Kristen Bell

Bell began acting professionally in the early 1990s and appeared in local theater productions. She appeared uncredited in the film Polish Wedding (1998). In 2001, she left New York University to star as Becky Thatcher in the Broadway musical The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and made her credited film debut in Pootie Tang (2001). In 2002, she appeared in the Broadway revival of The Crucible. Her early television work included appearances on The Shield (2003) and Everwood (2003), and she co-starred in the film The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay (2003).

In 2004, Bell starred in the television film Gracie’s Choice and appeared in the feature film Spartan. She guest-starred on Deadwood (2004) before landing the title role in the UPN/CW series Veronica Mars (2004–2007). During that period, she also starred in Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical (2005), Fifty Pills (2006), Roman (2006), and Pulse (2006). Following the series’ cancellation, she portrayed Elle Bishop on Heroes (2007–2008) and served as the narrator of Gossip Girl (2007–2012).

Bell starred in the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), Fanboys (2009), Serious Moonlight (2009), Couples Retreat (2009), When in Rome (2010), Get Him to the Greek (2010), Burlesque (2010), and Scream 4 (2011). She also provided voice work for the Assassin’s Creed video game franchise (2007–2010) and Astro Boy (2009).

From 2012 to 2016, Bell starred in the Showtime series House of Lies. Her film work during this period included Big Miracle (2012), Safety Not Guaranteed (2012), The Lifeguard (2013), The Boss (2016), Bad Moms (2016), and A Bad Moms Christmas (2017). In 2013, she voiced Princess Anna in Frozen and appeared on Parks and Recreation (2013–2015). She reprised her role in Frozen II (2019) and related franchise projects.

Bell starred in and produced Veronica Mars (2014), a feature-length continuation of the television series. She began starring as Eleanor Shellstrop on NBC’s The Good Place (2016–2020) and directed an episode during its final season. Additional projects included Zootopia (2016), The Disaster Artist (2017), CHiPs (2017), How to Be a Latin Lover (2017), and voice roles in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (2018) and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018).

In 2018, Bell starred in the Netflix film Like Father and launched the web series Momsplaining with Kristen Bell. She reprised her role in Veronica Mars for a fourth season in 2019 and hosted and executive produced the Disney+ series Encore! (2019). She voiced characters in Central Park (2020–2022), Do, Re & Mi (2021), and returned as narrator for HBO Max’s Gossip Girl (2021–2023).

Bell starred in Queenpins (2021), The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window (2022), The People We Hate at the Wedding (2022), and Nobody Wants This (2024). She also serves as an executive producer on The Tiny Chef Show.

She will next star alongside Lea Thompson, and Camille Chen in a new musical comedy, Three Months Later, which will play a three-day engagement at the Jim Henson Studios in Los Angeles in February 2026.