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Maria Bello has captivated audiences with her many diverse roles in such films as “The Cooler” with William H. Macy, (Golden Globe and SAG Nomination), David Cronenberg’s “A History of Violence” opposite Viggo Mortenson and Ed Harris (NY Film Critics win and Golden Globe nomination), along with close to 30 other films. She is currently filming the US version of the critically acclaimed BBC series, “Prime Suspect.”

Bello began her career as an activist at Villanova University where she majored in Peace and Justice Education and worked at the Women’s Law Project in Philadelphia. She has worked with Save the Children, The Feminist Majority, Vital Voices, and Save Darfur; her main focus being the empowerment of women worldwide. She has been on the hill with the women of Darfur to address the issue of sexual violence and rape as a weapon of war. Variety Magazine honored her in 2009 as one of the most powerful women in Hollywood for her work with Save Darfur. She co-hosted the first health summit in the USA for the African First Ladies and continues to work with them.

For the last three years, she has worked in Haiti with Artists for Peace and Justice, raising funds and awareness of the extreme poverty there, and the plight of women and children. Six days after the earthquake in January 2010, she traveled to the country bringing emergency relief supplies to Port au Prince and continues her work there. She started a women’s clinic and has opened a new clinic and education program in Cité Soleil under the title of her newly founded NGO – WE ADVANCE. WE ADVANCE is an organization dedicated to advancing women’s health, safety, and well being throughout Haiti.

She works with the Haitian Women’s Group – Femmes en Democratie to support their mission of women’s economic and political opportunity, and to ensure that women have full participation in the rebuilding of Haiti. She filmed and spearheaded the media campaign to Elect Haitian Women. The TV and radio spots ran throughout Haiti. She is managing the campaign of her WE ADVANCE partner, Barbara Guillaume, who is running for mayor in Cité Soleil, the poorest slum in the Western Hemisphere.

Bello has been public speaking for the last three years on international women’s issues, gender-based violence, and rape as a weapon of war. She blogs for the Huffington Post about Haiti and about the problems with large NGO’s. She produced the Haitian documentary, “Sun City Picture House,” which is opening the Tribeca Film Festival and is in the process of shooting her second documentary on Barbara Guillaume’s run for office.

Currently, she has co-founded the Jacmel Development Group with her partners in Haiti. The JDG is a local consulting firm in Jacmel, Haiti, that seeks to attract socially responsible investors to rebuild the town into a tourist destination.

Filmography

Abduction (2011) … Mara
Beautiful Boy (2010) … Kate Carroll
Grown-Ups (2010) … Sally Lamonsoff
The Company Men (2010) … Sally Wilcox
The Yellow Handkerchief (2009) … May
Downloading Nancy (2009) … Nancy
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009) … Suky
Towelhead (2008) …. Gail
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) … Evelyn Carnahan O’Connell
Butterfly on a Wheel aka Shattered (2007) …. Abby Randall
The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) …. Jocelyn
Flicka (2006) …. Nell McLaughlin
World Trade Center (2006) …. Donna McLoughlin
Thank You for Smoking (2005) …. Polly Bailey
A History of Violence (2005) …. Edie Stall
The Dark (2005) …. Adèlle
The Sisters (2005) …. Marcia Prior Glass
Assault on Precinct 13 (2005) …. Dr. Alex Sabian
Silver City (2004) …. Nora Allardyce
Secret Window (2004) …. Amy Rainey
Nobody’s Perfect (2004) …
The Cooler (2003) …. Natalie Belisario
100 Mile Rule (2002) …. Monica
Auto Focus (2002) …. Patricia Olson / Patrica Crane / Sigrid Valdis
China: The Panda Adventure (2001) …. Ruth Harkness
Duets (2000) …. Suzi Loomis
Coyote Ugly (2000) …. Lil
Sam the Man (2000) …. Anastasia Powell
Payback (1999) …. Rosie
Permanent Midnight (1998) …. Kitty
Maintenance (1992) …. Eddie

TV Series

Prime Suspect (2011) … Jane Timoney
Born in Brooklyn (2001) …
ER (1997-1998) …. Dr. Anna Del Amico
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1996) …. Mrs. Smith
Due South (1996) …. Mackenzie King
The Commish (1995) …. Betsy
Nowhere Man (1995) …. Emily Noonan
Misery Loves Company (1995) …. Joe’s Former Film Student

Stage

The 24-Hour Plays
The Killer Inside Me
Smart Town Gals with Big Problems
Urban Planning
A Lie of the Mind
Out of Gas on Lover’s Leap
Big Talk
Talked Away
After the Fact
Young Frankenstein

Awards

2010 Independent Spirit Award (nominated) for Best Female Lead – Downloading Nancy

2006 Golden Globe Award (nominated) for Best Actress – A History of Violence

2005 NY Film Critics Award (winner) for Best Supporting Actress – A History of Violence

2004 Golden Globe Award (nominated) for Best Supporting Actress – The Cooler

2004 Screen Actors Guild Award (nominated) for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role – The Cooler

1998 Screen Actors Guild Award (won) for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series – E.R.