Maria Bello

Outside of film, Bello is best known for playing Anna Del Amico in the medical drama ER (1997–1998) and Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane in the police procedural drama NCIS (2017–2021). She received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination and won a Critics' Choice Award for her performance in the limited series Beef (2023). In 2009, The Guardian named her one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.

• Name — Maria Bello • Born — 18 April 1967 • Birthplace — Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S. • Occupation — * Actress • producer • Years Active — 1991–present • Children — 1 • Education — Villanova University

Bello was born April 18, 1967, in Norristown, Pennsylvania, to Kathy, a school nurse and teacher, and Joe Bello, a contractor. Her father is of Italian ancestry, with roots in Montella, Italy, and her mother is of Polish ancestry. She grew up in a working-class, Catholic family and graduated from Archbishop John Carroll High School in Radnor, Pennsylvania. She majored in political science at Villanova University. Following graduation, Bello honed her acting skills in a number of New York theater productions.

• Illustration — Bello at the Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles on March 5, 2010 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 eight 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 and as Dr. Alex Sabian in the 2005 film, Assault on Precinct 13, a remake of the original 1976 movie made by John Carpenter. In 2008, she starred in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor as Evelyn O'Connell, replacing Rachel Weisz. In December 2008, Bello began developing a drama for HBO. Besides starring in the new series, Bello planned to also serve as an executive producer. 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. The following year, she starred in the TV series Prime Suspect, which was cancelled after 13 episodes. In 2011, she became a founding board member of the CQ Matrix Company, a company created by her then-partner, Clare Munn, to help clients achieve "transformative living and the power of intelligent exchange" by enhancing their communication quotient. In 2014, she starred alongside Frank Grillo in the James Wan-produced thriller Demonic. Bello began producing short films in 2010. In 2022, she was a producer on the film The Woman King.

Bello has a son, Jackson, with her former boyfriend Dan McDermott. In November 2013, she wrote about having a same-sex relationship with her best friend, Clare Munn. Bello's book, Whatever...Love Is Love: Questioning the Labels We Give Ourselves, was published in 2015. Bello and Munn split the same year and the actress was rumoured to be dating Elijah Allan-Blitz. Bello and chef Dominique Crenn became engaged on December 29, 2019, while holidaying in Paris. Court documents list their official wedding date as April 7, 2024. The wedding ceremony took place in Mexico on May 12, 2024. Bello filed for divorce in May 2025, citing irreconcilable differences.

Bello has been involved in several advocacy and philanthropic causes. In the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Bello founded WE ADVANCE with Aleda Frishman, Barbara Guillaume, and Alison Thompson. 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., the organization is based in a health clinic and a community outreach center in Cité Soleil. Bello led fundraising efforts in Philadelphia and donated to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. She is also a board member of Darfur Women Action Group, an NGO that undertakes activism on behalf of genocide victims of the Darfur conflict.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1995 — Misery Loves Company — Joe's Former Film Student — Episode: "That Book by Nabokov" • 1995 — Nowhere Man — Emily Noonan — Episode: "The Enemy Within" • 1995 — The Commish — Betsy — Episode: "In the Shadows of the Gallows" • 1996 — Due South — Mackenzie King — Episode: "One Good Man" • 1996–1997 — Mr. & Mrs. Smith — Mrs. Smith — 13 episodes • 1997–1998 — ER — Dr. Anna Del Amico — Recurring role (season 3); main role (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 • 2014 — Big Driver — Tess Thorne — Television film • 2016 — Goliath — Michelle McBride — 8 episodes • 2017–2021 — NCIS — Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane — Main role (season 15–18); 73 episodes • 2017 — XQ Super School Live — Herself — Television special • 2023 — Beef — Jordan Forster — Recurring role; 6 episodes • 2025 — The Waterfront — Belle Buckley — Main role; 8 episodes

The authorities additionally record the heading Maria Elana Bello. Her recorded language was English. She married Dominique Crenn.