Kristen may refer to:

People with the given name Kristen:

• Kristen (given name)

Other:

• Kristen (typeface), the Kristen ITC font
• "Kristen", the alias used by Ashley Alexandra Dupré, a central figure in the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Adam Brody
at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	Adam Jared Brody (1979-12-15) December 15, 1979 (age 32) San Diego, California, US
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1995–present

Adam Jared Brody (born December 15, 1979) is an American film and television actor and part time musician. He began his career in 1995, appearing on Gilmore Girls and other series, and subsequently came to fame for his role as Seth Cohen on The O.C.^[1] Brody later appeared in several film roles, including Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Thank You for Smoking, Jennifer's Body, In the Land of Women, Cop Out, and Scream 4.^[2]

Early life[link]

Brody was born in Carlsbad, San Diego County, California, the oldest son of Valerie (née Siefman), a graphic artist, and Mark Brody, a lawyer.^[3][4] His parents, both Jewish, were originally from Detroit, Michigan.^[5] He has younger twin brothers, Sean and Matt. Brody attended Wangenheim Middle School and Scripps Ranch High School, receiving "poor grades",^[6] and grew up in suburban San Diego, spending time surfing.^[7] He has said that while he was not a "Casanova", he had "cute girlfriends" and "pretty much lived at the beach".^[6] Brody attended community college for one year and dropped out at the age of nineteen, moving to Hollywood in order to become an actor.^[1] He subsequently hired an acting coach and signed with a manager.^[8]

Career[link]

At the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival

After a year of training and auditioning, Brody landed the role of Barry Williams in the 2000 TV movie Growing Up Brady. He also was in the Canadian comedy television series The Sausage Factory. In 2001, he played a small role in American Pie 2, named as "high school guy". He was one of two high school guys who get chased away from Steve Stifler's party. He was cast in recurring roles on Gilmore Girls in 2002–2003 as Dave Rygalski, Lane's bandmate and love interest before his character left to go to California, or in this case, The O.C.. In 2003, Brody wrote "Home Security" (a short film),^[7] appeared in the feature film Grind and also in a music video of a song called "Too Bad About Your Girl" by The Donnas. Still in 2003, he began playing his most famous role to date, Seth Cohen, a slightly awkward teenager, on the television show The O.C.. Brody improvised some of the character's comic dialogue.^[7] The role turned him into a teen idol, with the character having been described by the Los Angeles Times as "TV's sexiest geek"^[7] and by Time as having "redefined" the screen persona of "unapologetic" nerdiness;^[1] his character (defined by director Jon Kasdan as the "new kind of nerdy Jewish guy: both self-deprecating and self-obsessed")^[1] has since inspired scripts to describe particular characters as "Adam Brody types".^[1] The role also developed Brody a female fan following and as a result, Brody was ranked No. 17 in Independent Online's "100 Sexiest Men Alive" of 2006^[9], was twice placed on Teen People's annual list of "25 Sexiest Stars under 25", and was the first male on the cover of Elle Girl.^[1][10][10] He also appeared thrice -2003, 2004, 2005- in People's Magazine "50 Hottest Bachelors".^[11][12][13]

During the show's run, Brody appeared alongside Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in 2005's film Mr. & Mrs. Smith and played a Hollywood studio assistant in the 2006 film adaptation of Thank You for Smoking. Brody was signed to a seven-year contract for The O.C., playing the role of Seth Cohen, where he acted much like himself. The show was eventually canceled in 2007 and ended its run in February of that year; Brody has said that he is "not unhappy" with the show's cancellation^[10] and that although he was "fortunate" to be on a successful series, he was also glad to "not be on it for 10 years".^[1] After the end of The O.C.'s run, Brody turned to a full-time film career.^[7]

Brody with Greta Gerwig and Analeigh Tipton at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival

His next film was In the Land of Women, a romantic comedy co-starring Meg Ryan and Kristen Stewart and released on April 20, 2007. In the film, Brody plays the lead role, a writer who returns to his mother's Michigan hometown in order to take care of his sick grandmother. Brody did not have to audition for the part, but was almost unable to appear in the film because of scheduling conflicts with the second season of The O.C.; the film's director pushed filming back eight months because he wanted Brody to star.^[7][10] The same year, Brody also appeared in supporting roles in the lower budget films Smiley Face, playing a pot dealer, and The Ten, as a skydiver.^[7] He also guest appeared in the Smallville episode "Crush".

