Kristen Anne Bell was born in Huntington Woods, Michigan, to Lorelei and Tom Bell. Her mother is of Polish descent and her father has German, Scottish and Irish ancestry. She began her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts in New York. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and starred in the Broadway revival of The Crucible the following year. In 2004, she appeared in the film Spartan and won praise for her performance in Gracie's Choice.

Bell gained critical acclaim for her first major role as the title character in the teen noir drama television series Veronica Mars. For her performance, she was awarded a Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television. She reprised the eponymous role in the 2014 film continuation of the series. During her time on Veronica Mars, Bell starred as Mary Lane in the film Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical, a reprise of the role she had played in the New York musical upon which the film was based. From 2007 to 2008, Bell starred as Elle Bishop in the sci-fi drama series Heroes. From 2007 to 2012, she voiced the titular narrator in the teen drama television series Gossip Girl.

In 2008, she had her breakout film role as the title character in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. She has since appeared in a number of comedy films, including Couples Retreat, When in Rome, You Again, The Boss, Bad Moms, and A Bad Moms Christmas. Bell garnered further recognition for voicing Princess Anna in the Disney animated fantasy film Frozen, the short films "Frozen Fever" and "Olaf's Frozen Adventure," and Frozen 2. From 2012 to 2016, she starred as Jeannie van der Hooven, the female lead on the Showtime series House of Lies. Since 2016, she has starred in the main role of Eleanor Shellstrop on the NBC comedy series The Good Place.

Bell has received many award nominations and wins, including three People's Choice Awards for Favorite Actress in different categories.

In May 2016, Bell stated that she has struggled with and received treatment for depression and anxiety. She said, "It's important for me to be candid about this so people in a similar situation can realize that they are not worthless and that they do have something to offer."

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