Maria Bello

Name: Maria Elena Bello

Introduction: Maria Bello is an American actress, writer, and producer, known for her powerful and often gritty performances across a wide range of film and television genres. She has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and is also recognized for her significant humanitarian work and activism.

Date of birth: April 18, 1967

Height: 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m)

Place of birth: Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Family:

Parents’ names: Joe Bello (father, a contractor) and Kathy Bello (mother, a school nurse and teacher). Her father is Italian American and her mother is Polish American.
Siblings: She has three younger brothers: Christopher, Matthew, and Joseph.
Spouse: Dominique Crenn (m. 2024), a French chef. They announced their engagement in February 2020 and married in Mexico on May 12, 2024.
Children: Jackson Blue McDermott (son, born 2001, with former boyfriend Dan McDermott).
Relatives: Not widely publicized beyond her immediate family.

Profession: Actress, producer, writer, singer, activist.

Nationality: American

Religion: She was raised in a working-class Roman Catholic family.

College or university attended: Villanova University (studied political science, later discovered acting through an elective drama class). She also worked at the Women’s Law Project in Philadelphia during her time at university.

Biography and What Famous For:

Maria Bello began her acting career in off-Broadway plays in New York after graduating from Villanova University. She later gained early television exposure with small roles, including a main role in the short-lived spy show “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (1996).

Her breakout role came when she joined the cast of the critically acclaimed medical drama “ER” (1997-1998) as Dr. Anna Del Amico, a regular cast member for the show’s fourth season.

Bello then transitioned successfully into film, establishing herself as a versatile actress capable of powerful and nuanced performances. She is famous for:

“Coyote Ugly” (2000): Her role as Lil, the tough but maternal bar owner, brought her widespread recognition and showcased her singing abilities.
“The Cooler” (2003): Her performance as Natalie Belisario, a cocktail waitress, earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
“A History of Violence” (2005): Starring opposite Viggo Mortensen, her portrayal of Edie Stall, a wife grappling with her husband’s hidden past, earned her a second Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama, and garnered significant critical acclaim, including several critics’ awards.
“Thank You for Smoking” (2006): As Polly Bailey.
“Prisoners” (2013): As Grace Dover, the distraught mother of an abducted child, for which she won a National Board of Review Award for Best Ensemble.
“NCIS” (2017–2021): Her role as Special Agent Jacqueline “Jack” Sloane, a forensic psychologist, brought her back to network television as a series regular and solidified her presence in procedural dramas.
“Beef” (2023): Her performance as Jordan in the critically acclaimed Netflix series earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
Producing “The Woman King” (2022): She was a producer on the historical epic, a project she had championed for years, which received critical and commercial success.

Beyond her acting career, Maria Bello is an internationally renowned activist and philanthropist. She is highly active in promoting social justice and women’s rights globally, with a particular focus on Haiti. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, she co-founded WE ADVANCE, an organization dedicated to advancing Haitian women’s health, safety, and well-being, and is a Goodwill Ambassador for Women in Haiti. She also sits on the board of the Darfur Women Action Group. In 2013, she famously wrote an essay for The New York Times revealing her same-sex relationship with her partner, Clare Munn (prior to her marriage to Dominique Crenn), and discussed “coming out as a modern family,” advocating for broader definitions of love and family. She also authored the book “Whatever Love Is Love: Questioning the Labels We Give Ourselves” (2015).

Have participated (Selected Filmography, Television, and Other Ventures):

Film (Actress):