Kristen Bell hot

 For some actors, success just seems to come naturally. In the case of talented stage and screen beauty Kristen Bell, it wasn't so much a matter of if she was going to be a star after realizing her dream during an early performance as a banana in +Raggedy Ann and Andy at the tender age of 12 -- but when she would finally make the big time. Paralyzed with stage fright as she waited for her cue off-stage, Bell was offered a word of encouragement by her supportive mother that would ultimately give her the drive to realize her life's calling. A native of Detroit whose early stage experiences eventually led her to study at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Bell saw early success when she was chosen to portray Becky Thatcher in a Broadway production of +The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

The title role of the daughter of a former small town sheriff who takes on her own cases, called for a unique blend of cheerleader looks and "outsider" attitude, which Bell delivered with aplomb. Clever writing and direction and a terrific cast helped earn "Veronica Mars" popularity among critics and a substantial cult following, though not quite enough to make the show a breakout hit. For her part, Bell won numerous award nominations, including from the Teen Choice Awards and TV Critics Association. Meanwhile, she reprised her role as Mary Lane in a Showtime adaptation of "Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical" (2005) and appeared at the Tribeca Film Festival in the ensemble cast of the dark comedy "Fifty Pills" (2006). She went on to take the lead in "Pulse" (2007), a Wes Craven-scripted remake of the Asian horror film "Kairo" (2001) which was dismissed by critics.

Bell meets 28-year-old writer-producer Kevin Mann (right) at a TV industry event. "Sparks were flying," she tells New York's Daily News. The pair eventually moves into a Cape Cod-style retreat in Studio City, Calif. that Bell buys in October 2004. "Kevin is great," she adds. "He makes me laugh and he is very optimistic, which helps in a business with so much rejection." After four years together, they call it quits in 2007.