Biography
Date of Birth
18 December 1980, Huntington Woods, Michigan, USA
Birth Name
Kristen Anne Bell
Nickname
K-Bell
Annie
KB
Bellie
Height
5' 1" (1.55 m)
Mini Biography
Kristen Anne Bell (born 1980) is an American actress and singer. She was born and raised in Huntington Woods, Michigan, and is the daughter of Lorelei (Frygier), a nurse, and Tom Bell, a television news director. Her ancestry is Polish (mother) and German, English, Irish, and Scottish (father). Kristen found her talent in entertainment at an early age. In 1992, she went to her first audition and won a role in Raggedy Ann and Andy. Bell's mother established her with an agent before she was 13, and she was cast in newspaper advertisements and television commercials. At this time, she also began private acting lessons. Bell had an uncredited role in the film Polish Wedding (1998) in 1998.
Bell attended Shrine Catholic High School, where she took part in drama and music club. She won the starring role of Dorothy in her high school's production of The Wizard of Oz. After graduation Bell moved to New York City to attend prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied musical theater. In 2001, Bell left university to play the role of Becky in Tom Sawyer. That same year, she made her first credited debut in Pootie Tang (2001), but her scene was cut and her appearance exists only in the credit sequence. In 2002, Bell appeared in the Broadway revival of The Crucible with Liam Neeson and Angela Bettis. She then moved to Los Angeles, California, and appeared in a handful television shows as a special guest, finding trouble gaining a recurring role in a television series.
In 2004, Bell appeared in the Lifetime's television film, Gracie's Choice, which received high ratings. At the age 24, Bell won the title role in Veronica Mars (2004), which started broadcasting in the fall of 2004, created by Rob Thomas. Bell starred as a seventeen-year-old detective, which put her alongside actors Enrico Colantoni who played her father, Percy Daggs III, Jason Dohring and Ryan Hansen. This series received very positive reviews, and Bell received much attention for her performance. Bell and the cast of Veronica Mars were nominated for two Teen Choice Awards.
In 2005, Bell starred in Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical (2005) in the role of Mary Lane. Reefer Madness debuted on the Showtime network on April 16, 2005. The following year, Bell won the Saturn Award for 'Best Actress on Television' for her performance in Veronica Mars.
In 2013, Bell voiced the main character, Princess Anna of Arendelle, in the Walt Disney Pictures animated movie, Frozen (2013), which received the 'best animated feature' award at the 86th Academy Awards. She performed the songs: 'For the First Time in Forever', 'Love is an Open Door', 'Do You Want to Build a Snowman', and 'For the First Time in Forever (Reprise)'. Frozen (2013), which was released on November 22, 2013, was hugely successful worldwide.
On March 13, 2013, it was confirmed that a Veronica Mars (2014) movie would finally be coming to fruition. Bell and creator, Rob Thomas, launched a fund raising campaign to produce the film through Kickstarter and attained the $2 million goal in few hours. The movie was released on March 14, 2014.
Bell married Dax Shepard in October, 2013.
Trivia
Attended Shrine Catholic High School in Royal Oak, Michigan. Had immersed herself in the theatre program and began auditioning for film jobs in her sophomore year.
After playing Mary Lane in the stage musical "Reefer Madness", she was asked to reprise the role in the film version, Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical (2005).
Has two stepsisters from her father's remarriage: Sara Bell and Jody Bell. They were both born in Canada.
Her father has German, as well as English, Irish and Scottish ancestry. Her maternal grandparents, Bernard Frygier and Anne Agnes Pruchnicki, were both from Polish immigrant families.
Has three dogs: a rescued Labrador called Sadie, a Corgi/Chow mix called Lola, and a Corgi/Chihuahua called Mr. Shakes.
Plays a 17-year-old on Veronica Mars (2004) but is seven years older than her character.
Was raised in suburban Huntington Woods, Michigan, and attended Burton Elementary School in Huntington Woods, Michigan, the same school actress Jessy Hodges and actor David Geister attended.
Her parents Tom Bell, a television news director, and Lorelei Bell, a registered nurse, divorced when she was two.
Named #68 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 Women of 2005 list.
Has played two different characters named "Gracie": in Gracie's Choice (2004) and in Fifty Pills (2006).
Is a huge fan of America's Funniest Home Videos (1989) and Extreme Makeover (2008).
She worked at TCBY in Royal Oak, Michigan while a high school senior (1997-1998).
Resided in Huntington Woods, Michigan with other performers such as Ellen Sandweiss, Jessy Hodges, David Geister and Julie Schamanski.
Her favorite episode of Veronica Mars (2004) (as of 2006) is Veronica Mars: The Wrath of Con (2004).
Was voted PETA's "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" for 2006.
Attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
Named #1 on Maxim magazine's 2006 list of "Fall TV's Criminally Sexy Investigators".
