Jillian Bell facts for kids

Jillian Leigh Bell, born on April 25, 1984, is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She is known for her funny roles in movies and TV shows. She used to write for the popular TV show Saturday Night Live. After that, she starred in films like Brittany Runs a Marathon and I'm Totally Fine. You might also know her from TV shows such as Workaholics and for voicing characters in cartoons like Bless the Harts. She has also appeared in movies like 22 Jump Street and Godmothered. As of July 2025, she is engaged to artist and musician Luke McGarry.

Early Life and Comedy Beginnings

Jillian Bell grew up in Henderson, Nevada. She started learning improv comedy when she was only eight years old. Improv is a type of acting where you make up scenes and dialogue on the spot. After finishing high school in Las Vegas in 2002, she moved to Los Angeles. There, she joined a famous comedy group called The Groundlings. Many well-known comedians and actors have been part of this group.

Career Highlights in Comedy and Acting

Jillian first tried out for Saturday Night Live as an actress. Even though she didn't join the cast, she became a writer for the show in 2009. This was for its 35th season. In the same year, she also had a small role in an episode of the TV show Curb Your Enthusiasm.

In 2011, Jillian started playing the character Jillian Belk on the Comedy Central series Workaholics. This role helped her become more widely known. A famous film director, Paul Thomas Anderson, saw her on the show. He then gave her small parts in his movies The Master (2012) and Inherent Vice (2014). She also had a recurring role as Dixie in the last season of Eastbound & Down.

In 2014, she appeared in the comedy film 22 Jump Street. She acted alongside Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum in this movie. Later, in 2015, she co-starred in Goosebumps and The Night Before.

In 2016, Jillian starred in a Comedy Central series called Idiotsitter. In this show, she played a grown-up daughter who was always getting into trouble. The show actually started as a web series a few years earlier. She also played the Fairy Godmother in Disney's movie Godmothered. This film was released on Disney+ in 2020 and also featured actress Isla Fisher.

Jillian has also lent her voice to animated characters. She voiced characters in The Angry Birds Movie (2016) and Son of Zorn (2016). From 2019 to 2021, she voiced Violet Hart in the animated series Bless the Harts. She also voiced Gluntz in Green Eggs and Ham from 2019 to 2022.

Her recent film roles include Murder Mystery 2 (2023) and Candy Cane Lane (2023). She also appeared in Good Burger 2 in 2023. In 2024, she was in the film Reunion and voiced Lee the Eel in Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Awards and Recognition

Jillian Bell has been recognized for her talent. In 2010, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. This was for her writing work on Saturday Night Live.

In 2015, she received two nominations at the 2015 MTV Movie Awards. She was nominated for Best Fight (with Jonah Hill) and Best Villain for her role in 22 Jump Street.

More recently, in 2019, she received special awards at film festivals. She won the Fairbanks Award at the San Diego International Film Festival. She also received the Next Wave Award at the Provincetown International Film Festival on Cape Cod. These awards celebrate new and exciting talent in the film industry.

See also

In Spanish: Jillian Bell para niños