Catherine Bell — Biography

Catherine Lisa Bell speaks both Persian and English with native fluency. She maintains a passion for motorcycles, skiing, snowboarding, and kickboxing. Her creative interests span cross-stitching and building model cars, a hobby she began as an eight-year-old child. An actress renowned primarily for her work on the military legal drama JAG, Bell was born to an Iranian mother and an English father. She presently appears on Lifetime Television's ensemble series Army Wives, where she portrays Denise Sherwood. Early in her career, Bell completed a substantial modeling assignment in Japan. After returning to California, she pursued formal acting training under Milton Katselas at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Before her entertainment breakthrough, she worked independently as a massage therapist with a client base that included musician Peter Gabriel. She made an appearance on the game show To Tell the Truth in 1990, discussing her massage therapy work. Her initial television acting credit consisted of a single line on the sitcom Sugar and Spice in 1990. Beginning in 1996, Bell took on the role of Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie, a judge advocate officer in the United States Marine Corps, remaining with JAG through 2005. Starting in 2007, she has led the cast of Lifetime's Army Wives, playing Denise Sherwood, whose character endures abuse from her teenage son during the show's opening season. Bell has also headlined Hallmark's The Good Witch film series, starring in the original 2008 film and sequels released in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012, serving as co-executive producer on each installment. She additionally starred in the Hallmark movie Last Man Standing. At the EDtv premiere on March 16, 1999, Bell wore a black top that became see-through under camera flashes. She holds both British and American citizenship. By January 2024, Bell had accumulated 312,000 Instagram followers.