Kristen Bell: Recent News

Feb 01, 2012

Kristen Bell Loves Sloths: 3 Adorable Videos

Jan 31, 2012

Kristen Bell Freaks Out After Receiving Her Birthday Present: a Sloth

May 23, 2011

Couples Watch: Jon Hamm Picks Out Sunglasses for His Girlfriend

Mar 24, 2011

Kristen Bell: Snapshot

Name: Kristen Bell
Date of Birth: July 18, 1980
Birth Place: Detroit, Mich.

The teen noir series Veronica Mars wilted in the ratings, but its star Kristen Bell left the cancelled show with a fanatic cult following and a blockbuster career on the horizon.

The Detroit native dropped out of New York University's prestigious Tisch School to star opposite Laura Linney and Liam Neeson on Broadway. Bell soon moved to Hollywood, eventually landing her star-making role as the witty and spunky teen detective on Mars.

Though the series ended after three seasons, she moved onto NBC's Heroes and Gossip Girl and starred in the big-screen comedies Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Couples Retreat and You Again. Offscreen, Bell's fallen for funnyman Dax Shepard, whom she plans to marry.

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Kristen Bell: Video

Star Talk

Watch the Forgetting Sarah Marshall star embrace her inner supermodel, turning out a sexy, sassy shoot.

(01:12)

Kristen Bell: Five Fun Facts

Kristen Bell is a total Gleek! In 2010, she revealed that while an undergraduate at New York University, she briefly dated former classmate, Glee star Matthew Morrison.
Kristen Bell is often recognized for a small scene during the credits of the cult hit, Pootie Tang. "People recognize me for that more than anything else!" she told Entertainment Weekly in 2004.
After crying at her first audition for a part in a community theater production of Raggedy Ann and Andy, Kristen Bell was cast "in the complex dual role of the banana in the first act and the tree in the second act," she told New York's Daily News.
In 2006, Veronica Mars fans hired a plane to fly between UPN's old headquarters and the CW's new ones carrying a banner that read "Renew Veronica Mars! CW 2006!" in an effort to save the low-rated series. Bell called the actions "crazy and really awesome."
For her first appearance at the Emmy Awards in 2004 (which she said was a hoot "because no one knew who I was"), Kristen Bell borrowed a Nicole Miller gown and Scotch-taped an 11-carat diamond ring to her finger.

Kristen Bell: Biography

1998: Fall
A Broadway Bell
Bell attends New York University and appears on Broadway in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Crucible with Liam Neeson and Laura Linney. She also stars in an off-Broadway production of Reefer Madness – a role she reprises for Showtime in 2005 (left). She eventually drops out and moves to L.A., landing roles on The Shield and Deadwood.
2004: September 22
Veronica Mars
Bell, 24, headlines the teen detective drama Veronica Mars (pictured with costar Percy Daggs III). "I'm always the girl next door – the nothing ingenue – and it's totally boring to play," she tells the New York Times. "To have someone like Veronica, who's deep and witty and sarcastic, is wonderful." The series ranks 122nd out of 133 in Nielsen ratings, but critics and fans adore Bell's combination of wit, spunk and vulnerability.
2006: August 11
Bell's Star Pulses
Bell's performance on Mars helps her land roles in Wes Craven's psychological thriller Pulse (left), the campus comedy Fifty Pills, and Fanboys, about a group of Star Wars fans on the road. "I think I'm put into the category of more of a short list, which I'm very happy to be on," she tells Chicago Tribune. "But, yeah, it is what it is. I'm Veronica Mars on Veronica Mars."