Kristen Anne Bell is an American actress and singer born in 1980 in Huntington Woods, Michigan. She was raised by her mother, a nurse, and her father, a television news director, who have a diverse ancestry of Polish, German, English, Irish, and Scottish. Bell discovered her talent in entertainment at an early age and began her career by attending auditions and winning roles in various productions.
She attended Shrine Catholic High School, where she was actively involved in the drama and music clubs, and won the starring role of Dorothy in her school's production of The Wizard of Oz. After graduating, Bell moved to New York City to attend the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied musical theater. She left university in 2001 to play the role of Becky in Tom Sawyer and made her credited debut in Pootie Tang (2001),although her scene was cut and only appeared in the credit sequence.
Bell then appeared in the Broadway revival of The Crucible in 2002, alongside Liam Neeson and Angela Bettis, before moving to Los Angeles, California. She struggled to find a recurring role in a television series, but appeared in various shows as a special guest. Her breakthrough role came in 2004 when she starred as the title character in the Lifetime television film Gracie's Choice, which received high ratings.
At the age of 24, Bell won the title role in the television series Veronica Mars (2004),created by Rob Thomas, and starred as a 17-year-old detective alongside Enrico Colantoni, Percy Daggs III, Jason Dohring, and Ryan Hansen. The series received positive reviews, and Bell received attention for her performance, earning two Teen Choice Award nominations for the cast.
In 2005, Bell starred in the musical Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical, playing the role of Mary Lane, which debuted on the Showtime network. The following year, she 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, which received the 'best animated feature' award at the 86th Academy Awards. She performed several songs in the film, including '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)'. The film was a huge success worldwide.
Bell also reprised her role as Veronica Mars in the 2014 film adaptation of the television series, which was produced through a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $2 million. The movie was released on March 14, 2014.
In her personal life, Bell married actor Dax Shepard in October 2013.
