Maria Bello

Maria Elena Bello (born April 18, 1967) is an American actress and writer. Her many film roles include Permanent Midnight (1998), Payback (1999), Coyote Ugly(2000), The Cooler (2003), A History of Violence (2005), The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008), Prisoners (2013), and Lights Out (2016). Bello is known for her television roles as Dr. Anna Del Amico on the medical drama ER(1997–1998), with other starring roles including that as Lucy Robbins on the series Touch in 2013, as Michelle McBride on the first season of the series Goliath in 2016, and since 2017 as Special Agent Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane on the series NCIS.
== Early life ==
Bello was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, to Kathy, a school nurse and teacher, and Joe Bello, a contractor.[1][2] Her father is Italian American, with roots in Montella, Italy,[3] and her mother is Polish American.[4] She grew up in a working-class Roman Catholic family and graduated from Archbishop John Carroll High School in Radnor, Pennsylvania.[5][6] She majored in political scienceat Villanova University. Following graduation, Bello honed her acting skills in a number of New York theater productions.[7]
== Career ==
Bello's early TV appearances include episodes of The Commish (1991), Due South (1994), Nowhere Man (1995), Misery Loves Company (1995), and ER(1997–98).
Her breakthrough came when she was cast as Mrs. Smith in the TV series spy show Mr. & Mrs. Smith, though the show was cancelled after 8 weeks. She then appeared in the final three episodes of the third season of ER as pediatrician Dr. Anna Del Amico and was a regular cast member during the medical drama's fourth season.
Bello moved on to films, landing a role in Coyote Ugly (2000). She was nominated for the Golden Globe award twice: for Best Supporting Actress in The Cooler (2003) and for Best Actress in A History of Violence (2005). She starred in The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) as Jocelyn.
In 2008, Bello starred in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor as Evelyn O'Connell.[8] In December 2008, Bello began developing a drama for HBO. Besides starring in the new series, Bello was planned to also serve as an executive producer.[9] She starred in the 2009 drama film The Yellow Handkerchief, which was released in theatres on February 26, 2010 by Samuel Goldwyn Films.
In 2010, Bello guest-starred in two episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.[10] The following year, she starred in the TV series Prime Suspect,[11] which was cancelled after 13 episodes.
In 2011, Bello became a founding board member of the CQ Matrix Company, a company created by her then life-partner, Clare Munn, to help clients achieve "transformative living and the power of intelligent exchange" by enhancing their communication quotient.[12]
In 2014, she starred alongside Frank Grillo in the James Wan-produced thriller Demonic.[13]
== Humanitarian efforts ==
In the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Bello founded WE ADVANCE with Aleda Frishman, Alison Thompson, and Barbara Guillaume. It is an organization that encourages Haitian women to collaborate in making healthcare a priority, and putting an end to domestic violence within their communities. Currently, the organization is based in a health clinic and a community outreach center in Cité Soleil.[14] Bello is also a board member of Darfur Women Action Group, an NGOthat undertakes activism on behalf of genocide victims of the Darfur conflict.[15]
== Personal life ==
Bello has a son with former boyfriend Dan McDermott.[16]
In November 2013, Bello wrote about having a same-sex relationship with her then-partner and then-friend, Clare Munn.[16][17]
She published a book, Whatever...Love Is Love: Questioning the Labels We Give Ourselves (Dey Street Books, April 28, 2015).
