Born Kristen Anne Bell on July 18, 1980 in Detroit, MI, Bell fell in love with performing at a very early age, and went on her first audition at age 11. The tryout (for a local production of “Raggedy Ann and Andy”) was a success, and Bell began pursuing an acting career with a doggedness that belied her age. At 13, she had already secured an agent, and was appearing in print advertising for Detroit retailers, eventually working her way up to local television commercials as well. Theater continued to be a passion for her. While at Shrine Catholic High School in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak, she landed the lead role of Dorothy in a 1997 production of “The Wizard of Oz.” The following year, she made an uncredited appearance in the comedy/drama, “Polish Wedding” (1998), which was filmed in Detroit.

After graduation, Bell studied musical theater at New York University’s Tisch School for the Arts, and while still a student, made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in a short-lived musical version of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” in 2001. She also landed the role of Mary Lane in the off-Broadway comedy, “Reefer Madness: The Musical,” which unfortunately found more success in its Los Angeles incarnation than in New York. Bell also made an appearance that year in the forgettable comedy “Pootie Tang” (2001), but her role was mercifully cut from the theatrical release.

The following year, Bell was cast in the revival of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” with Laura Linney and Liam Neeson. After graduating from college, Bell relocated to Los Angeles and almost immediately booked a guest shot on “The Shield” (FX, 2002- ), though the part was far removed from her theater roots – she played the girlfriend of a gang member who is raped and branded by a rival gang lord. Appearances on “American Dreams (NBC, 2002-05) and “Everwood” (WB, 2002- ) soon followed, as did meatier roles in two TV-movies, “The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay” (2003), in which she showed off her singing talent, and “Gracie’s Choice” (2004) where she received top billing as the daughter of a drug addict (Anne Heche) who must raise her siblings. Bell was also cast as the kidnapped daughter of the President in David Mamet’s largely unseen thriller “Spartan” (2004), as well as a conniving grifter who meets an unpleasant end in a pair of “Deadwood” (HBO, 2004-) episodes. But 2004 would be best remembered as Bell’s breakout year – thanks to a quirky family drama (of sorts) called “Veronica Mars.”

The title role – the daughter of a former small town sheriff who takes on her own cases – was originally intended for Christina Ricci, but Bell made it her own, thanks to her combination of ebullience, hipness, and charm. Clever writing and direction and a terrific cast helped earn “Veronica” a substantial cult following (though not quite enough to make the show a breakout hit), and Bell herself won numerous nominations for her performance, including a TV Critics Association Award nomination in 2005.