Maria Elena Bello is an American actress and writer. Her film roles include Permanent Midnight, Payback, Coyote Ugly, The Cooler, A History of Violence, , Prisoners, and Lights Out. On television, Bello appeared as Dr. Anna Del Amico on the medical drama ER, with other starring roles including 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. The Guardian named her one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.
Bello's early TV appearances include episodes of The Commish, Due South, Nowhere Man, Misery Loves Company, and ER. 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. She was nominated for the Golden Globe award twice: for Best Supporting Actress in The Cooler and for Best Actress in A History of Violence. She starred in The Jane Austen Book Club as Jocelyn and as Dr. Alex Sabian in the 2005 filmAssault on Precinct 13 a remake of the original 1976 movie originally made by John Carpenter. In 2008, she starred in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor as Evelyn O'Connell. 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. 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 . 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.
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. Bello is also a board member of Darfur Women Action Group, an NGO that undertakes activism on behalf of genocide victims of the Darfur conflict.
Personal life
Bello has a son with her former boyfriend Dan McDermott. In November 2013, she wrote about having a same-sex relationship with her then-partner, Clare Munn. She published a book, Whatever...Love Is Love: Questioning the Labels We Give Ourselves. In February 2020, while attending the 92nd Academy Awards in their first public appearance as a couple, Bello announced she and chef Dominique Crenn had gotten engaged on December 29, 2019 while vacationing in Paris, France.
