If you are a fan of soap operas, you might have wondered if Lauralee Bell, who plays Christine Blair on The Young and the Restless, is related to Kristen Bell, the star of The Good Place and Frozen. After all, they share the same last name and both have a connection to the entertainment industry. However, the truth is that they are not related at all. Here’s why.
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Lauralee Bell’s Famous Parents and Siblings
Lauralee Bell was born on December 22, 1968, in Chicago, Illinois. She is the only daughter of William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, who are the creators of two popular soap operas: The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful. According to Wikipedia, her parents also produced other shows such as Another World and Days of Our Lives.
Lauralee has two brothers: Bradley Bell and William J. Bell Jr. Bradley is the executive producer and head writer of The Bold and the Beautiful, while William Jr. is the president of Bell Dramatic Serial Company and Bell-Phillip Television Productions Inc. Lauralee also has two sisters-in-law: Maria Arena Bell, who is a former head writer and executive producer of The Young and the Restless, and Colleen Bell, who is a former U.S. ambassador to Hungary and a current executive director of the California Film Commission.
Lauralee Bell’s Acting Career and Awards
Lauralee started her acting career in 1983, when she was offered a bit role as a model named Christine “Cricket” Blair on The Young and the Restless by her parents. She became a contract player in 1986 and remained on the show until 2005, when she asked to be moved to recurring status after maternity leave. She returned to regular status in 2002 but went back to recurring in 2005. She has been making occasional appearances on the show since then.
Lauralee also reprised her role as Christine on The Bold and the Beautiful in 2007 for a short-term stint. Her character is a legal aid lawyer who often gets involved in various cases and conflicts in Genoa City, the fictional setting of The Young and the Restless.
Lauralee has also guest-starred on several prime time shows such as Diagnosis: Murder, Walker, Texas Ranger, Pacific Blue, CSI: Miami and Castle. She made her film debut in 2005 with Carpool Guy, a comedy directed by Corbin Bernsen. She later starred in several Lifetime movies such as Past Sins, Deadly Expose, Mistress Hunter and Nightmare Tenant. In 2021, she played Daphne Dumas in V.C. Andrews’ Ruby and Pearl in the Mist.
Lauralee has won several awards for her work on The Young and the Restless. She received a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Daytime TV Series – Young Actress in 1989, a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 1999 and a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2016.
Kristen Bell’s Background and Achievements
Kristen Bell was born on July 18, 1980, in Huntington Woods, Michigan. She is not related to Lauralee or her family by blood or marriage. Her parents are Tom Bell, a television news director, and Lorelei Bell, a registered nurse. According to IMDb, she has two half-sisters from her father’s second marriage: Sara Bell and Jody Bell.
Kristen began her acting career in 1992, when she appeared in a local production of Raggedy Ann and Andy at age 12. She later attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied musical theater. She made her Broadway debut in 2001 with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Kristen rose to fame with her role as Veronica Mars, a teenage private investigator, on the cult TV series Veronica Mars from 2004 to 2007. She reprised her role in a feature film adaptation in 2014 and an eight-episode revival series in 2019. She also voiced the anonymous narrator on the hit teen drama Gossip Girl from 2007 to 2012.
Kristen has also starred in several movies such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Couples Retreat, When in Rome, Bad Moms, CHiPs and A Bad Moms Christmas. She is best known for voicing Anna, one of the main characters in Disney’s Frozen franchise. She also played Eleanor Shellstrop, a deceased woman who tries to become a better person in the afterlife, on the critically acclaimed comedy series The Good Place from 2016 to 2020.
Kristen has won several awards for her work on Veronica Mars and The Good Place. She received a Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television in 2006, a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Actress in a New TV Series in 2017 and a Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series in 2019. She also received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 2019.
Conclusion
Lauralee Bell and Kristen Bell are both successful actresses who have made their mark on the soap opera and comedy genres, respectively. However, they are not related to each other in any way. They just happen to share a common surname and a passion for acting.
