Maria Bello
{{short description|American actress (born 1967)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Maria Bello
| image = Maria Bello (31621213980).jpg
| caption = Bello in 2016
| birthname =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|4|18|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| occupation = {{hlist|Actress|producer}}
| years_active = 1991–present
| spouse = {{marriage|Dominique Crenn|2024}}
| children = 1
| alma_mater = Villanova University
}}
Maria Bello (born April 18, 1967) is an American actress and producer. Her first major film role was in 1998's Permanent Midnight. She followed this with a range of supporting and leading parts in films such as Payback (1999), Coyote Ugly (2000), The Cooler (2003), Secret Window (2004), Assault on Precinct 13, A History of Violence, Thank You for Smoking (all 2005), World Trade Center (2006), The Jane Austen Book Club (2007), The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008), Grown Ups (2010), Prisoners (2013), and Lights Out (2016).
Outside of film, Bello is best known for playing Anna Del Amico in the medical drama ER (1997–1998) and Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane in the police procedural drama NCIS (2017–2021). She received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination and won a Critics' Choice Award for her performance in the limited series Beef (2023). In 2009, The Guardian named her one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.{{cite news|last=Singer|first=Leigh|date=February 19, 2009|title=Oscars: the best actors never to have been nominated|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/19/best-actors-never-nominated-for-oscars|url-status=live|work=The Guardian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117200738/https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/19/best-actors-never-nominated-for-oscars|archive-date=January 17, 2024|access-date=February 23, 2024}}
Early life
Bello was born April 18, 1967, in Norristown, Pennsylvania,{{cite web |title=Maria Bello |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bbb90243e |publisher=British Film Institute |access-date=11 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109183917/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bbb90243e |archive-date=January 9, 2018}} to Kathy, a school nurse and teacher, and Joe Bello, a contractor.{{cite web |url=http://www.ematrimony.org/priestscorner/20060127_belloquote_rickey.htm |title=Supporting, Encouraging and Challenging the WWME Community |publisher=eMatrimony |access-date=December 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926195102/http://www.ematrimony.org/priestscorner/20060127_belloquote_rickey.htm |archive-date=September 26, 2013 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }} Her father is Italian American, with roots in Montella, Italy,{{cite web|url=http://napoli.repubblica.it/cronaca/2012/07/01/news/all_attrice_maria_bello_l_ischia_humanitarian_award-38334552/ |title=All'attrice Maria Bello l'Ischia Humanitarian Award / Actress Maria Bello: Ischia Humanitarian Award|date=July 2012 |publisher=Napoli.repubblica.it |access-date=December 2, 2013 | quote = Il nonni paterni di Maria Bello, 45 anni, erano originari di Montella, in provincia di Avellino / The paternal grandparents of Maria Bello, 45, were from Montella, Avellino}} (in Italian) and her mother is Polish American.{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/10/AR2006081000437.html |title=Maria Bello, 'Getting Better and Better' |work=Washingtonpost.com |date=August 11, 2006 |access-date=December 2, 2013}} She grew up in a working-class, Catholic family and graduated from Archbishop John Carroll High School in Radnor, Pennsylvania.{{cite web|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800019251/bio|title=Maria Bello|work=Yahoo! Movies|access-date=June 24, 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.askmen.com/celebs/women/actress_250/258_maria_bello.html|title=Maria Bello|work=AskMen.com|access-date=June 24, 2010}} She majored in political science at Villanova University. Following graduation, Bello honed her acting skills in a number of New York theater productions.{{Cite web |date=2014-07-14 |title=Maria Bello - Biography - Movies & TV - NYTimes.com |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714205027/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/263285/Maria-Bello/biography |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=web.archive.org}}
Career
Bello's early TV appearances include episodes of The Commish (1991), Due South (1994), Nowhere Man (1995), Misery Loves Company (1995), and ER (1997–98). Her breakthrough came when she was cast as Mrs. Smith in the TV series spy show Mr. & Mrs. Smith, though the show was cancelled after eight weeks. She then appeared in the final three episodes of the third season of ER as pediatrician Dr. Anna Del Amico and was a regular cast member during the medical drama's fourth season.
Bello moved on to films, landing a role in Coyote Ugly (2000). She was 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). She starred in The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) as Jocelyn and as Dr. Alex Sabian in the 2005 film, Assault on Precinct 13, a remake of the original 1976 movie made by John Carpenter. In 2008, she starred in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor as Evelyn O'Connell, replacing Rachel Weisz.{{cite web | title=Maria Bello Interview | work=futuremovies.co.uk| date=April 1, 2001 | url= https://www.futuremovies.co.uk/filmmaking/maria-bello-on-the-mummy/adam-tanswell}} In December 2008, Bello began developing a drama for HBO. Besides starring in the new series, Bello planned to also serve as an executive producer.{{cite web | last=Schneider|first=Michael| title=HBO seals deal with Maria Bello| work=Variety| date=December 21, 2008| access-date=December 30, 2008| url=https://variety.com/2008/scene/markets-festivals/hbo-seals-deal-with-maria-bello-1117997700/}} She starred in the 2009 drama film The Yellow Handkerchief, which was released in theatres on February 26, 2010, by Samuel Goldwyn Films.
