Catherine Bell

Catherine Bell

Active - 1985 - 2020  |   Born - Aug 14, 1968 in London, England  |   Genres - Drama, Action, Adventure

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Biography by AllMovie

Tall and athletic actress Catherine Bell was born in London, England, but moved to Los Angeles with her mother when she was still a kid. Intending to study pre-Med in college, she dropped out to pursue a modeling career in Japan. After doing some commercials, she returned to L.A. to made guest star appearances on TV shows and do minor film work. She was Isabella Rosellini's nude body double for Death Becomes Her in 1992, leading her to meet her future husband (Adam Deason) on the film's set. After making a short guest appearance on the NBC show JAG, she wrote a letter to the show's producers expressing her interest in it. In 1996, JAG moved to CBS and she joined the cast as Major Sarah "Mac" Mackenzie, sidekick to Lt. Commander Harmon "Harm" Rabb (David James Elliott). As a real-life kickboxer and snowboarder, her athletic skills lead the way for physically demanding parts in the action movies Men of War, Crash Dive, and Black Thunder. In 2000 she starred in the sci-fi thriller Thrill Seekers with Casper Van Dien, and in 2003 she briefly moved to comedies for Bruce Almighty. In 2007 she was cast in the TV series Army Wives and in 2011 she starred in the thriller Last Man Standing.

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Factsheet

  • Moved from London to Los Angeles with her family at the age of 3.
  • Studied biomedical engineering at UCLA before leaving to model in Japan.
  • Was Isabella Rossellini's body double for 1992's Death Becomes Her. Bell met her future husband, Adam Beason, on the film's set.
  • Appeared on JAG's first-season finale as Lt. Diane Schonke, who was murdered. Ten months later, she reappeared on the series as regular character Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie.
  • Beat thyroid cancer in her 20s and later served as a spokesperson for the Thyroid Cancer Survivors Association (ThyCa).
  • Fluent in Farsi.
  • Actively supports a number of Scientology-affiliated nonprofits, including Criminon; the Foundation for a Drug-Free World; the Citizens Commission on Human Rights; and the Way to Happiness Foundation.