Early life
Bello was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania to an Italian American father and a Polish American mother. She grew up in a working-class Roman Catholic family and graduated from Archbishop Carroll High School (Radnor) in Radnor, PA. Later she attended Villanova University, majoring in political science. She had every intention of becoming a lawyer, but took an acting class during her senior year, just for fun. She was soon cast in small off-Broadway plays, such as The Killer Inside Me, Small Town Gals With Big Problems and Urban Planning. She later guest-starred on episodes of The Commish (1991), Nowhere Man (1995), Misery Loves Company (1995) and Due South (1994).
Career
Maria Bello as John McLoughlin's wife, Donna, in World Trade Center
Bello's breakthrough came when producers Kenny Lenhart and John J. Sakmar cast her as Mrs. Smith in the spy show Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1996) ; they remembered her from her performance in a failed pilot that was a remake of the classic TV series 77 Sunset Strip (1958). The show was cancelled after just eight weeks on the air. Then came a guest stint on ER as the feisty pediatrician Dr. Anna Del Amico, in which she guest-starred in the final three episodes of the third season. The show's producers were so impressed with her that they asked her back as a regular on the series. Bello remained on the show for one season, departing after the medical drama's 4th season. The actress went on into movies landing a role in Coyote Ugly. She has been 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).
Personal life
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Bello practices yoga, muay thai and ballet. Bello and her boyfriend TV executive Dan McDermott, welcomed their first child, Jackson Blue McDermott, on March 5, 2001.
She is good friends with actresses Mariska Hargitay and Carrie-Anne Moss. Bello is the godmother of Moss' first son. Moss is the godmother of Bello's son Jack.
