Lake Bell
Born Lake Siegel Bell
March 24, 1979
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actress, director, screenwriter
Lake Siegel Bell (born March 24, 1979) is an American actress, director, and screenwriter.
She has starred in the television series Boston Legal (2004–06), Surface (2005–06), How to Make It in America (2010–11) and Childrens Hospital (2008–2016) and in the films Over Her Dead Body (2008), What Happens in Vegas (2008), It’s Complicated (2009), No Strings Attached (2011) Million Dollar Arm (2014), Man Up (2015), No Escape and The Secret Life of Pets (2016).
She wrote and directed the short film Worst Enemy, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012, followed by her 2013 feature film directing debut In a World…, in which she also starred.
Bell was born in New York City. Her mother, Robin Bell, owns the design firm Robin Bell Design in New York. Her father is real estate developer Harvey Siegel, who bought the then-closed Virginia International Raceway and converted it into a racetrack country club, and who owned New Jersey Motorsports Park.
Bell’s father is Jewish and her mother is Protestant. Bell has stated that she was raised in a “comically dysfunctional” family.
Bell attended The Chapin School in New York and Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut. For part of her teenage years she lived in Vero Beach, Florida and attended Saint Edwards School.[8] She attended Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, before transferring to Rose Bruford College in London.[9][10] There she acted in theatrical productions including The Seagull, The Children’s Hour, Six Degrees of Separation, Light Shining in Buckinghamshire and The Pentecost.
Career
Actress
Bell began her career in 2002 with roles in the film Speakeasy, a film about two men who become unlikely friends after a minor traffic accident, and in 2 episodes of the medical TV drama ER. Her first significant roles came in 2003. After appearing in the psychological thriller I Love Your Work, she was cast alongside Jeff Goldblum as the female lead in the NBC television film War Stories and played Alicia Silverstone’s wisecracking best friend, Victoria Carlson, in NBC’s comedy-drama series Miss Match. In 2004, Bell appeared in the wrestling film Slammed and made her debut as Sally Heep in the final four episodes of The Practice. Her character was carried over into the spinoff Boston Legal, where she was a regular cast member until she left the series in 2005.
Bell then played the lead role in the science fiction series Surface, which aired between September 2005 and May 2006. 2006 also saw her star in the film Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders about the Hillside Strangler of the late 1970s and return to Boston Legal for two episodes, reprising her role as Sally Heep, opposing counsel to Alan Shore (portrayed by James Spader). In 2008, she played the female lead in the thriller Under Still Waters, for which she won the Newport Beach Film Festival Award for Outstanding Performance in Acting, starred alongside Paul Rudd and Eva Longoria in the romantic comedy Over Her Dead Body, played Cameron Diaz’s character’s best friend in the romantic comedy What Happens in Vegas and played the wife of Colin Farrell’s character in crime drama Pride and Glory.
Bell was 45th on Femme Fatales’ list of the 50 Sexiest Women of 2003; came 6th on British Vogue’s list of the 10 Best Dressed Women of 2007, was 32nd on Maxim’s Hot 100 of 2008, was 44th on Maxim’s Hot 100 of 2012 and 89th on AskMen’s 99 Most Desirable Women of 2012. In 2007, Bell appeared in a photo shoot for GQ; in 2008 she appeared in a photo shoot for Marie Claire; in 2009 she modeled for Scott Caan, for his first book, Scott Caan Photographs, Vol. 1; and in 2011 she appeared in photo shoots for Elle, Los Angeles, Maxim and Esquire,
Personal life
Bell and Colin Farrell, her co-star in Pride and Glory, dated for a time.
In 2011, Bell began dating Scott Campbell, an artist and tattoo artist. The two met when he played himself in an episode of the second season of How to Make It in America. The couple became engaged on Bell’s birthday in March 2012 and were married on June 1, 2013 at The Marigny Opera House in New Orleans, Louisiana. In late October 2014, her representative confirmed that Bell had given birth to their daughter, Nova. The two were expecting their second child in late spring 2017. In May 2017, Bell gave birth to their son.
Filmography
Film
Films
Year Title Role Notes
2002 Speakeasy Sara Marnikov
2003 War Stories Nora Stone
I Love Your Work Felicia
2004 Fresh out of Tears Leila Short film
Slammed Gina Micelli
2006 Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders Jillian Dunne
2008 Under Still Waters Charlie Newport Beach Film Festival Award for Outstanding Performance in Acting
Over Her Dead Body Ashley
What Happens in Vegas Tipper
Pride and Glory Megan Egan
Prop 8: The Musical Scary Catholic School Girls From Hell Short for Funny or Die
2009 It’s Complicated Agness Adler National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble
2010 Shrek Forever After Patrol Witch / Wagon Witch #2 (voice)
Burning Palms Mary Jane
The Doctors of Children’s Hospital Answer Your Medical Questions Dr. Cat Black Short for Funny or Die
10 Minutes Herself Short for Funny or Die
Worst Enemy Writer and director
Short film
Tony Cox Award for Screenwriting in a Short Film, Nantucket Film Festival
Shorts Jury Special Mention, Dallas International Film Festival
2011 Little Murder Corey Little Distributed in US in 2017 as “Ghost of New Orleans”
No Strings Attached Lucy
A Good Old Fashioned Orgy Alison Cohen
Home for Actresses Lake Short for Funny or Die
2012 Black Rock Lou
2013 In a World… Carol Solomon Also writer, director, and producer
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, Sundance Film Festival 2013
2014 Mr. Peabody & Sherman Mona Lisa (voice)
Million Dollar Arm Brenda Paauwe Bernstein
2015 Man Up Nancy Patterson
No Escape[44] Annie Dwyer
2016 The Secret Life of Pets Chloe (voice)
2017 Shot Caller Kate Harlon
I Do…Until I Don’t Alice Also writer, director, and producer
In post-production
Home Again In post-production
Television
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2002 ER Jody Holmes Episode: “One Can Only Hope”
Episode: “Tell Me Where It Hurts”
2003 Miss Match Victoria Carlson Series regular
2004 The Practice Sally Heep Episode: “The Firm”
Episode: “Comings And Goings”
Episode: “New Hoods on the Block”
Episode: “Adjourned (a.k.a. Cheers)”
2004–2006 Boston Legal Sally Heep Series regular; guest star
2005–2006 Surface Laura Daughtery Series regular
2008–2016 Childrens Hospital Dr. Cat Black Series regular
2009 Wainy Days Blaire Episode: “Dance Club”
2010 The League Brooke Episode: “The White Knuckler”
2010–2011 How to Make It in America Rachel Chapman Series regular
2011 New Girl Amanda Episode: “Naked”
2012 Top Gear U.S. Herself Episode: “Rut’s Show”
2012 Tron: Uprising Lux (voice) Episode: “Identity”
2012 Robot Chicken Black Widow / Ariel (voice) Episode: “Collateral Damage in Gang Turf War”
2013 Newsreaders Dixie Peters Episode: “Hair Razing”
2015 Axe Cop Axe Girl (voice) Episode: “Ultimate Mate”
2015–2016 BoJack Horseman Katrina Peanutbutter (voice) Episodes: “Hank After Dark,” “That Went Well”
2015 Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp Donna 7 episodes
2016 Cassius & Clay Shopcarter Clay (voice) Pilot
2017 Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later Donna