Lauralee Bell

Life and career Bell was born in Chicago, Illinois, and attended The Latin School of Chicago. The only daughter of soap opera creators William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, and sister to Bill Bell, Jr. and Bradley Bell as well as sister-in-law to Maria Arena Bell and Colleen Bell. She was offered a bit role as a model, Christine "Cricket" Blair, on her parents' daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless in 1983 and that became a contract role in 1986.

Over time, her character matured from a model into a legal aid lawyer. Her character also dropped the childish moniker "Cricket", especially after her rival Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) turned it into an insult by calling her "the Bug." In 2001, Bell asked to be moved to recurring status after maternity leave, though she returned to regular status the following year. In 2005, she returned to recurring for another year. In 2007, the character was brought over to The Bold and the Beautiful by executive producer Bradley Bell, the actress' real-life brother, for a short-term stint, returning to The Young and the Restless in 2010, where she continues to make recurring appearances. Bell received Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Daytime TV Series – Young Actress in 1989, the Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 1999, and Daytime Emmy Awards nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2016.

Bell guest-starred on prime time shows including Diagnosis: Murder, Walker, Texas Ranger, Pacific Blue, CSI: Miami and Castle. She made her film debut starring in the 2005 comedy Carpool Guy directed by Corbin Bernsen. The following year, she played the leading role in the Lifetime thriller film, Past Sins. She later starred in Deadly Expose (2017), Mistress Hunter (2018), and Nightmare Tenant (2018) which she also produced. In 2021, she played Daphne Dumas in V.C. Andrews' Ruby and Pearl in the Mist.

Personal life Bell 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. Lauralee co-owned a boutique, On Sunset, which closed in 2009.

Filmography