Born April 18, 1967, in Norristown, Pa., Maria Bello was a cheerleader at Archbishop John Carroll High School for Girls in Philadelphia. She attended Villanova University with designs on a law degree, but a drama class turned her to acting instead.Bello's work in off-Broadway plays landed her roles in numerous TV series of the early 1990s: "The Commish," "Nowhere Man," "Due South" and "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (in which she played the lead). Next for Bello was a three-episode appearance on "ER" that was extended into a regular character for the fourth season. She made her film debut in 1998's Permanent Midnight, followed by Coyote Ugly and Payback.
Bello's performances in The Cooler, A History of Violence and The Sisters (2005) have earned critical raves, award nominations and a legion of admirers. Her star continues to rise with films such as Thank You for Smoking and World Trade Center.
A History of ViolenceAs operators of a small-town diner, Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) and his wife (Maria Bello) are the picture of normalcy. But when Tom prevents a robbery and enjoys hero status in the local media, he attracts the wrong kind of attention from mobsters (Ed Harris and William Hurt) who think he's someone... Read More
Beautiful BoyBill and Kate are on the verge of separating when the unthinkable happens: Their 18-year-old son goes on a shooting spree at his college, then kills himself. While coping with their grief, Bill and Kate struggle to figure out what went wrong. Read More
The Jane Austen Book ClubSix book club members find their lives resemble a modern-day version of Jane Austen's novels in this drama. For starters, Sylvia's (Amy Brenneman) husband of 20-plus years has walked out, Bernadette (Kathy Baker) seeks Mr. Right, and married Prudie (Emily Blunt) dreams of other men. Then there's... Read More
The Yellow HandkerchiefRecently released from jail, convict Brett Hanson (William Hurt) grows close to a young couple, Martine (Kristen Stewart) and Gordy (Eddie Redmayne), while journeying back home to his wife, May (Maria Bello). Set in Louisiana, this romantic road trip drama explores the loneliness everyone carries.... Read More
Abduction (2011) | PG-13 | |
Carjacked (2011) | R | |
Prime Suspect (2011) | NR | |
Beautiful Boy (2010) | R | |
The Company Men (2010) | R | |
Grown Ups (2010) | PG-13 | |
R | ||
The Yellow Handkerchief (2008) | PG-13 | |
Downloading Nancy (2008) | NR | |
NR | ||
PG-13 | ||
The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) | PG-13 | |
R | ||
R | ||
This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006) | NR | |
Flicka (2006) | PG | |
UR | ||
World Trade Center (2006) | PG-13 | |
Sin City (2005) | R | |
A History of Violence (2005) | R | |
Thank You for Smoking (2005) | R | |
Assault on Precinct 13 (2005) | R | |
The Sisters (2005) | R | |
The Dark (2005) | R | |
Silver City (2004) | R | |
Secret Window (2004) | PG-13 | |
The Cooler (2003) | R | |
Auto Focus (2002) | R | |
NR | ||
100 Mile Rule (2002) | NR | |
NR | ||
Sam the Man (2000) | NR | |
Coyote Ugly (2000) | NR | |
Duets (2000) | R | |
Payback (1999) | R | |
Permanent Midnight (1998) | R | |
NR | ||

