sally Heep | 4 episodes |
| 2004–2006 | Boston Legal | Sally Heep | Main role (season 1); guest star (season 3); 14 episodes |
| 2005–2006 | Surface | Laura Daughtery | Main role; 15 episodes |
| 2008–2016 | Childrens Hospital | Dr. Cat Black | Main role; 57 episodes; also director |
| 2009 | Wainy Days | Blaire | Episode: "Dance Club" |
| 2010 | The League | Brooke | Episode: "The White Knuckler" |
| 2010–2011 | How to Make It in America | Rachel Chapman | Main role; 16 episodes |
| 2011 | New Girl | Amanda | Episode: "Naked" |
| 2012 | Top Gear | Herself | Episode: "Rut's Show" |
| 2012 | Tron: Uprising | Lux (voice) | Episode: "Identity"[64] |
| 2012 | Robot Chicken | Black Widow /Ariel (voice) | Episode: "Collateral Damage in Gang Turf War" |
| 2013 | Newsreaders | Dixie Peters | Episode: "Hair Razing" |
| 2015 | Axe Cop | Axe Girl (voice) | Episode: "Ultimate Mate" |
| 2015–2018 | BoJack Horseman | Katrina Peanutbutter (voice) | 9 episodes |
| 2015 | Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp | Donna | Main role; 7 episodes |
| 2016 | Cassius & Clay | Shopcarter Clay (voice) | Unsold television pilot |
| 2017 | Casual | — | Director; 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later | Donna | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
| 2017 | SuperMansion | Millicent (voice) | Episode: "SuperMansion: Drag Me to Halloween" |
| 2019–present | Harley Quinn | Dr. Pamela Isley / Poison Ivy,Barbara Eileen-Gordon, various (voice) | Main role[64] |
| 2019–2020 | Bless This Mess | Rio Levine-Young | 26 episodes; also executive producer, creator, writer, and director[66][67] |
| 2019 | Drunk History | Belva Gaertner | Episode: "Femme Fatales" |
| 2020 | Medical Police | Dr. Blake Black | 4 episodes |
| 2020 | Make It Work! | Herself | Television special |
| 2021–2023 | What If...? | Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow (voice) | 5 episodes[3][64] |
| 2022 | Pam & Tommy | — | Director; 2 episodes |
| 2022 | American Dad! | Various voices | 2 episodes |
| 2024 | Kite Man: Hell Yeah! | Poison Ivy,Cheetah (voice) | Episode: "Pilot, Hell Yeah!" |
| 2025 | Phineas and Ferb | Katherine Marshall (voice) | Episode: "Out of Character"[68] |
| 2025 | The Chair Company | Barb Trosper | 8 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Prototype | Dana Mercer (voice) | [64] |
I attribute my home's eclectic cohesiveness to my mother, Robin Bell.Requires click on "Read Caption"
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata| International | |
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