Kristen Bell

Kristen Anne Bell was born on July 18, 1980 to Lorelei Frygier, a registered nurse, and Tom Bell, a news director for CBS Television. After her parents’ divorce, her father re-married. She has two half-sisters, Sara and Jody.

After her parents pulled her from the public school system, she went to ‘Shrine Catholic High School’ in Royal Oak for her high school years. She was a member of the drama and music club.

She appeared in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, ‘Lady Be Good’, and ‘Li’l Abner’, and in the school’s production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ as Dorothy Gale. She graduated from high school in 1998.

She attended ‘Tisch School of the Arts’ at ‘New York University’ to major in Musical Theater. She left before graduating to take a role in Broadway’s musical version of ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’.

Bell’s first audition in 1992 won her a double role in ‘Raggedy Ann and Andy’ as a banana and a tree. With an agent’s help, she appeared in many advertisements and television commercials.

In 2001, she quit her studies for a role in the Broadway musical, ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ as Becky Thatcher. She won her first credited but insignificant role in ‘Pootie Tang’.

2002 saw her in ‘The Crucible’, a Broadway revival, with Liam Neeson and Angela Bettis. The same year she moved to Los Angeles, California, and won a few special appearances in television shows.

In 2004, she appeared in the TV film, ‘Gracie’s Choice’, and made her film debut as Laura Newton in ‘Spartan’ alongside Val Kilmer. She starred in two episodes of the HBO’s drama ‘Deadwood’.

She reprised her role in 2005’s ‘Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical’ as Mary Lane. In September of the same year, she rendered the theme song from ‘Fame’ on the 57th ‘Annual Primetime Emmy Awards’.

Bell won the role of the Veronica Mars in UPN’s eponymous drama. In 2005, she was nominated for “Choice Breakout Actress” along with the cast of ‘Veronica Mars’, for “Choice Breakout TV Show”.

She gave her voice and semblance to the character of Lucy for the video game ‘Assassin’s Creed’ released in 2007. She later reprised her role in ‘Assassin’s Creed II’ and ‘Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood’.

She was the voice of the title character in the series ‘Gossip Girl’, and even appeared as herself in the final episode. Year 2007 also saw her in ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’, in the title role.