Born in New York but trained in London, this actress appeared in a handful of independent films before becoming a familiar face on TV. Her first three series — Miss Match, The Practice and its spin-off Boston Legal — all revolved around the courtroom. Her star began to rise once she traded the law for science on the short-lived deep-sea series Surface. That series included many scenes that were filmed in the water, and this required Bell to face her phobia of the ocean. This was a challenge she embraced, as she told TV GUIDE in 2005: "I love being put in a position where I need to face my fear and grow up a bit." After that series was canceled, Bell mixed it up a little by costarring with acting legends Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin in the 2009 film It's Complicated, acting in the wacky Childrens Hospital (a Web series that transformed into a TV series) and starring in the HBO comedy How to Make It in America. Off screen, Bell is a fan of karaoke, a lover of vintage fashion, an avid animal-rights activist and a devoted vegan.