Brody, along with actor Zac Efron, was in consideration for the lead part in the film Speed Racer, a role which was eventually given to Emile Hirsch.^[1] Brody was also set to produce a remake of Revenge of the Nerds, which was canceled early during filming.^[14]

In 2009, he co-starred with Josh Lucas in Boaz Yakin's drama, Death in Love, and in Academy Award-winner Diablo Cody's new horror film Jennifer's Body, co-starring Megan Fox.

In 2010, he appeared in Kevin Smith's film Cop Out, which was shot in NYC and co-starred Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan and then in The Romantics alongside Katie Holmes and Josh Duhamel. It was announced on July 1, 2010 that Brody landed the role of Detective Hoss in Scream 4,^[2] released in April 2011.

Brody currently voices "Woodie" in the MTV animated series Good Vibes.^[15] In January 2012, it was announced he had joined the cast of Lovelace, a biopic about the late '70s porn star Linda Lovelace which will be directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman and star Amanda Seyfried and Demi Moore. Brody will portray Harry Reems.^[16]

Personal life[link]

Brody lives in Los Angeles. He dated The O.C. co-star Rachel Bilson for three years.^[7] The relationship ended in December 2006.^[17] He dated Lorene Scafaria - a screenwriter - a little bit after their meeting on the set of The Romantics^[18] although the relationship has recently ended.

Brody plays drums for the band Big Japan^[7] with actor Bret Harrison. He writes screenplays and songs during his spare time^[1] and has co-written, along with Danny Bilson and Paul DiMeo, a comic book miniseries for Wildstorm Comics called Red Menace. Brody has also volunteered as an actor with the Young Storytellers Program, which is dedicated to developing literacy, self-expression and self-esteem in elementary school children.

Brody has described himself as a "fake intellectual" and his sense of humor as sarcastic.^[1] He is a secular Jew^[19] and has stated that he "couldn't be less religious".^[3] Brody has said that when he moved to Hollywood he became "more nerdy" and embraced his "neurotic side".^[6]

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

Accolades[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Adam Brody

• Adam Brody at the Internet Movie Database
• Works by or about Adam Brody in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Kristen Bell
Bell at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
Born	Kristen Anne Bell (1980-07-18) July 18, 1980 (age 31) Huntington Woods, Michigan, United States
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1992–present
Partner	Dax Shepard (2007-present)

Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. After moving to Los Angeles, Bell landed various television guest appearances and small film parts before appearing in a lead role in the David Mamet film Spartan. Her first film role was an uncredited appearance in Polish Wedding. She gained fame and critical praise as the title role on the acclaimed television series Veronica Mars from September 2004 to May 2007.

During her time on Veronica Mars, Bell appeared as Mary Lane in the film Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical, a reprise of the role she had played in the New York theatrical production of the eponymous musical upon which the film was based. She also portrayed the lead role in Pulse, a remake of a J-Horror film. In 2007, she joined the cast of Heroes, playing the character Elle Bishop, and Gossip Girl as the off-screen titular narrator. In 2008, she played Sarah Marshall in the comedy film Forgetting Sarah Marshall. She has since appeared in a number of comedy films, such as Fanboys, Couples Retreat, and When in Rome. Bell was also the voice of Cora in Astro Boy and is the voice and face of Lucy Stillman in the Assassin's Creed video game series. Bell has received a Satellite Award and Saturn Award, and has been nominated several times for Television Critics Association Awards and Teen Choice Awards.^{[citation needed]}

