Lauralee Kristen Bell (born December 22, 1968) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

actress. She was born in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, and attended

The Latin School of Chicago Latin School of Chicago is a selective private elementary, middle, and high school located in the Gold Coast neighborhood on the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The school was founded in 1888 by Mabel Slade Vickery. Latin S ...

. The only daughter of soap opera creators

William J. Bell William Joseph Bell (March 6, 1927 – April 29, 2005) was an American screenwriter and television producer, best known as the creator of the soap operas '' Another World'', ''The Young and the Restless'' and ''The Bold and the Beautiful''. Ea ...

and

Lee Phillip Bell Loreley "Lee" June Phillip Bell (June 10, 1928 – February 25, 2020) was an American talk show host and soap opera creator. During her career on Chicago television, she hosted over 10,000 programs and, early in her tenure, worked five shows a da ...

, and sister to Bill Bell, Jr. and

Bradley Bell Bradley Phillip Bell (born June 29, 1964) is an American television writer and producer. Bell is an eight-time Daytime Emmy Award winner and is executive producer and head writer for '' The Bold and the Beautiful'', an American soap opera. ...

as well as sister-in-law to

Maria Arena Bell Maria Arena Bell (born March 10, 1963) is an American novelist, television and freelance writer. She is the former head writer and executive producer of the CBS Daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless.'' Biography Maria Arena Bell grew u ...

and Colleen Bell, Lauralee was offered a bit role as a model, Christine "Cricket" Blair, on her parents' show ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...

'' in 1983 and that became a contract role in 1986. Over time, her character matured from a model into a

legal aid Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to co ...

lawyer. Her character also dropped the childish moniker "Cricket", especially after her rival

Phyllis Phyllis is a feminine given name which may refer to: People * Phyllis Bartholomew (1914–2002), English long jumper * Phyllis Drummond Bethune (née Sharpe, 1899–1982), New Zealand artist * Phyllis Calvert (1915–2002), British actress * P ...

(

Michelle Stafford Michelle Stafford (born September 14, 1968) is an American actress, screenwriter and producer. She currently plays Phyllis Summers on the CBS daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', for which she has won two Daytime Emmy Awards. In 2013 ...

) turned it into a

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

against her, calling her "the Bug." In January 2005, Bell asked to be released from her contract, and she appears only on a recurring basis. Lauralee married photographer Scott Martin on October 4, 1997. They have a son, Christian James Martin, born on January 17, 2001, and a daughter, Samantha Lee Martin, born on October 28, 2002. In June 2007, she reprised her role of Christine Blair for a short run on ''

The Bold and the Beautiful ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''The Yo ...

''. In July 2010, she returned to ''The Young and the Restless'' in a recurring capacity. Lauralee co-owned a boutique, ''On Sunset'', which closed in 2009. In 2021, Bell played Daphne Dumas in the Lifetime TV miniseries "Ruby Landry."

Roles

Film

Television

Awards

*Daytime Emmy Award Winner, Outstanding Special Class Short Format Daytime (for producing the web series ''mI promise'') (2013) *Soap Opera Award Winner, Outstanding Supporting Actress (1999) *Soap Opera Award Nominee, Outstanding Younger Lead Actress (1997) *TEEN Magazine, Favorite Soap Opera Actress (1989)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Lauralee 1968 births Living people American soap opera actresses American television actresses Actresses from Chicago Latin School of Chicago alumni 21st-century American women