A Field Guide To Lake Bell

It's rare to find such a pretty lady who can seamless switch from serious dramaturg dramatic actor to hardcore comedian. Then again, it's also rare to find a lady whose name is two objects. Lake Bell: she's rare, let's study her.

Lake Bell was born March 24, 1979 in New York City. Her mother, Robin Bell, is the owner of a design firm, but she was also involved in an animal shelter, and so Lake spent her childhood with four dachshunds (we're pretty jealous about that). She initially matriculated at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY before transferring to Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance in London, earning her BA in drama and appearing in a bunch of theatrical productions.

Bell started getting serious screen time after she starred alongside Jeff Goldblum in 2003's "War Stories," a TV movie on NBC. Her big debut came when she appeared in "The Practice" in 2004 as Sally Heep, a character that became a regular on "Boston Legal." We tend to think of Bell as a cool, confident, swagger monster, but she recalls being a nervous wreck when trying out for the part: "I completely bombed the audition. I was insecure, stopping and starting. I went to the bathroom and cried."

Although she started her career in drama, she's been garnering more and more recognition for her comedic roles. She says that she's always held comedy in her heart, but when went to Los Angeles after graduating college, she was only offered dramatic roles. As she tells The Onion's AV Club, "You get to L.A. and immediately you're wooed into being 'the girl,' and when you're 'the girl,' usually it's not that funny." Of course, she is extremely fucking funny, as anyone who watches and enjoys Adult Swim's "Childrens Hospital" can tell you.

And while we're praising Bell's many different talents, we should mention that she wrote and directed her own short film, "Worst Enemy," and turned a bunch of heads at Sundance. She's currently working on her first feature-length film called "In A World," about a female voiceover artist who struggles to get recognition in her male-dominated career. We can't wait to see it!

You know what else we can't wait to see? Lake Bell as a cougar. We know, it's a strange desire to have right now (especially considering she's only 32), but something tells us that she's going to be every bit as sexy when she's pushing seventy. She's gunning for your money, Helen Mirren!

· Lake Bell's Twitter (twitter.com)
· Lake Bell on appearing nude, via Maxim (maxim.com)

[Original post: Scott Caan Reveals The Softer Side Of Lake Bell]

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[Original post: Lake Bell Won't "Make It In America" Sneaking Naked Out Of Bed Like That]