In 2010, Bello guest starred in two episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.{{cite web | url=https://www.tvguide.com/News/Maria-Bello-SVU-1020700.aspx| title=Exclusive: Maria Bello Signs On to SVU| publisher=TVGuide.com}} The following year, she starred in the TV series Prime Suspect,{{Cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2011/02/maria-bello-to-star-in-nbcs-prime-suspect-107054/|title=Maria Bello To Star In NBC's 'Prime Suspect'|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=2011-02-17|work=Deadline|access-date=2018-11-29|language=en-US}} which was cancelled after 13 episodes. In 2011, she became a founding board member of the CQ Matrix Company, a company created by her then-partner, Clare Munn, to help clients achieve "transformative living and the power of intelligent exchange" by enhancing their communication quotient.{{cite web| title=CQ| url=http://claremunn.com/cq/| publisher=ClareMunn.com| access-date=December 4, 2013| quote=... board members including founding board member Maria Bello...| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110423071807/http://claremunn.com/cq/| archive-date=April 23, 2011| url-status=dead}} In 2014, she starred alongside Frank Grillo in the James Wan-produced thriller Demonic.{{cite web|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/84123/international-demonic-trailer-begins-haunting/|title=International Demonic Trailer Begins Haunting - Dread Central|date=January 5, 2015|access-date=October 27, 2017}}
Bello began producing short films in 2010. In 2022, she was a producer on the film The Woman King.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8093700/?ref_=nm_flmg_tp_t\ |title=The Woman King |website=IMDB |access-date=March 3, 2023}}
Personal life
Bello has a son, Jackson, with her former boyfriend Dan McDermott. In November 2013, she wrote about having a same-sex relationship with her partner, Clare Munn.{{cite news| url = http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/maria-bello-shares-modern-family-picture-with-girlfriend-clare-munn-and-ex-boyfriend-dan-mcdermott-after-coming-out-as-gay-2013212 | title= Maria Bello Shares 'Modern Family' Picture With Girlfriend Clare Munn and Ex-Boyfriend Dan McDermott After Coming Out as Gay | date= December 2, 2013 | access-date= December 2, 2013 | first= Nicole | last = Eggenberger | work = Us Weekly}}{{cite news | url= https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/fashion/coming-out-as-a-modern-family-modern-love.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |title=Coming Out as a Modern Family |first=Maria |last=Bello |work=The New York Times |date=November 29, 2013 |access-date=December 2, 2013}} Her book, Whatever...Love Is Love: Questioning the Labels We Give Ourselves, was published in 2015.{{Cite book |last=Bello |first=Maria |title=Whatever ... love is love: questioning the labels we give ourselves |date=2015 |isbn=978-0-06-235183-8 |publisher=Dey Street Books |location=New York |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/906815841}}
In February 2020, while attending the 92nd Academy Awards in their first public appearance as a couple, Bello announced she and chef Dominique Crenn had become engaged on December 29, 2019, while holidaying in Paris, France.{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/movies/maria-bello-reveals-shes-engaged-to-chef-girlfriend-dominique-crenn-ive-finally-grown-up/|title=Maria Bello Reveals She's Engaged to Chef Girlfriend Dominique Crenn: 'I've Finally Grown Up'|website=PEOPLE.com|accessdate=January 29, 2021}} They got married in a ceremony in Mexico on May 12, 2024.{{Cite web |title=Maria Bello and Dominique Crenn are officially married! |url=https://www.advocate.com/people/maria-bello-dominique-crenn-wedding |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=www.advocate.com |language=en}}
= Philanthropy =
Bello has been involved in several advocacy and philanthropic causes. In the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Bello founded WE ADVANCE with Aleda Frishman, Barbara Guillaume, and Alison Thompson. It is an organization that encourages Haitian women to collaborate in making healthcare a priority, and putting an end to domestic violence within their communities. {{asof|2011}}, the organization is based in a health clinic and a community outreach center in Cité Soleil.{{cite web |last=Bello |first=Maria |date=January 12, 2011 |title=How to ADVANCE Our Money in Haiti |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-bello/how-to-advance-our-money-_b_808004.html |access-date=May 10, 2011 |work=The Huffington Post}} Bello led fundraising efforts in Philadelphia and donated to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. She is also a board member of Darfur Women Action Group, an NGO that undertakes activism on behalf of genocide victims of the Darfur conflict.{{cite web |url=http://www.darfurwomenaction.org/about/board/maria-bello-darfur-women-action-group-board-member |title=Maria Bello, Darfur Women Action Group Board Member | Darfur Women Action Group |website=www.darfurwomenaction.org |access-date=14 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923212702/http://www.darfurwomenaction.org/about/board/maria-bello-darfur-women-action-group-board-member |archive-date=23 September 2015 |url-status=dead}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |
