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==