Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress and singer. Beginning her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, she made her Broadway stage debut as Becky Thatcher in the comedy musical The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and appeared in a Broadway revival of The Crucible the following year. She later appeared in the action thriller film Spartan (2004) and received praise for her performance in the television drama film Gracie's Choice (2004). Her first major role was the title character in the teen noir drama television series Veronica Mars (2004–2007), receiving critical acclaim and a Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television for her performance. She reprised the eponymous role in the 2014 film and the 2019 revival. During her time on Veronica Mars, Bell starred as Mary Lane in the musical film Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical (2005), a reprise of the role she had played in the New York musical of the same name. Bell starred as Elle Bishop in the superhero drama series Heroes from 2007 to 2008. She voiced the titular narrator in the teen drama series Gossip Girl, reprising the role in the 2021 sequel. Bell also starred as Jeannie van der Hooven, the female lead on the Showtime comedy series House of Lies. She starred in the lead role of Eleanor Shellstrop on the critically acclaimed NBC comedy series The Good Place, receiving a Golden Globe Award nomination for her role. In addition, Bell portrayed the lead role in streaming series The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window. In film, she had her major breakout film role as the title character in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008). She has since appeared in a number of comedy films, including Couples Retreat (2009), When in Rome (2010), You Again (2010), The Boss (2016), Bad Moms (2016), and A Bad Moms Christmas (2017). Bell garnered further recognition for voicing Princess Anna in the Disney animated films Frozen (2013), Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), and Frozen II (2019). Early life and family Bell was born on July 18, 1980, in Huntington Woods, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, where she was raised. Her mother, Lorelei (née Frygier), is a registered nurse, and her father, Tom Bell, works as a television news director in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her