Early life and family[link]

Bell was born and raised in Huntington Woods, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. Her mother, Lorelei (née Frygier), is a registered nurse, and her father, Tom Bell, is the television news director for WOAI-TV in San Antonio.^[1] Her parents divorced when she was two years old, and she has two half sisters, Sara and Jody, from her father's second marriage. Bell has strabismus, which affects her right eye. She inherited it from her mother, who had it corrected as a child. Bell claims that if she does not get enough sleep, it aggravates the ailment. She calls her right eye "Wonky".^[2][3]

Bell stated that she did not like her first name at the age of four. Her mother convinced Bell to go by her middle name of Anne instead; she used the name Annie until high school.^[4]

Just before her freshman year of high school, Bell's parents decided to pull her from the public school system.^[5] She then attended Shrine Catholic High School in nearby Royal Oak, where she took part in the drama and music club.^[6] During her time at the school, she won the starring role in the school's 1997 production of The Wizard of Oz as Dorothy Gale^[7] and also appeared in productions of Fiddler on the Roof (1995), Lady Be Good (1996), and Li'l Abner (1998). In 1998, the year she graduated, Bell was named the yearbook's "Best Looking Girl" by senior class vote.^[8]

When Bell was 17, her best friend, whom she met at age 11 during a Detroit community theater production, was killed in an automobile accident. Bell said that it was "both the best and worst thing that has ever happened to me. [...] Once you learn not to take people for granted, you live a lot happier life".^[9]

Shortly after her high school graduation, Bell moved to New York City to attend the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University,^[4] majoring in musical theater.^[10] In 2001, during her senior year at New York University, Bell left a few credits shy of graduating^[11] to take a role in the Broadway musical version of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Career[link]

Early work (1992–2003)[link]

In 1992, Bell went to her first audition and won a dual role as a banana and a tree^[9] in a suburban Detroit theater's production of Raggedy Ann and Andy.^[4] Her mother had established her with an agent before Bell was 13, which allowed her to appear in newspaper advertisements for several Detroit retailers and television commercials. She also began private acting lessons.^[4] In 1998, she appeared with an uncredited role in the locally filmed movie Polish Wedding.

In 2001, Bell left New York University to take a key role as Becky Thatcher in the short-lived Broadway musical of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. That same year, she made her credited film debut in Pootie Tang. Her one line in the film was cut and her appearance exists only as a scene shown during the credit sequence.^[12] Additionally, she auditioned for the television series Smallville for the role of Chloe Sullivan, a part eventually won by Allison Mack.^[13] In 2002, she appeared in the Broadway revival of The Crucible with Liam Neeson, Angela Bettis and Laura Linney. Bell then moved to Los Angeles, California in 2002 because of her friendship with writers Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney,^[12] and appeared in a handful of television shows as a special guest, finding trouble gaining a recurring role in a television series. Bell had "tested like eight times and booked nothing and every show [she] tested for got picked up," including auditions for Skin and a Norm Macdonald series.^[9]

In 2003, she landed a role in the Hallmark Channel movie The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay. Bell appeared on the show Punk'd.

Breakout (2004–06)[link]

Bell on the set of Veronica Mars

In 2004, Bell appeared in the Lifetime television movie Gracie's Choice, which received one of the network's highest ratings.^[11] She made her debut in a theatrically released film, with David Mamet's Spartan, as Laura Newton, the kidnapped daughter of the U.S. President, acting alongside Val Kilmer. Bell also guest-starred on the HBO's drama Deadwood in a two-episode story arc ("Bullock Returns to the Camp" and "Suffer the Little Children").