Roots passionately for the Detroit Red Wings.
Was named by Jane magazine in the United States as one of the "11 People You'd Most Like to See Naked". She posed for the magazine's July 2005 issue.
Says she was a vegan in high school, but had to give that up because of her love of cheese.
She loves animals and often volunteers for animal-related charities.
She's an investor in bar L'Scorpion.
Was named the Popular Television Actress Most AIM users wanted to Add to Their Buddy Lists, and received the AIM Best TV Buddy award.
She was mentioned in People magazine's Most Beautiful People of 2007 on the Beauty at every age page. She was the beauty at age 26.
Named #24 on Stuff magazine's 100 Sexiest Women of 2007 list.
Named #46 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 Women of 2007 list.
Was voted peta2's "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" for 2007.
Named #11 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 Women of 2006 list.
In 1998, the year of her high school graduation, she appeared in Polish Wedding (1998), a movie that was being filmed locally. While none of the film's famous lead actors (Claire Danes, Gabriel Byrne, Lena Olin) are of Polish origin, Kristen is of half-Polish descent.
Named the yearbook's "Best Looking Girl" by senior class vote.
Was the Maxim magazine cover feature for March 2006.
Broke both her wrists at once playing hockey when she was age 12.
Resided with producer Kevin Mann for a number of years.
Has a black Labrador, who is 11 years old and rescued from Hurricane Katrina (2008).
Aspires to be a stand-up comedian.
Has dessert after every meal, even breakfast.
When she was 3 years old, she announced to her parents that she was changing her name to "Smurfette".
Helped deliver two babies while doing volunteer work in Brazil.
Is a huge fan of Amy Poehler and Cher. She and Cher appeared together in Burlesque (2010).
Has a "lazy eye" (her right eye) which she demonstrated on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005).
Ranked #24 on the 2008 FHM list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".
Ranked #4 on Wizard magazine's "Sexiest Women of TV" list. [March 2008]
Also attended Berkley High School in Berkley, Michigan.
Has a motorcycle license as told on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003).
Received the Helen Woodward Animal Center's 2009 Humane Award.
Burned her leg on a moped during the filming of When in Rome (2010).
Role models were Kathy Bates, Toni Collette and Tilda Swinton.
Is a skee-ball "freak". Had considered installing a machine in her Hollywood home.
Played on an all-boys baseball team for two years.
Often ranked as having one of the "Most Beautiful Famous Faces" by "The Annual Independent Critics List of the 100 Most Beautiful Famous Faces From Around the World". She was ranked #52 in 2010, #10 in 2009, #15 in 2008, #29 in 2007, #32 in 2006, #59 in 2005, and #48 in 2004.
Became a vegan after seeing the documentary Forks Over Knives (2011).
Gave birth to her first child at age 32, a daughter Lincoln Bell Shepard on March 28, 2013. Child's father is her fiancé (now husband), Dax Shepard. "Lincoln" is included as a "Production Baby" in the Frozen (2013) ending credits.
Was 6 months pregnant while filming the second season of House of Lies (2012)'s and had a body double for a great deal of the scenes that showed her belly.
(October 17, 2013) Married her boyfriend of 6 years and father of her 6-month-old daughter Lincoln, Dax Shepard, following a 3-year-long engagement.
Gave birth to her second child at age 34, a daughter Delta Bell Shepard on December 19, 2014. Child's father is her husband, Dax Shepard.
Gave birth to her daughter Lincoln with the use of the epidural after 15 hours of labor, but gave birth to her daughter Delta via Caesarean section after 33 hours of labor.
Returned to work 3 months after giving birth to her daughter Delta to begin filming The Boss (2016).
When asked by Empire magazine if she considers herself a gamer, she replied: "You know, I used to be so much. When systems first came out I was all over regular Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega, N64. My N64 was the only thing I couldn't live without in college." She cited her favorite N64 games as GoldenEye 007 (1997) and Mario Kart 64 (1996). [May 2014]
Played a character named Sarah Marshall and looks much like the English actress named Sarah Marshall.
Returned to work 3 months after giving birth to her daughter Lincoln to begin filming Veronica Mars (2014).
In May 2016, she revealed her struggles with mental illness and promoted mental health awareness. She has anxiety, depression and ADHD.
Shops almost exclusively with coupons, "Bed, Bath & Beyond" being one of her favorite destinations.
Met her husband, Dax Shepard, at the birthday party of a mutual friend.
As shown on Ellen DeGeneres's show, Kristen is completely obsessed with sloths.
First person ever to host the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards (21 January 2018 / Los Angeles).
Friends with Maya Rudolph and Jackie Tohn.
In September 2018 Bell confirmed on Instagram that the series, Veronica Mars (2004), was being revived. An entire season of eight episodes will air in 2019. The season will centre on a serial killer who is threatening Neptune's tourism industry by targeting spring breakers.