== Filmography ==
Film
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1998	Permanent Midnight 	Kitty 	
1999	Payback 	Rosie 	
2000	Coyote Ugly 	Lil Lovell 	
2000	Duets 	Suzi Loomis 	
2001	China: The Panda Adventure 	Ruth Harkness 	
2002	Auto Focus 	Patricia Olson / Patricia Crane / Sigrid Valdis	
2002	100 Mile Rule 	Monica 	
2003	The Cooler 	Natalie Belisario 	
2004	Silver City 	Nora Allardyce 	
2004	Secret Window 	Amy Rainey 	
2005	Assault on Precinct 13 	Alex Sabian 	
2005	A History of Violence 	Edie Stall 	
2005	The Dark 	Adélle 	
2006	Thank You for Smoking 	Polly Bailey 	
2006	The Sisters 	Marcia Prior Glass 	
2006	Flicka 	Nell McLaughlin 	
2006	World Trade Center 	Donna McLoughlin 	
2007	The Jane Austen Book Club 	Jocelyn 	
2007	Towelhead 	Gail Monahan 	
2007	Butterfly on a Wheel 	Abby Randall 	AKA Shattered
2008	Downloading Nancy 	Nancy Stockwell 	
2008	The Yellow Handkerchief 	May 	
2008	The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor	Evelyn O'Connell 	Replacing Rachel Weisz
2009	The Private Lives of Pippa Lee 	Suky 	
2010	The Company Men 	Sally Wilcox 	
2010	Grown Ups 	Sally Lamonsoff 	
2011	Beautiful Boy 	Kate Carroll 	
2011	Abduction 	Mara Harper 	
2011	Carjacked 	Lorraine 	
2013	Grown Ups 2 	Sally Lamonsoff 	
2013	Prisoners 	Grace Dover 	
2013	Third Person 	Theresa 	
2014	Big Driver 	Tess Thorne 	
2015	McFarland, USA 	Cheryl White 	
2015	Demonic 	Dr. Elizabeth Klein 	
2015	Bravetown 	Martha 	
2016	The 5th Wave 	Sergeant Reznik 	
2016	The Confirmation 	Bonnie 	
2016	Lights Out 	Sophie 	
2016	The Late Bloomer 	Brenda Newmans 	
2016	Max Steel 	Molly McGrath 	
2016	Wait Till Helen Comes 	Jean 	AKA Little Girl's Secret
2017	In Search of Fellini 	Claire 	
2018	Every Day 	Lindsey 	
2018	Better Start Running 	Agent McFadden 	
2018	Giant Little Ones 	Carly Winter 	
Television
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1996 	Mr. & Mrs. Smith 	Mrs. Smith 	13 episodes
1997–1998 	ER 	Dr. Anna Del Amico 	Season 4
2010 	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Vivian Arliss 	2 episodes
2011–2012 	Prime Suspect 	Jane Timoney 	13 episodes
2012–2013 	Touch 	Lucy Robbins 	13 episodes
2016 	Goliath 	Michelle McBride 	8 episodes
2017–present	NCIS 	NCIS Special Agent Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane	Season 15–present
2017 	XQ Super School Live 	Herself 	1 episode
== Awards and nominations ==
Year	Award 	Category 	Nominated work 	Result
1997	Screen Actors Guild Award 	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series 	ER 	Won
2000	Blockbuster Entertainment Awards 	Favorite Supporting Actress – Comedy/Romance 	Coyote Ugly 	Won
2003	Golden Globe Award 	Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture 	The Cooler 	Nominated
2003	National Society of Film Critics Award 	Best Supporting Actress 	The Cooler 	Nominated
2003	Online Film Critics Society Award 	Best Supporting Actress 	The Cooler 	Nominated
2003	Screen Actors Guild Award 	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role	The Cooler 	Nominated
2003	Screen Actors Guild Award 	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role	The Cooler 	Nominated
2003	Satellite Award 	Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture 	The Cooler 	Won
2005	Broadcast Film Critics Association Award 	Best Supporting Actress 	A History of Violence	Nominated
2005	Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award 	Best Supporting Performance 	A History of Violence	Won
2005	Chicago Film Critics Association Award 	Best Supporting Actress 	A History of Violence	Won
2005	Golden Globe Award 	Best Actress Motion Picture – Drama 	A History of Violence	Nominated
2005	Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award 	Best Supporting Actress 	A History of Violence	Won
2005	London Film Critics Circle Awards 	Actress of the Year 	A History of Violence	Nominated
2005	New York Film Critics Circle Award 	Best Supporting Actress 	A History of Violence	Won
2005	Online Film Critics Society Award 	Best Supporting Actress 	A History of Violence	Won
2005	Satellite Award 	Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture 	A History of Violence	Nominated
2005	Village Voice Film Poll Award 	Best Supporting Performance 	A History of Violence	Won
2006	RiverRun International Film Festival's Jury Prize	Best Actress 	The Sisters 	Won
2006	Dixie Film Festival Prize 	Outstanding Actress in a Film 	The Sisters 	Nominated
2009	Independent Spirit Award 	Best Female Lead 	Downloading Nancy 	Nominated
2013	National Board of Review Award 	Best Cast 	Prisoners 	Won