At 24 she won the role of the title character in UPN's drama Veronica Mars, which was launched in the fall of 2004. Created by Rob Thomas, the series starred Bell as the seventeen year old detective Veronica, which put her alongside actors Enrico Colantoni who played her father, Jason Dohring, Percy Daggs III and Ryan Hansen. Bell noted the parallels between the character of Veronica and her own life — Bell's parents had divorced and her best friend had also died, like that of Veronica.^[11] The series earned positive reviews from television critics, as did Bell's performance. Some critics felt that she was overlooked, however, and deserved an Emmy Award nomination.^[14][15][16]

In 2005, Bell starred in Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical, reprising the role she played in the short-lived 2001 off-broadway musical. The musical was a spoof of the 1936 exploitation film of the same name. Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical debuted on the Showtime network on April 16, 2005. On September 18, 2005, Bell performed the theme song from Fame on the "Emmy Idol" portion of the 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. She and the cast of Veronica Mars were nominated for two Teen Choice Awards in 2005: "Choice Breakout Actress" and "Choice Breakout TV Show".

In 2006, Bell won the Saturn Award for "Best Actress on Television" for her acting on Veronica Mars, while the series was nominated for "Best Network Television Show". Aside from working on Veronica Mars, in April, Bell starred as Gracie in Fifty Pills, an entry for the Tribeca Film Festival. She appeared in a short independent film called The Receipt and the horror film Roman, which was directed by her The Crucible co-star Angela Bettis. Released on August 11, 2006, Pulse starred Bell as the lead Mattie. A remake of the Japanese horror film Kairo, the film grossed US$27.9 million worldwide,^[17] however it garnered negative response from critics. Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter commented, "despite the starring presence of Kristen Bell, [the] young actress has far less interesting material to work with here than she does as [the character] "Veronica Mars.""^[18]

Recent and future roles (2007–present)[link]

Veronica Mars continued on UPN until the third season, in which the show was renewed and returned on the newly created The CW. On January 19, 2007 CW Entertainment President Dawn Ostroff announced that, while she was pleased with the gradual improvement of Veronica Mars's ratings, the series would be put on hiatus after February sweeps to air a new reality series, Pussycat Dolls Present. On May 17, 2007 Ostroff announced the cancellation of the series.^[19] The two-hour series finale aired in the United States on May 22, 2007, and on June 11, 2007 Thomas officially announced in an email to TV Guide's Michael Ausiello that Veronica Mars had been canceled by the CW.^[20] A Veronica Mars feature film and comic book series continuation had been discussed,^[21] and for a short time there was talk of another collaboration between Bell and creator Thomas that would be unrelated to the Veronica Mars series.^[19]

Following the cancellation of Veronica Mars, Bell had voiced interest in appearing on Heroes because she was a fan prior to being cast.^[22] On July 29, 2007, during a train ride back to Los Angeles from the San Diego Comic-Con with Heroes actors Zachary Quinto and Masi Oka, and writers from the series, the writers had mentioned that if she "ever want[ed] to come on Heroes, give us [writers] a call," to which Bell said she would "love to."^[23] She was also spoken to about a role on Lost, but turned down the role^[24][25] to portray Charlotte Staples Lewis.^[26] Announced in August 2007, Bell was to portray Elle Bishop, a "mysterious young lady" with an "awesome power".^[23] She did not have to audition for the role of Elle,^[12] who made her first appearance in an October 2007 episode, and will appear in at least thirteen episodes during the run of the series.^[27] The casting of Bell, as Heroes creator Tim Kring explains, "was not easy to pull off", but because of the large ensemble cast of the series and multiple story arcs, "we found a way to jump into a small window in [Bell's] schedule."^[27] Concurrently with filming on Heroes, she narrated as title character in the CW series Gossip Girl.