Nominated for the 2019 Golden Globe Award in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy category for her role as Eleanor Shellstrop in The Good Place (2016), but lost to Rachel Brosnahan for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017).
She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6225 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on November 19, 2019.
Friends with Ted Danson, D'Arcy Carden, and William Jackson Harper.
Sister-in-law of Carly Hatter.
Trademarks:
Short stature
Quotes
[Why she liked the pilot script for Veronica Mars (2004)] I loved Veronica right off the bat. She was so strong and I think it is so important because there are so few shows that portray women, especially young women as being strong and being able to stand up for themselves.
I'm not a risk taker. I don't do plunging necklines or really short skirts. I try to stay as classy as possible and provide a little mystery.
[on being a vegetarian] 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 my Brussels sprouts!
I pushed myself way too hard during the first year of Veronica Mars (2004) and I got moody and run-down. Now I'll go to bed early instead of going out with friends. It's not always the most fun option, but I know I need at least eight hours of sleep to feel balanced.
[on the best time to be naked] I rarely wear clothes when I'm home by myself. I love making breakfast naked. But you've got to make sure the gardener's not coming that day.
I'm carded for R-rated movies. And I get talked down to a lot. When I try to go rent a car or buy an airplane ticket or other stuff adults do, I get "Okaaaaaay, honey." I remember when I was 18, getting crayons in a restaurant.
Laughing is so good for you. It legitimately burns calories... and just makes you happier.
I hated being "Kristen Anne" growing up. And when I was about four I decided I really wanted to be called "Smurfette". And so I told my whole family, "I will now be known as Smurfette. I'm not gonna answer to anything else." And I was obsessed with the Smurfs. And so for a while, I didn't answer to anything but Smurfette; and I started getting in trouble because you have to come when your parents call you. And they said, "We can't do that. We cannot call you Smurfette." And so then I said, "Okay. Call me Matthew." That was my second choice. I really wanted to be called Matthew, because I had a cousin born Matthew, and I named all my dolls boys' names. But then, finally my parents said, "We're not going to call you Matthew." So I switched to Annie, because the movie was popular, and it was a fun nickname. And I was called Annie until I was sixteen. So, a lot of my friends and family still call me Annie. And then, when I switched school districts when I was sixteen and they called roll call and they said, "Kris" and I didn't raise my hand ('cause I wasn't as familiar). And then, when I realized it was me, obviously with the "Bell", I didn't choose to tell them my nickname was Annie. And so half my friends and family call me Annie, and half call me Kristen. You guys can still call me Smurfette if you want to.
I have a tiny Italian grandmother inside me. If someone walks in, I'm like "Let 'em map you a sandwich!" I show love with cooking.
Whether or not you think you're God's gift to acting or not, it does depend largely on the audience and what they want to see you do.
[on a scene in The Lifeguard (2013), in which she has sex with a sixteen-year-old youth] We didn't want it to seem to be predatory at all. We definitely wanted to emphasize the fact that these two characters were each a little empty and vacant in their own ways, and that they were fulfilling something within each other. He didn't have anyone caring enough to give him any advice or any female energy in his life whatsoever. And my character needed something that made her feel young and alive and beautiful again.
I'd love to be the actor that tells you, "Oh, you abandon your humanity and you're just the character." But that is not the truth. I'm thinking about whether my boobs are showing. I'm thinking about whether this is comfortable for the other person. Or "Do I need a mint?" That's the reality of filmmaking. You don't abandon who you are as a human being.
Having kids feels like that first seventh grade crush that overwhelms every molecule in your body. But it's permanent.
[on Ted Danson] I'm obsessed with Damages (2007)... and when I met him... I said, "Mr Danson, I am a really big fan." The problem was this - he plays Arthur Frobisher on Damages and I decided to make my alias Holly Frobisher, his wife. So when I saw him in the lobby I said, "I'm a really big fan... You don't understand, I'm currently checked in to this hotel as your wife." I think he was flattered, he might have been freaked out. He's just like the coolest dude there is. I just love him.
[on her impressions of Australia] I, like every other stupid American, assumed the kangaroos would meet us at the airport and they would want to hug us as much as we wanted to hug them. ... [In Sydney's zoo] I did find out about the koalas and how eucalyptus makes them high and why they sleep all day. They're little druggies
[on her vegan cuisine, after her transition from vegetarianism to veganism] Cooking is my love language, where there's the most amount of giving selflessly. ... It's more about the health benefits than the ethics. But it's compounded by the fact that I love animals and feel better not eating them.
[on the importance of working through marital issues] We have a very healthy marriage, and we got there by having therapy when we needed it.
[on her Hollywood Walk of Fame star] This star will really only know its true value when inevitably someone is mugged in that very spot and as they clutch their purse, the assailant screams "Let it go!" and the victim will look up and say, "That's not even her song, you son of a bitch!"
