Catherine Bell

**Catherine Bell** (born August 14, 1968 in London, England, UK) was born on 14 August 1968 is an actress perhaps best known for her role on the CBS television series *JAG*. She was born to an Iranian mother and an English father. Currently she stars in the *Lifetime* television series *Army Wives* as Denise Sherwood.

## Early life

Catherine's father, Peter Bell, was an architect under contract to an oil company in Iran; her mother, the former Mina Ezzati, had traveled to London to study nursing. Bell's parents divorced when Catherine was only two years old. She was raised by her mother and maternal grandparents. The family eventually moved to California's San Fernando Valley, where Bell was exposed to diverse influences. The family spoke Persian at home. The grandparents were Muslim, but Catherine was also exposed to Catholicism and attended a Baptist summer camp. In her teenage years, Catherine came under the influence of her California surroundings: "I am definitely a Valley Girl. I was a tomboy. I liked to skateboard, play football, and push the envelope a little bit." Catherine enrolled at UCLA, where she considered a career in medicine or research. However, when she was offered a modeling job in Japan, where advertisers value "American beauty," she dropped out during her sophomore year.

## Career

One of Bell's first modeling jobs was an extended assignment in Japan. When she returned to California, she studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse with Milton Katselas. She was a freelance masseuse whose clientele included singer, Peter Gabriel. She was on the game show, *To Tell the Truth*, in 1990, where she mentioned that she was a massage therapist. Her first television acting role was one line on the sitcom *Sugar and Spice* (1990). Also among her first parts, was serving as Isabella Rossellini's nude body double for the 1992 film *Death Becomes Her*.

In 1996, Bell began her role as Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie of the United States Marine Corps Judge Advocate General's Office in the series JAG. She continued in this role until 2005.

Since 2007, Bell has starred in Lifetime's ensemble drama series Army Wives as Denise Sherwood, the wife of a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, who endured domestic violence at the hands of her teenage son during the show's first season.

Bell also has recently played the main role in the Hallmark Channel's TV film *The Good Witch* (2008), and its sequels *The Good Witch's Garden* (2009), *The Good Witch's Gift* (2010),*The Good Witch's Family* (2011), and *The Good Witch's Charm* (2012); she co-executive-produced all of the movies. She also starred in another Hallmark movie titled *Last Man Standing*.

## References

1. ↑ "Catherine Bell Biography (1968-)". Film Reference. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
2. ↑ "Catherine Bell". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Catherine Bell now acting less, playing mom more". *Iran Times International*. 27 September 2013.
4. ↑ "Catherine Bell of 'Good Witch' Says it Takes More than Spells to Succeed" Retrieved 9 June 2019
5. ↑ Knutzen, Eirik. "TV Close-Up: Catherine Bel", Bend Weekly, 15 June 2007.
6. ↑ "Season 10, Episode 22: Fair Winds and Following Seas". *TV Guide*. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
7. ↑ Owen, Rob (31 May 2007). Tuned In: 'Army Wives' is soap du jour. *Pittsburgh Post-Gazette*. Retrieved on 9 August 2012.

## External links

* **Catherine Bell Biography**
* Catherine Bell links at FreeOnes
* Catherine Bell at Babepedia
* Catherine Bell article at *Wikipedia*