Catherine Bell
Biography
Catherine
Lisa Bell was born 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 even
though she was modeling, Catherine 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. She was on the road to becoming a successful
model, but fell in love with acting instead.
Her parents
supported her decision to pursue acting, but it took 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"), Hotline
in 1996, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys in 1997, and a recurring
role in Sin City Spectacular in 1998.
Before
landing her breakthrough role of Lt. Col. Sarah "Mac"
MacKenzie on JAG, she was cast in the recurring role of Lt. Dianne
Schonke, in one of the show's first seasons. She was killed off
the show after only a couple of appearances, but the good news was
that since the show's creator and executive producer was so impressed
by her performance, she was made the female lead in 1997.
Catherine
also has several film roles to her credit, including Isabella Rossellini's
body double in 1992's Death Becomes Her; 1994's Men of War; 1996's
Crash Dive; 1997's Black Thunder; the made-for-TV-movies Mother
of the Bride and Alien Nation: Body and Soul; starring roles in
Cab to Canada and The Time Shifters, and her appearance as a square
in Hollywood Squares.
Lieutenant
by day, Catherine is wife to Adam Beason, who she met on the set
of Death Becomes Her as he was the director's assistant. Catherine
and her husband live near LA, with their two Italian greyhounds,
Zoe and Leo. The stunning actress dedicates her time to organizations
like the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles and the Buoniconti Fund,
and enjoys bungee jumping and motorcycles.
Catherine Bell Filmography
Bruce Almighty (2003)--Susan
Ortega
The Time Shifters (1999) (TV)--Elizabeth Wintern
Cab to Canada (1998) (TV)--Sandy
Black Thunder (1997)--Lisa
Crash Dive (1996)--Lisa Stark
Hotline Volume 3 (1996)
JAG (1995) TV Series--Lt. Col./Col. Sarah 'Mac' MacKenzie (1996-)/Lt.
Diane Schonke
Alien Nation: Body and Soul (1995) (TV)--Cop
Men of War (1994)--Grace
Mother of the Bride (1993) (TV)--Chastity
Death Becomes Her (1992)--Lisle Body Double |
