Laura Ashley Bell Bundy (born April 10, 1981) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for originating the Broadway roles of Amber Von Tussle in the musical version of Hairspray and Elle Woods in the musical version of Legally Blonde. She also portrayed Dr. Jordan Denby on the television show Anger Management. In 2010 she signed to Mercury Records Nashville and released her first two country music singles, "Giddy On Up" and "Drop on By".
Laura Bell Bundy | |
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![]() Bell Bundy at 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in April 2010 | |
Born | Laura Ashley Bell Bundy (1981-04-10) April 10, 1981 (age 41) Euclid, Ohio, U.S.[1] |
Other names | LBB Laura Bell Laura Bundy |
Occupation |
|
Years active | 1992–present |
Spouse | Thom Hinkle (m. 2017) |
Children | 1 |
Website | laurabellbundy |
Bell Bundy was born in Euclid, Ohio, and raised in Lexington, Kentucky.[2][3] Her mother, Lorna Bundy-Jones (née Lorna Ann Bell), is a Lancome Beauty Advisor at Ulta, and her father, Don Bundy, is an electrical engineer. Her parents divorced in 1997 when she was 16 years old; both have since remarried.[4] She took dance lessons at Town and Village School of Dance in Paris, Kentucky.[5] When she was nine, she appeared in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in New York City. She graduated from Lexington Catholic High School.[5] She is the niece of Marcia Malone Bell, Miss Kentucky 1978 and 1979 Top Ten Miss America semifinalist.[6] Bell Bundy was diagnosed with celiac disease when she was about 18 years old.[7] In 1995, at the age of 14, Bell Bundy appeared in the film Jumanji, playing the younger version of Bonnie Hunt's character, Sarah Whittle.[8]
Bell Bundy originated the role of Tina Denmark in Ruthless! The Musical which opened Off-Broadway in 1992.[9] For this role, she was nominated for a 1993 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. In 2002, at the age of 21, she made her Broadway debut in the musical Hairspray, originating the role of Amber Von Tussle.[10] Bell Bundy was next a Glinda standby for Kristin Chenoweth in Wicked.[11]
From 2007 to July 2008, she starred on Broadway in Legally Blonde: The Musical where she originated the lead role of Elle Woods, receiving her first Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.[12]
Bell Bundy's theatre credits outside of New York City include the national tour of The Sound of Music and Gypsy with Betty Buckley and Deborah Gibson at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey (1998).[13]
Bell Bundy reprised the role of Elle Woods in the U.S. national tour of Legally Blonde: The Musical as a temporary replacement for the injured Becky Gulsvig, alongside Lauren Zakrin. Bell Bundy began her brief run on January 13, 2009, and ended on February 22, 2009.[14] She would go on to play Elle again during the Nashville engagement of the national tour from June 23–28, 2009.[15] However, she fractured her arm during the June 27, 2009 performance, finished the show, and was rushed to the hospital immediately after.[16]
On September 27, 2008, she participated in a benefit concert for Anaheim, California's the Chance Theatre with fellow Wicked alum Eden Espinosa and with Spring Awakening alum Lea Michele for the Broadway Chance Style: Up Close and Personal concert.[17]
She appeared as Trixie Norton in a new musical The Honeymooners, based on the television comedy The Honeymooners. The musical premiered at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Milburn, New Jersey on September 28, 2017, running through October 29. Directed by John Rando, the musical also starred Michael McGrath as Ralph Kramden, Michael Mastro as Ed Norton, and Leslie Kritzer as Alice Kramden.[18]
Bundy appeared in the lead role of Sweet Charity staged and directed by Kathleen Marshall in June 2018 in Los Angeles.[19]
Bell Bundy has appeared in films including The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993),[20] Life with Mikey (1993),[21] and Jumanji (1995) as Young Sarah Whittle.[22] She appeared in the 2006 film adaptation of Dreamgirls.[23]
Bell Bundy was a judge at the Miss America 2009 pageant.[24]
Bell Bundy had a recurring role on the sixth season of CBS's How I Met Your Mother as Becky, Robin's co-anchor.[25] She would reprise the role in the spinoff, How I Met Your Father.[26] Bell Bundy had a recurring role as Shelby on The CW's Hart of Dixie from 2012 until 2015.[27]
She starred as Dr. Jordan Denby on the FX sitcom Anger Management in 2013.[28]
In 2015, she starred in Becoming Santa, a Lifetime TV movie with Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter.[29]
She currently stars as Rachel Ragland on The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder, a live action sequel series to The Fairly OddParents, which premiered March 31, 2022 on Paramount+.[30]
Bell Bundy released her debut country music album, titled Longing For a Place Already Gone, in 2007.[31]
After leaving Legally Blonde: The Musical in July 2008, she moved back to Nashville to work on her second album, Achin' and Shakin'.[32] Achin' and Shakin' was released on April 13, 2010. It debuted at number 5 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart as well as number 28 on the all-genre Billboard 200. As of June 26, 2010, the album has sold over 70,000 copies in the United States.[33] It also charted internationally, where it reached number 34 on the Norwegian Albums Chart. Bell Bundy also appeared in fellow country artist Miranda Lambert's music video for "Only Prettier," as one of Lambert's friends alongside Kellie Pickler and Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum. Bell Bundy began as the spokesperson for the Selected Chevrolet Dealers of Middle Tennessee in September 2011. Bell Bundy released a new single, "That's What Angels Do", in 2012.[34]
