Maria Bello - Actresses
Summary
"Maria Elana Bello" (born April 18, 1967) is a Golden Globe-nominated American actress.
Biography
Early life
Bello was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Kathy, a teacher and school nurse, and Joe Bello, a contractor. Her father was Italian American and her mother Polish American. She grew up in a working-class Roman Catholic family and graduated from Archbishop Carroll High School (Radnor, PA). Later she attended Villanova University, majoring in political science. She had every intention of becoming a lawyer, but took an acting class during her senior year, just for fun. She was soon cast in small off-Broadway plays, such as "The Killer Inside Me", "Small Town Gals With Big Problems" and "Urban Planning". She later guest-starred on episodes of "The Commish" (1991), "Nowhere Man" (1995), "Misery Loves Company" (1995) and "Due South" (1994).
Career
Bello's breakthrough came when producers Kerry Lenhart and John J. Sakmar cast her as Mrs. Smith in the spy show "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (1996) ; they remembered her from her performance in a failed pilot that was a remake of the classic TV series "77 Sunset Strip" (1958). The show was cancelled after just eight weeks on the air. Then came a guest stint on "ER" as the feisty pediatrician Dr. Anna Del Amico, in which she guest-starred in the final four episodes of the third season. The show's producers were so impressed with her that they asked her back as a regular on the series. Bello remained on the show for one season, departing after the medical drama's 4th season. The actress went on into movies landing a role in "Coyote Ugly". She has been nominated for the Golden Globe award twice: for Best Supporting Actress in "The Cooler" (2003) and for Best Actress in "A History of Violence" (2005).
Personal life
Bello practices yoga, muay thai and ballet. Bello and her boyfriend, TV executive Dan McDermott, welcomed their first child, Jackson Blue McDermott, on March 5, 2001.
She is good friends with actresses Mariska Hargitay and Carrie-Anne Moss. Bello is the godmother of Moss's first son. Moss is the godmother of Bello's son Jack.
External links
(Bello interview, 2004, LookSmart)
(Bello interview, 2004, Brentwood Magazine)
(Bello interview, 1999, LookSmart)
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Maria Bello.
