|
Maria Bello Profile |
|
-
Birth Date: April 18, 1967
-
Birth Place: Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA
-
Birth Name: Maria Elaina Bello
-
Height: 5'5"
|
|
|
Biography |
Maria Bello was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, on
April 18, 1967. One of three children, Maria spent her
formative years in the working-class Pennsylvania suburb,
where her mother was a teacher and school nurse, and her
father a construction worker. Maria is of Polish and Italian
descent, and attended a Catholic high school before heading
off to Villanova University to study pre-law and political
science, with the intention of becoming a lawyer.
That all changed when a friend suggested she take a drama
class as an elective. Maria was immediately bitten by the
acting bug and, after graduating in 1989, she went to New
York City with just $300 to her name, determined to become a
star.
While living on a friend's floor for a year because she
couldn't afford her own place, Maria was cast in some
commercials and off-Broadway plays, and earned some
guest-starring roles on TV shows like The Commish and Due
South.
However, Maria's big break came from a show that never even
aired. She had been cast in a remake of the late 1950s
detective TV drama, 77 Sunset Strip, and while the program
never got off the ground, producers Kerry Lenhart and John
J. Sakmar caught her in the unaired episodes and decided she
was a perfect fit for their spy series, Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
Maria starred alongside Scott Bakula, both portraying
members of an intelligence agency who posed as husband and
wife while on missions.
Although the series was canceled after only eight weeks on
the air, Maria landed on her feet shortly thereafter,
guest-starring as Dr. Anna Del Amico on ER during the final
three episodes of the 1997 season. Her performance was so
impressive that she was invited back as a regular for the
1997-1998 season, during which time she won a Screen Actors
Guild Award as part of the Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama
Series.
Her popularity on ER helped Maria jump to the movies, and
she managed to make the difficult transition from the small
screen. Her first role was opposite Ben Stiller in 1998's
Permanent Midnight, and she followed up that critical
success with a box-office hit the next year, playing a
prostitute who helps Mel Gibson get revenge in Payback.
2000 was the first year in which Maria released more than
one movie. Her films that year included the Gwyneth Paltrow
comedy Duets (a role she claims turned her into a karaoke
addict), an independent movie entitled Sam the Man, and
Coyote Ugly, where she played Lil, the tough-talking,
man-teasing bar owner, a role that garnered her a
Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting
Actress in a Comedy/Romance.
In 2001, Maria starred in the IMAX movie China: The Panda
Adventure, which required her to spend months in the Asian
country, a work experience she found difficult due to a lack
of toilets and constant food poisoning. Nonetheless, Maria
is not averse to traveling, having visited Tanzania and
Botswana to gather material for a book she plans to write
about children around the world.
Kids in the United States also hold a special place in
Maria's heart, as she co-founded the DreamYard Drama
Project, an arts and education program that teaches
inner-city youth how to express themselves and promotes
literacy.
2002's Auto Focus saw Maria's return to feature film acting
as the tortured wife of former Hogan's Heroes star Bob
Crane, whose sex addiction not only ruined his marriage, but
may have also led to his 1978 murder. It was a challenging
role, but Maria handled it with grace and style, as she also
did in 2003's The Cooler. In the film, she enjoys a romantic
relationship with Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy), a guy
whose luck is so bad that he's employed by a casino to "cool
off" the players' winning streaks. The role, which turned
unlucky Bernie Lootz into a fortunate guy, earned her a
Golden Globe nomination as Best Supporting Actress in a
Motion Picture.
Unfortunately, Maria's ability to inspire is reserved for
only one man, longtime boyfriend Dan McDermott, a DreamWorks
TV executive with whom Maria had a child, Jackson Blue
McDermott, in March 2001. Maria's only regret about having a
son was that it forced her to temporarily give up Muay Thai
(lethal kickboxing), which she picked up thanks to her role
in Mr. & Mrs. Smith and still practices regularly.
Maria remains lethal in Hollywood as well, continuing to
take the movie world by storm. In 2004, she starred opposite
Johnny Depp in the thriller Secret Window, and alongside
Thora Birch in Silver City. Maria also has five more movies
slated for release in 2005.
Clearly, Maria's combination of stunning looks and
phenomenal talent has the industry wrapped around her
finger, and her star should continue to rise in the years to
come. |
|
|
Other
Information |
Practices Muay Thai (lethal) kickboxing.
Comes from a Polish and Italian Family.
Maria and her TV exec boyfriend, Dan McDermott, welcomed
their first child, Jackson Blue McDermott. [5 March 2001]
Was a bridesmaid at Andrea Bendewald's wedding, the same one
in which Jennifer Aniston was the matron of honor.
Became good friends with Mariska Hargitay when Hargitay had
a recurring role as Cynthia Hooper on "ER" (1994) from
1997-1998.
Best friends with Carrie-Anne Moss. Maria is the godmother
of Carrie-Anne's first son, and Carrie-Anne is the godmother
of Maria's son Jack.
Was a varsity cheerleader in school at Archbishop John
Carroll High School for Girls in Suburban Philadelphia. |
|
|
|
