Laura Bell Bundy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Laura Bell Bundy
Bell Bundy at the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in April 2010.
Born	Laura Ashley Bell Bundy (1981-04-10) April 10, 1981 (age 44) Euclid, Ohio, U.S.
Other names	LBB Laura Bell Laura Bundy
Education	New York University
Occupation	Actress country singer dancer songwriter
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Thom Hinkle ​ (m. 2017)​
Children	1

Laura Ashley Bell Bundy-Hinkle (born April 10, 1981) is an American actress and singer who has starred on the stage, in movies, and on TV. She started her career as a child, performing in beauty pageants. Her talent for singing led her to New York City, where she became a child actress and model.

At age nine, she landed the lead role in the musical Ruthless!. Many people know her for playing young Sarah Whittle in the 1995 movie Jumanji. She also played Marah Lewis on the TV show Guiding Light from 1998 to 2001.

She is famous for her roles on Broadway, especially as Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray and as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. Her role as Elle Woods earned her a Tony Award nomination. She later became a country music singer and is also a co-founder of Womxn of Tomorrow, an organization that supports women.

Early Life and First Roles

Laura Ashley Bell Bundy was born on April 10, 1981, in Euclid, Ohio, and grew up in Lexington, Kentucky. Her mother, Lorna, works as a beauty advisor, and her father, Don, was an electrical engineer.

She began taking dance lessons at a young age. When she was nine, she performed in the famous Radio City Christmas Spectacular in New York City. After that, she won the main part in the musical Ruthless!.

In 1995, when she was 14, Bundy appeared in the popular movie Jumanji. She played the younger version of Sarah Whittle, the character played by Bonnie Hunt. Around this time, she also started writing her own songs and formed her first band at age 18.

Career

On the Stage

Laura Bell Bundy has had a long and successful career in theater.

Early Broadway Success

In 1992, she played Tina Denmark in the Off-Broadway show Ruthless! The Musical. Her performance earned her nominations for two major theater awards. In 2002, she made her Broadway debut in the hit musical Hairspray, where she played the bratty Amber Von Tussle. She was also a standby for the character of Glinda in the musical Wicked.

Starring in Legally Blonde

From 2007 to 2008, Bundy starred as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical on Broadway. Elle Woods is a fun-loving sorority girl who goes to Harvard Law School to prove she can be serious. This role was a huge success for Bundy and earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.

She later returned to the role of Elle Woods for a short time on the musical's national tour in 2009.

Recent Theater Work

In 2017, she played Trixie Norton in a new musical called The Honeymooners, based on a classic TV show. In 2018, she had the lead role in a Los Angeles production of Sweet Charity. She returned to Broadway in 2023 to star in the play The Cottage.

Film and Television

Bundy has appeared in many movies and TV shows. Her early film roles include The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993) and Jumanji (1995). From 1999 to 2001, she was a regular on the TV drama Guiding Light.

She had a fun, recurring role as Becky on the popular sitcom How I Met Your Mother. She later appeared as the same character in the spin-off show, How I Met Your Father. From 2012 to 2015, she played Shelby on the TV series Hart of Dixie.

In 2013, she joined the cast of the show Anger Management as Dr. Jordan Denby, a psychologist. In 2022, she starred as Rachel Raskin in The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder, a live-action series based on the cartoon The Fairly OddParents.

Country Music Career

Bell Bundy performing at a club in New York City in 2007.

After her success on Broadway, Bundy moved to Nashville to focus on a career in country music.

In 2010, she released her album Achin' and Shakin'. The album was a hit, reaching number 5 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. It included the popular singles "Giddy On Up" and "Drop On By". The music video for "Giddy On Up" was also very popular.

She released another album, Another Piece of Me, in 2015. In 2021, she released Women of Tomorrow, an album focused on female empowerment.

Other Projects

Bundy is also a director. She has directed music videos and stage productions, including a version of Legally Blonde: The Musical.

In 2020, she started a podcast with music producer Shea Carter called Women of Tomorrow. The podcast explores issues related to women's rights and empowerment, continuing the themes from her album of the same name.

Personal Life

In 2017, Bundy married Thom Hinkle, an executive at the TV channel TBS. They have a son, who was born in May 2019.

Bundy is a strong advocate for women's rights and equality. She founded the Womxn of Tomorrow organization to support and encourage women.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Laura Bell Bundy para niños