Lake Bell

Active - 2001 - 2022  |   Born - Mar 24, 1979 in New York, New York, United States  |   Genres - Comedy, Drama, Adventure

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Biography by AllMovie

The bewitching Lake Bell was born and raised in New York City, later heading across the state to Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs before making the leap across the pond to transfer to Rose Bruford College in London, England. It was there that she began to get her acting feet wet, appearing in numerous stage productions including The Pentecost and The Seagull. Bell returned to the States to begin her onscreen career, appearing on two episodes of the long-running drama ER and alongside Jeff Goldblum in the TV movie War Stories. In 2004, she took on the recurring role of Sally Heep on The Practice. When that series was canceled, she continued the role on its spin-off, Boston Legal, and stayed with the show as a regular until 2006. Bell also appeared as a main cast member on the shortlived series Miss Match and Surface before making the transition to the big screen. In 2008, she played a woman being haunted by the ghost of her boyfriend's ex-fiancée in Over Her Dead Body, alongside Paul Rudd and Eva Longoria Parker. In the years to come, Bell would maintain her position as a successful actress, appearing in movies like No Strings Attached, and movies like How to Make it in America and Childrens Hospital. She also stepped behind the camera, writing and directing the comedy In a World....

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Factsheet

  • While training in London, she learned stage techniques using swords and daggers. That earned her certification from the British Academy of Dramatic Combat.
  • Her series Surface filmed many scenes in the water, but she admitted in interviews that she has a phobia of the ocean.
  • Was only supposed to appear in the pilot of How to Make It in America, but then was asked to become a regular. 
  • Had to drop out of Scream 4 because of scheduling conflicts.
  • Interests include painting; drawing; and studying foreign languages and dialects.
  • Is an animal-rights activist and a vegan.