Bell, a New York City native, graduated from London’s Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in 2002 and quickly had small roles in two features under belt: “Slammed” (2001), which chronicled the adventures of two teen wrestling fanatics (Zachery Ty Bryan and Justin Whalin); and “Speakeasy” (2002) starring David Straithairn as a crabby magician, Stacy Edwards as his whiny wife and Nicky Katt as a struggling pawn shop owner. She also made back-to-back appearances on the hit NBC medical drama “ER” that same year.
These small parts added up to a big role in 2003 when Bell starred in the sudsy wartime telepic “War Stories” (NBC, 2002) opposite Jeff Goldblum and Ed Begley, Jr. Bell played photojournalist who develops a relationship with Goldblum, a reporter, during a war in Uzbekistan. In 2003, the actress played a small part “I Love Your Work,” with Giovanni Ribisi, Franka Potente, Vince Vaughn, Christina Ricci, Jason Lee and Elvis Costello. The star-studded but widely panned film, which did not see theatrical release until 2005, starred Ribisi and Potente as husband-and-wife actors struggling with depression.
Bell was back on the small screen in 2003 co-starring role on the short-lived Alicia Silverstone vehicle “Miss Match” (NBC, 2003). As the matrimonial attorney’s best friend, Bell helped Silverstone try to make matches for others while trying to find love for themselves. As the faithful sidekick, Bell garnered more attention from male viewers for her beguiling beauty than sympathy for her character.
Bell showed up as firm lawyer Sally Heep, who used sexual politics to deal with clients while piquing the interest of James Spader’s morally slippery attorney Alan Shore, in four 2004 episodes of the David E. Kelley legal drama “The Practice” as the show was wrapping up its final season on ABC and simultaneously seeing some of the newer characters--including those played by Spader, William Shatner and Rhona Mitra--spun-off into their own series “Boston Legal” (ABC, 2004 - ). There she was first season regular, caught up in an unfulfilling love affair with Shore that ultimately led to his dismissal from the firm. Bell was also departed midway through the first season, followed shortly by cast mates Mitra and Monica Potter when the successful show was nevertheless creatively retooled.
Bell’s performances and her appeal to both male and female audiences had caught the attention of many a Hollywood executive, however, because she smashed through the glass ceiling to star in her own vehicle “Surface” (NBC, 2005 - ) the very next season, as Laura Daughtery, a charismatic but obsessive oceanographer and mother who finds something very wrong with the water. Bell spent a good deal of time soaking wet in her breakout role battling sea monsters on the genre adventure series, and although she was an adept swimmer, she admitted being terrified of the ocean when she took on the role.