In mid-2013, Bundy signed with Big Machine Records and released the single "Two Step", a duet with Colt Ford.[35]
On October 5, 2020, she and music producer Shea Carter launched their podcast Women of Tomorrow,[36] an extension their album of the same name that allows "Bundy and Carter to dive deep into [the issues of women's rights] that were so hard-fought.".[37]
Bell Bundy has been a guest on many podcasts to promote the podcast and album, one of the most notable being The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales.[38]
In December 2015, Bell Bundy announced her engagement to TBS executive Thom Hinkle after four years of dating. They were married on June 3, 2017, in Arcadia, California.[39] On February 25, 2019 she announced that she was pregnant with her first child.[40] Their son was born in May 2019.[41]
In March 2020, Bell Bundy announced on social media that she had tested positive for COVID-19. She has since recovered.[42]
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
US Country [43] |
US [44] |
NOR [45] | ||
Longing for a Place Already Gone[46] |
|
— | — | — |
I'll Be Home for Christmas[47] |
|
— | — | — |
Achin' and Shakin' |
|
5 | 28 | 34 |
Live at Jazzfest 2013[48] |
|
— | — | — |
Another Piece of Me[49] |
|
— | — | — |
Women of Tomorrow[50] |
|
— | — | — |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart |
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Country [51] |
US Country Airplay | US Bubbling [52] |
US Dance [53] | |||
2010 | "Giddy On Up" | 31 | — | 7 | 43 | Achin' and Shakin' |
"Drop On By" | 48 | — | — | — | ||
2012 | "That's What Angels Do" | — | — | — | — | Another Piece of Me |
2013 | "Two Step" | — | 59 | — | — | |
2020 | "Get It Girl, You Go" (with Shoshana Bean and Anika Noni Rose)[50] |
— | — | — | — | Women of Tomorrow |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart |
Year | Video | Director |
---|---|---|
2010 | "Giddy On Up" | Shane Drake[54] |
"Drop On By" | Kristin Barlowe[55] | |
2012 | "That's What Angels Do" | Laura Bell Bundy/Becky Fluke[56] |
2013 | "Two Step" (with Colt Ford) | |
"Kentucky Dirty"[57] | ||
2015 | "I Am What I Am"[58] | Becky Fluke |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1993 | The Adventures of Huck Finn | Susan Wilks[20] | as Laura Bundy |
Life with Mikey | Courtney Aspinall[21] | ||
1995 | Jumanji | Young Sarah Whittle[22] | |
2006 | Surf School | Doris[22] | |
Dreamgirls | Sweetheart[22] | ||
2008 | The Drum Beats Twice | Peggy | as Laura Bundy |
2013 | Watercolor Postcards | Sonny[22] | |
2016 | After the Reality[59] | ||
2017 | Pure Country: Pure Heart[60] | Marq Dunn | Direct-to-video |
Beauty Mark | Lorraine[61] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | Home Improvement | Sharon | Episode: "Mrs. Wilson's Opus" |
1999 | Strangers with Candy | Kimberly Timothy | Pilot episode, unaired |
2000–01 | Guiding Light | Marah Lewis | Series regular |
2003 | All Grown Up | Brenda | Television film |
2005 | Veronica Mars | Julie Bloch | Episode: "Green-Eyed Monster" |
2006 | Dirtbags | Meg | Television film |
2006 | Cold Case | Nora McCarthy | Episode: "Willkommen" |
2006 | Modern Men | Tyffani | Episode: "The Homewrecker" |
2008 | Happy Hour | Alicia | Episode: "Thanksgiving" |
2010–14 | How I Met Your Mother | Becky | 5 episodes |
2010 | Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List | Herself | Episode: "Maggie, the Musical" |
2011 | Trailer Trash | Peggy Sue | Unsold television film |
2011 | Hound Dogs | Ginger Ledoux | Television film |
2011 | To the Mat[62] | Janice | Television film |
2012–15 | Hart of Dixie | Shelby | 24 episodes |
2013 | Malibu Country | Shauna | Episode: "Adventures in Babysitting" |
2013 | Royal Pains | Gina Black | Episode: "A Trimus Story" |
2013 | Dear Dumb Diary[63] | Aunt Carol | Television film |
2013–14 | Anger Management | Dr. Jordan Denby | 53 episodes |
2015 | Becoming Santa | Holly Claus | Television film |
2016 | Almost Royal | Herself | Episode: "The Great Outdoors" |
2016 | Angie Tribeca | Vivian Tribeca | Episode: "Murder in the First Class" |
2016 | Scream Queens | Nurse Thomas | 3 episodes |
2016 | Documentary Now! | Bridget Bailey | Episode: "Mr. Runner Up: My Life as an Oscar Bridesmaid" |
2016 | Fuller House | Ginger Gladstone | Episode: "Fuller Thanksgiving" |
2016 | Season's Greetings | Darcy Blake | Television film |
2017 | Liv and Maddie | Tracey Okahatchee | Episode: "Voice-A-Rooney" |
2017 | The Christmas Calendar | Emily | Canadian television film |
2019 | American Gods | Columbia | Episode: "Donar the Great" |
2019–20 | Perfect Harmony | Kimmy Bell | 3 episodes |
2020 | AJ and the Queen | Bernadette Anderson | Episode: "Mt. Juliet" |
2022 | How I Met Your Father | Becky | 2 episodes |
2022 | The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder | Rachel Raskin | Main role |
2022 | Call Me Kat | Nicole | 3 episodes |
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1993 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Ruthless! | Nominated | [64] |
Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Nominated | |||
2007 | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Musical | Legally Blonde | Nominated | [65] |
Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Nominated | |||
Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance | Nominated | [66] | ||
2010 | American Country Award | Music Video Breakthrough Artist | Giddy On Up | Nominated | [67] |
CMT Music Award | Breakthrough Video of the Year | Nominated | [68] |
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