Although she made her film debut in the atrocious
Pootie Tang, this plucky actress had much better luck with her subsequent projects. After studying at NYU's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, she quickly found stage work, including a leading role in the campy off-Broadway musical
Reefer Madness, which was eventually turned into a TV-movie also starring Bell. The small screen ended up being her primary medium, and she had a number of guest appearances and TV-movies under her belt when she landed the title role of a teen-outcast-turned-investigator on
Veronica Mars.
Kristen Bell Fast Facts:
- Made her Broadway debut in 2001 in a musical version of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, playing Becky Thatcher.
- Named by Jane magazine as one of the 11 People You'd Most Like to See Naked.
- On becoming famous: "You just have to hope you can keep your head on straight," she told TV GUIDE. "I'm really scared about the lack of privacy."
- Performed the theme song to Fame at the 2005 Emmy Awards.
- Kristen Bell Relationships:
- Lorelei Bell - Mother
- Tom Bell - Father
- Dax Shepard - Significant Other
- Kevin Mann - Ex-significant Other
- College:
- New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, New York, NY