Shortly after the cancellation of Veronica Mars in early 2007, Bell filmed on location in Hawaii for her starring role as the title character in the Judd Apatow comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. She noted that the improvisational comedy in the film was "a lovely experience".^[12] The film, written by and also starring Jason Segel, was released theatrically on April 18, 2008. Bell lent her voice and likeness to the video game Assassin's Creed which was released on November 13, 2007 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and April 8, 2008 for the PC.^[28] Bell reprises her role of Lucy in Assassin's Creed II released on November 17, 2009, and again in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, released on 16 November 2010.^[29] In the spring of 2006, she finished filming the Star Wars-themed comedy Fanboys, which had its release date pushed to January 14, 2008. This was due to additional funding given to director Kyle Newman to shoot new scenes, however, the busy schedules of the actors only allowed for filming in September 2007, thus moving the release date to accommodate that.^[30] Bell will voice the character of Marybelle in the animated feature Sheepish, which also has a 2008 release date.^[31] She also starred in the 2009 comedies Serious Moonlight, alongside Meg Ryan, and Couples Retreat, which chronicled four couples who partake in therapy sessions at a tropical island resort. Jason Bateman played her husband.^[32] On March 31, 2008, Bell began shooting for the Mark Steven Johnson-written Disney film When in Rome in locations in Rome and New York; the film was released in 2010.^[33] Bell reprised her role as Sarah Marshall for a cameo appearance in the film Get Him to the Greek, a spin-off sequel from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, released June 4, 2010.

Bell has also said that when she is free from film and television roles, she would like to perform on stage again.^[34] She co-starred with singers Christina Aguilera and Cher in the movie-musical Burlesque which was released on Thanksgiving in 2010.

Bell had a cameo in Scream 4, which was released on April 15, 2011.^[35] She is also attached to the films Everybody Loves Whales and Dance of the Mirlitons.^[36]

She has also appeared in the music video for "Madder Red" by Brooklyn experimental rock band Yeasayer.

Bell portrays the role of "Mary Magdalene" in The Truth & Life Dramatized Audio New Testament Bible, a 22-hour, celebrity-voiced, fully dramatized audio New Testament which uses the RSV-CE translation.

She is the female lead on the Showtime series House of Lies, which premiered on January 8, 2012, and is directed by Stephen Hopkins.

In the media[link]

In 2006, Bell was selected "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" on PETA's yearly poll.^[37] She was placed #68 on Maxim's 2005 "Hot 100" list,^[38] #11 in Maxim's 2006 "Hot 100" list,^[39] and #46 in Maxim's 2007 "Hot 100" list in which she was stated to have "single-handedly saved the CW from becoming the worst network ever."^[40] In 2006, Maxim also placed Bell at the top of the "Fall TV's Criminally Sexy Investigators" List.^[37] In 2008, she was featured at #59 on Ask Men's Top 99 Women of 2008 List.^[41] Reflecting on her admitted popularity with "geeks", Bell was voted the fourth sexiest woman on TV by the staff at Wizard magazine.^[42]

She stated to have never thought of herself as womanly because she "always play[ed roles] and look[ed] and act[ed] 10 years younger than [she is]", however as she explains, "Something magical happened when I turned 25 — I looked in the mirror and was like, You might not get carded for an R-rated movie anymore. Like I didn't have a little stick figure anymore."^[43] Bell has said that many of the characters she has played are tomboys because she was "not homely enough to play the nerdy girl and not nearly pretty enough to play the pretty girl".^[43]

Bell has been associated with the idea that "nerdy is the new cool", and she explains, "what was previously perceived as nerdy is now viewed as original. What I like about nerdiness, geekiness, is it doesn't really matter what you're into — it just means you're not a follower."^[43] She has also said, "I love nerds. Comic-Con junkies are the tastemakers of tomorrow. Isn't that funny? The tables have turned."^[12] Vanessa Juarez of Entertainment Weekly commented that Bell's role on Veronica Mars, Heroes and as a Star Wars fanatic in Fanboys has "solidif[ied] her placement at the center of the geek universe", while Rodney Rothman stated, "I guess she's cornered the market on losers."^[44] Bell's work is often compared to Sarah Michelle Gellar's portrayal of the titular character on the cult television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.^[45] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter stated that Bell was "arguably the television successor [to Gellar's portrayal of Buffy] when it comes to fighting bad guys." Bell is sometimes confused with Lauren Conrad from the show The Hills. "Yeah, sometimes fans yell, 'Hey, Lauren' to me, but usually from a distance," said Kristen.^[18]

