Catherine Bell
Catherine
Bell was born in London, England, on August 14, 1968.
Her father, Peter, born in Britain, worked as an architect in London
and her mother, Mina, born in Iran, worked as a nurse. An only child,
she and her mother (after her parents divorced in Britain) emigrated
from England to the United States when she was three years old.
Interestingly, she considered herself a British subject until 1998,
when she discovered by accident that at the age of 12 she had become
a naturalized American citizen. Catherine Bell
and her mother lived in Los Angeles, where they stayed, at first,
with her mother's parents. During Catherine's early school years,
she was a bit of a tomboy; however, by Grade 11 she began to adopt
a more feminine attitude.
Catherine Bell attended the University of California
at Los Angeles for two years. While at university, she began modeling
part-time in Los Angeles, where she did modeling work in catalogues
and TV commercials. Eventually, she left school to do some modeling
work in Japan for four months.
After returning to the U.S. and wanting to become an actress, she
hired an acting coach to help her develop her skills. A few movies
and TV shows later, Catherine Bell auditioned (five times) for the
lead female role of Marine Major Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie
on the CBS TV action-drama series "JAG." Knowing the show's
originator, Donald Bellisario, from having made a guest appearance
in the first season "JAG" episode, "Skeleton Crew,"
Catherine Bell wrote him a long letter about how she loved the "Mac"
character and how she felt she was the best person for the part.
She was cast in the role.
Catherine Bell is currently married to Adam Beason,
29, and lives in Sherman Oaks, California. She has two Italian greyhound
doggies, Zoe and Leo. She is fluent in the Persian language Farsi.
She enjoys painting, kick boxing, sky diving, bungy jumping, dirt
biking, mountain biking, skiing, and snowboarding. Her mother is
her personal assistant.
