ACTOR · BORN 1967
Maria Bello
- Born
- 18 April 1967
18 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
All facts (18)
- #001
Maria Bello's biggest memory from the set of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) was playing football in the desert with 15 stunt performers dressed as mummies.
- #002
Her mother, a cancer survivor, was in New York with Maria during the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Because her mother was a nurse, she volunteered to help the victims.
- #003
Bello became good friends with Mariska Hargitay when she had a recurring role as Cynthia Hooper on ER (1994) between 1997 and 1998.
- #004
She works with Save the Children, which feeds children in need.
- #005
She comes from a Polish and Italian family.
- #006
It was revealed that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of twenty-eight.
- #007
She practices Muay Thai (lethal) kickboxing.
- #008
She had always wanted to be an action hero, but two weeks before turning 40 she gave up on that dream because she thought there would be no action roles for a woman her age. Then Rob Cohen called her on her birthday and offered her a role in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008).
- #009
She lives in Venice, California with her 5-year-old son Jackson Blue. Jackson's father, Dan McDermott, lives a few blocks away.
- #010
She is one of Amy Brenneman's best friends.
- #011
She was a cheerleader at Archbishop John Carroll High School in a Philadelphia suburb.
- #012
In an article she wrote herself for The New York Times, she revealed that she had suffered from a life-threatening illness in the summer of 2012.
- #013
Maria Bello and her boyfriend, TV executive Dan McDermott, welcomed their first child, Jackson Blue McDermott.
- #014
Her father, Joe Bello, was a contractor, and her mother, Kathy Bello, was a teacher and school nurse.
- #015
Maria Bello was considered for the role of Jean Gray in X-Men (2000), but the part went to Famke Janssen.
- #016
In 2006, Maria Bello was invited to join AMPAS.
- #017
Maria Bello was a bridesmaid at Andrea Bendewald's wedding, where Jennifer Aniston served as maid of honor.
- #018
Maria Bello has two brothers, Joseph and Christopher, and a sister, Lisa.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
Sources for the entries on this page
- IMDb IMDb
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