Despite "new celebrity" status, Bell claims that she is not concerned because "no one ever recognizes [her] anyway". As Bell explains, "I hang out with Hayden quite a bit — they never take pictures of me. I just step to the side, and I push myself in front of her when she wants to get out of it, or put her in the car."^[43] Bell is a recurring guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, appearing in interviews as well as sketches. On the Late Late Show, she is shown to have garnered a humorous hostility towards Craig's robot skeleton sidekick Geoff Peterson, claiming that she had wanted to be Craig's sidekick on his show and taking it upon herself to cut Geoff down every chance she gets. Both Bell and Geoff Peterson appeared with Ferguson during the five Late Late shows filmed in France.^[46]

In January 2011 it was announced that Bell would be the new face of Neutrogena.^[47]

Personal life[link]

Bell signing in January 2005 at San Francisco's Metreon

At age 11, Bell became a vegetarian.^[37] In an interview with PETA, Bell stated, "I have always been an animal lover. I had a hard time disassociating the animals I cuddled with — dogs and cats, for example — from the animals on my plate, and I never really cared for the taste of meat. I always loved my Brussels sprouts!"^[48] During her time in Michigan, Bell fostered animals from Michigan Humane Society and she now supports the San Diego-based Helen Woodward Animal Center. Bell often attends fund raisers for the ASPCA and other non-profit organizations dedicated to protecting animals. She owns a Welsh Corgi-Chow Chow mix named Lola, a Welsh Corgi-Chihuahua mix named Shakey, and a black Labrador Retriever named Sadie, who was 11 years old when she was rescued from Hurricane Katrina and adopted by Bell in 2005.^[5][49]

She and many of those who worked on Veronica Mars, including personal friend Ryan Hansen, are involved with the charity organization Invisible Children Inc. The goal of the organization is to create awareness regarding the plight of Northern Ugandans who are caught in the midst of a civil war between the government and Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army.^[50] Bell has also done a public service announcement for Do Something's Healthy Living Campaign.^[51]

Bell supported and campaigned for Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential election. Along with Rashida Jones, she visited college campuses in Missouri to discuss the candidates and encourage voter registration.^[52][53][54] Bell has shown her support for the Writers Guild of America in the writer's strike, appearing in the picket lines in December 2007 stating, "the writers are just looking for some fairness."^[55]

In 2007, Bell ended a five-year relationship with former fiancé Kevin Mann,^[43] and went on to date actor Dax Shepard.^[56] As of January 2010, she is engaged to Shepard.^[57] She told Complex magazine that dating "makes me want to vomit. And not out of grossness — OK, a little bit out of grossness, but just nerves." Bell explains, "I've always been a serial monogamist."^[43]

As she is a Detroit native, she is also an avid fan of the Detroit Red Wings hockey team.^[58]

She is also a lover of sloths. When her now fiance Shepard got her a sloth for her birthday, she broke down in tears.^[59]

Filmography[link]

Awards[link]

Wins[link]

2006 

Saturn Award, for Veronica Mars

Jury Prize at the Austin Fantastic Fest, for Roman

Family Film Award, for Veronica Mars (shared with Enrico Colantoni)

2005 

Satellite Award, for Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical

Nominations[link]

2009 

Teen Choice Award, for Heroes

Saturn Award, for Heroes

MTV Movie Award, for Forgetting Sarah Marshall

2008 

Teen Choice Award, for Forgetting Sarah Marshall

2007 

Saturn Award, for Veronica Mars

2006 

Satellite Award, for Veronica Mars

Teen Choice Award, for Veronica Mars

2005 

Satellite Award, for Veronica Mars

Saturn Award, for Veronica Mars

Teen Choice Award, for Veronica Mars

TCA Award, for Veronica Mars

References[link]