Maria Bello

Maria Bello (born April 18, 1967) is an American actress, writer, speaker and activist. This is her first book based upon one of the most read articles in the New York Times, Modern Love Column. She has lead and supporting roles in multiple films and TV including History of Violence; Coyote Ugly; Big Driver; Downloading Nancy; ER; Prime Suspect; Touch; Grown Ups 1 & 2; Big Driver; Max Steel; McFarland; Waiting for Helen; Permanent Midnight , Payback; Thank You for Smoking; Duets; and The Jane Austen Book Club. Bello was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, to Kathleen, a school nurse and teacher, and Joseph Bello, a contractor. Her father is Italian American, with roots in Montella, Italy, and her mother is Polish American. She has a sister and two brothers and grew up in a working-class Roman Catholic family and graduated from Archbishop John Carroll High School in Radnor, Pennsylvania and then majored in political science at Villanova University. Following graduation, Bello honed her acting skills in a number of New York theater productions. Bello is a human rights activist and her foundation, WeAdvance provided critical information online to people in poverty. Along with her partner, Bello has a production company, Ground Seven Entertainment - grounded stories from seven continents with female and diverse led characters. She has written a TV series called Relief and is in the process of producing a pilot. As well as acting and producing, she is writing her second book and plays her most important role which is as a mother to her teenage son. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.