Catherine Lisa Bell (born August 14, 1968) is an British-born American actress known for her role of Lt. Colonel Sarah MacKenzie of the television show JAG from 1997 to 2005. Currently she stars in the Lifetime Television hit series Army Wives as Denise Sherwood.
Biography
Early life
Bell was born in London, United Kingdom, the daughter of Mina, a personal assistant and nurse, and Peter Bell, an architect.[1] Her mother is Iranian[2][3] and her father Scottish.[4][5][6] Her parents divorced and she and her mother moved to Los Angeles, California when she was three years old. She became a naturalized citizen of the United States at the age of twelve.[citation needed] A self-described "geek", Bell thrived in math and biology classes in school, and in junior high school once programmed a computer video game.
She acted in various television advertisements as a child. She attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with an interest in becoming either a biomedical engineer or a physician but dropped out to become a full-time model.
Personal life
Bell is fluent in Farsi and English. She is fond of skiing, snowboarding and kick-boxing, which she has been practicing for over 10 years. Her hobbies include cross-stitching and making model cars, which she has done since age 8.[7] She met actor/production assistant Adam Beason on the set of Death Becomes Her in 1992 (where she was the body-double for Isabella Rossellini), and they were married on May 8, 1994[8] They have a daughter, Gemma, who was born on April 16, 2003.
Bell was the grand marshal of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway on June 3, 2007.[9]
In a survey of 70 celebrities by The Sporting News, she correctly predicted that the New England Patriots would beat the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI 20 to 17.[10]
In August 2007, Bell and her husband put their Calabasas, California, home on the market for $3.25 million and moved to South Carolina.[11]
During the Hollywood writers strike, Bell took flying lessons in a Cirrus SR22.[12]
When she was in her 20s, she had thyroid cancer and had to have her thyroid removed. She doesn't cover the scar on her neck because she "thinks it's kind of cool".[13]
Scientology
Although Bell was raised Roman Catholic and attended an all-girls’ Catholic school, she has since become a Scientologist.[14] Bell has attested to attaining the Scientology state of Clear[15] She has supported Scientology's Hollywood Education and Literacy Project.[16] In December 2005, Bell helped promote the gala opening of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, "Psychiatry: An Industry of Death" museum.[17]
In February 2006, Bell appeared in a Scientology music video called, "United." The film includes cameo performances by Isaac Hayes, Erika Christensen, Jenna Elfman and Lynsey Bartilson and promotes human rights with a rap song.[18]
Career
One of Bell's first modeling jobs was an extended assignment in Japan. When she returned to California, she studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse with Milton Katselas. She was a free lance masseuse whose clientele included singer Peter Gabriel. She was on the game show To Tell the Truth in 1990 where she mentioned that she was a massage therapist, (she was one of the imposters on the show, she was playing an imposter of a body double named Shelly Michelle). Her first television acting role was one line on the sitcom Sugar and Spice (1990).[19] Her first appearance in a film was as a body double for Isabella Rossellini in Death Becomes Her (1992). One of her first TV roles was on the HBO sitcom Dream On in 1994.
From 1997 to 2005, Bell starred as U.S. Marine Corps Major Sarah MacKenzie on the hit television series JAG as a practicing attorney in the U.S. Navy's Judge Advocate General's Corps. Her earlier TV work also included an appearance in a late night adult series called Hot line. Bell was featured in "The Brunch Club" episode.
In 2003, she had a supporting role as a television news anchor, Susan Ortega, in the comedy Bruce Almighty, starring Jim Carrey. She reprised the role with a cameo in the 2007 sequel Evan Almighty, starring Steve Carell.
Bell appeared in the Sci Fi Channel miniseries The Triangle, presented in December 2005, playing an ocean engineer. In 2006, she was nominated in Saturn Award of Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films for Best Supporting Actress on Television (The Triangle).
In 2007, Bell starred in Lifetime's ensemble drama series Army Wives as Denise Sherwood, the wife of a US Army major, who is enduring domestic violence at the hands of her teenage son.[20]
Bell has also recently played the main role in Hallmark's The Good Witch (2008) and its sequel, The Good Witch's Garden (2009). She co-executive produced both movies.[21]
Filmography
Actress
Self
Awards
Videos
References
- ^ Catherine Bell Biography (1968-)
- ^ [(8-8-2007) http://www.iranian.com/main/singlepage/2007/catherine-bell Catherine Bell talks about her Persian background (her mother is Iranian) on USA ABC late night show Jimmy Kimmel Live]
- ^ [The Post Chronicle: "Catherine Bell: How Do You Say 'Hola' In Farsi?, Published: Feb 2, 2009. Accessed February 08, 2009.[1]
- ^ [http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/my-path-health-and-joy Catherine Bell interview from Good Housekeeping's Quick and Simple 2007 Cover
- ^ dallasnews.com | Archives
- ^ THE RELIABLE SOURCE - The Washington Post - HighBeam Research
- ^ Betsy Model (October 1999). "Ma'am Yes Ma'am!". Orange Coast: The Magazine of Orange County. p. 32-37.
- ^ Amazing Catherine Bell
- ^ Dover International Speedway - The Monster Mile - Actress Catherine Bell and a charitable race fan will kickoff the “Autism Speaks 400 presented by Visa” at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, June 3, 2007
- ^ Jeff D'Alessio (January 31, 2002). "The Sporting News". http://archive.sportingnews.com/nfl/articles/20020131/379058.html. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
- ^ A new base of operations for 'JAG's' Bell, By Ruth Ryon, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, 2007-08-26
- ^ Catherine Bell takes to sky with flying lessons, The Associated Press, 2008-01-17
- ^ Catherine Bell Biography, IMDb.com, Inc.
- ^ Zokaei, Mayar. - "Bell Hop" - NYLA Magazine. - Spring 2005
- ^ Interview with Catherine Bell, Celebrity (Magazine of the Scientology Celebrity Centre Los Angeles), Issue 347 (April 2003)
- ^ Bell, Catherine. "Giving Back: This Month". Catherine Bell's Official Website. http://www.catherinebellonline.com/giving/month.html. Retrieved 2006-06-08.
- ^ Gumbel, Andrew (2006-01-12). "Scientology vs. Science". Los Angeles CityBeat (Southland Publishing). http://www.lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=3137&IssueNum=136. Retrieved 2006-06-08.
- ^ "Youth for Human Rights Campaign". http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/campaigns/united.html. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
- ^ Knutzen, Eirik. "TV Close-Up: Catherine Bell". http://www.bendweekly.com/news/7224.html. Retrieved 2007-06-15.
- ^ Army Wives
- ^ Hollywood Reporter
External links
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