| 1992
|Maintenance |Eddie | |
| 1994
|Morphosis |Boss | |
| 1998
| Kitty | |
| 1999
| Payback | Rosie | |
| rowspan="2" | 2000
| |
| Duets
| Suzi Loomis | |
| rowspan="2" | 2001
| Ruth Harkness | |
| Sam the Man
| Anastasia Powell | |
| rowspan="2" | 2002
| Patricia Olson / Patricia Crane / Sigrid Valdis | |
| 100 Mile Rule
| Monica | |
| 2003
| {{sortname|The|Cooler}} | Natalie Belisario | |
| rowspan="2" | 2004
| Nora Allardyce | |
| Secret Window
| Amy Rainey | |
| rowspan="3" | 2005
| Alex Sabian | |
| {{sortname|A|History of Violence}}
| Edie Stall | |
| {{sortname|The|Dark|The Dark (2005 film)}}
| Adélle | |
| rowspan="4" | 2006
| Polly Bailey | |
| {{sortname|The|Sisters|The Sisters (2005 film)}}
| Marcia Prior Glass | |
| Flicka
| Nell McLaughlin | |
| World Trade Center
| Donna McLoughlin | |
| rowspan="3" |2007
| {{sortname|The|Jane Austen Book Club|The Jane Austen Book Club (film)}} | Jocelyn | |
| Towelhead
| Gail Monahan | |
| Butterfly on a Wheel
| Abby Randall | a.k.a. Shattered |
| rowspan="3" | 2008
| {{sortname|The|Yellow Handkerchief|The Yellow Handkerchief (2010 film)}} | May | |
| Downloading Nancy
| Nancy Stockwell | |
| The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
|Replaces Rachel Weisz |
| 2009
| {{sortname|The|Private Lives of Pippa Lee}} | Suky | |
| rowspan="2" |2010
| {{sortname|The|Company Men}} | Sally Wilcox | |
| Grown Ups
| Sally Lamonsoff | |
| rowspan="3" | 2011
| Kate Carroll | |
| Abduction
| Mara Harper | |
| Carjacked
| Lorraine | |
| rowspan="3" | 2013
| Sally Lamonsoff | |
| Prisoners
| Grace Dover | |
| Third Person
| Theresa | |
| rowspan="3" | 2015
| Cheryl White | |
| Demonic
| Dr. Elizabeth Klein | |
| Bravetown
| Martha | |
| rowspan="7" | 2016
| Sergeant Reznik | |
| The Confirmation
| Bonnie | |
| Lights Out
| Sophie | |
| The Late Bloomer
| Brenda Newmans | |
| Max Steel
| Molly McGrath | |
| Wait Till Helen Comes
| Jean | a.k.a. Little Girl's Secret |
| The Journey Is the Destination
|Kathy Eldon |Also executive producer |
| 2017
| Claire | Also executive producer |
| rowspan="3" | 2018
| Lindsey | |
| Better Start Running
| Agent McFadden | |
| Giant Little Ones
| Carly Winter | Also executive producer |
| 2020
| Sheriff Goodwin | |
| 2022
| {{N/A}} | Producer and story writer |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |
| 1995
|Joe's Former Film Student |Episode: "That Book by Nabokov" |
| 1995
| Emily Noonan | Episode: "The Enemy Within" |
| 1995
|Betsy |Episode: "In the Shadows of the Gallows" |
| 1996
|Mackenzie King |Episode: "One Good Man" |
| 1996–1997
| Mrs. Smith | 13 episodes |
| 1997–1998
| ER | Recurring role (season 3); main role (season 4) |
| 2010
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Vivian Arliss | 2 episodes |
| 2011–2012
| Jane Timoney | 13 episodes |
| 2012–2013
| Touch | Lucy Robbins | 13 episodes |
| 2014
| Tess Thorne |Television film |
| 2016
| Goliath | Michelle McBride | 8 episodes |
| 2017–2021
| NCIS | Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane | Main role (season 15–18); 73 episodes |
| 2017
| XQ Super School Live | Herself | Television special |
| 2023
| Beef | Jordan Forster | Recurring role; 6 episodes |
| 2025
| Mae Buckley | Upcoming series; main role{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/maria-bello-kevin-williamson-netflix-series-the-waterfront-1236111459/|title=Maria Bello Joins Kevin Williamson Netflix Series 'The Waterfront'|work=Variety|first=Joe|last=Otterson|date=August 20, 2024|access-date=May 21, 2025}} |
Awards and nominations
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|4742|Maria Bello}}
- {{Twitter|maria_bello}}
- {{Instagram|officialmariabello}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Maria Bello
|list =
{{Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress}}
{{Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Movie/Miniseries Supporting Actress}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress}}
{{Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress}}
{{Satellite Award Best Supporting Actress Motion Picture}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bello, Maria}}
Category:20th-century American actresses
Category:21st-century American actresses
Category:Actresses from Pennsylvania
Category:American film actresses
Category:American people of Italian descent
Category:American people of Polish descent
Category:American television actresses
Category:American LGBTQ actresses
Category:LGBTQ people from Pennsylvania
Category:People from Norristown, Pennsylvania
Category:Villanova University alumni