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Catherine Bell Profile |
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Birth Date: August 14, 1968
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Birth Place: London, England, UK
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Birth Name: Catherine Lisa Bell
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Height: 5'10"
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Biography |
Catherine Bell was born on August 14, 1968, in London,
England. Of British and Iranian descent (Catherine speaks
fluent Farsi), a 3-year-old Catherine relocated to Los
Angeles with her family.
Although she had appeared in some television commercials as
a child, Catherine originally wanted to be an artist. She
ended up going to UCLA to study medicine, with the intention
of becoming a surgeon or a biomedical engineer, but she had
a slight change of plans...
Catherine began modeling part-time while in college. She put
her studies on hold when she headed to Japan to model for
several months, but she still felt that her shyness was
holding her back. That's where acting came in: Catherine
hired an acting coach to help her get over her shyness.
Her parents supported her decision to pursue acting (rather
than the more secure medical field), but it took her years
of auditions to finally get the break she needed. Catherine
started out with guest appearances on television shows like
Dream On in 1994, Friends in 1995 ("The One with the Baby on
the Bus"), Hot Line in 1996, Hercules: The Legendary
Journeys in 1997, and a recurring role on Sin City
Spectacular in 1998.
Before landing her breakthrough role of Major/Lt. Colonel
Sarah "Mac" Mackenzie on JAG, she was cast in the recurring
role of Lt. Dianne Schonke, in one of the show's first
seasons. Catherine was killed off the show after only a
couple of appearances, but the good news was that the show's
creator and executive producer was so impressed by her
performance, she was made the female lead in 1997.
Catherine also added several film roles to her credit,
including Isabella Rossellini's body double in 1992's Death
Becomes Her, 1994's Men of War, 1997's Crash Dive and Black
Thunder, the made-for-TV-movies Mother of the Bride (1993)
and Alien Nation: Body and Soul (1995), and starring roles
in Cab to Canada (1998) and The Time Shifters (1999). She
also appeared as a square in Hollywood Squares.
In 2003, Catherine had a more significant big-screen role in
the Jim Carrey vehicle, Bruce Almighty. Two years later, she
saw her eight-year stint as Sarah "Mac" Mackenzie come to an
end when JAG was taken off the air. But she stayed busy with
a role in 2005's Babak & Friends: A First Norooz.
Catherine is married to Adam Beason, whom she met on the set
of Death Becomes Her, as he was the director's assistant.
Catherine and her husband live near L.A. with their daughter
Gemma and their two Italian greyhounds, Zoe and Leo. The
stunning actress dedicates her free time to organizations
like the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles and the
Buoniconti Fund, and enjoys bungee jumping and riding
motorcycles. |
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Other
Information |
Studied for awhile at UCLA, and wanted to be either a
surgeon or a biomedical engineer.
Has a heart tattoo with the word "love" inside of it on her
right ankle.
She is fluent in the Persian language Farsi, as well as
English.
Is very physically fit and loves all sports, particularly
kick-boxing, skiing, and snowboarding.
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.
Studies acting at The Beverly Hills Playhouse with Milton
Katselas.
She was selected #84 in year 2001, #38 in 2002, and #20 in
the 2004 list of the FHM magazine's 100 Sexiest Women in the
World.
Was a contestant on "The Match Game" (1990) and introduced
herself as Cathy Bell, a massage therapist. She won $900,
but didn't make it to the final Super Match round. Was also
a contestant on "To Tell the Truth" and introduced herself
(an impostor) in the same manner. She and the other two
stumped the entire panel for a winnings of $3000.
Before the 2001 NFL season began, in a survey of 70
celebrities who had nothing to do with football conducted by
"The Sporting News," she correctly predicted that the New
England Patriots would eventually beat the St. Louis Rams in
the season-ending Super Bowl by the score of 20 to 17. This
amazing prediction was made despite the fact that vast
majority of "football experts" didn't think the Patriots
would even make the playoffs much less get to the Super
Bowl. She's the only person to have ever correctly predicted
the participants in, winner, and final score of a Super Bowl
before a season began in a published article in a major
sports periodical or book.
Gave birth to a daughter, Gemma on 16 April 2003
Often plays roles in military movies. JAG, Black Thunder,
Crash Drive, Men of War, An Officer and a Gentleman.
Signed on for a supporting role in the second half of the
first season of "Threshold" (2005) and shot one episode
before the show was canceled.
Named #75 on the Maxim magazine "Hot 100 of 2005" list. |
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