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1[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maria_bello.JPG]]
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3->''"You serve the best by doing what you love the most."''
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5Maria Elena Bello (b. April 18, 1967 in Norristown, Pennsylvania) is an award-winning American actress best known for her roles in ''Film/CoyoteUgly'', ''Series/{{ER}}'', ''Film/TheJaneAustenBookClub'', and ''Film/AHistoryOfViolence''. She also starred as Special Agent Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane on ''Series/{{NCIS}}''.
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7A Pennsylvania native, Bello earned her degree in political science from Villanova University before turning to acting, honing her talents in New York theater productions. She made her television debut in 1996 in the short-lived crime drama ''Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' opposite Creator/ScottBakula, and shortly thereafter joined ''Series/{{ER}}'' as Dr. Anna Del Amico for its fourth season. Her film debut came in 1998 in ''Permanent Midnight'', but it was 2000's ''Film/CoyoteUgly'' that truly put her on the map, and she has been working steadily in both film and television ever since. Most recently she joined the [[LongRunner long-running]] crime drama ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' beginning with its 15th season, starring as operational psychologist Special Agent Jacqueline Sloane.
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9Despite having something of a reputation as a MsFanservice, she's also noted for being one of the most fearless actors in the business, not self-conscious about the way she looks on film and unafraid to explore even the darkest corners of the human psyche (see, for instance, the harrowing ''Film/DownloadingNancy''). Her earthy, grounded acting style and her aforementioned fearlessness have earned her rave reviews from many notable critics -- including Creator/RogerEbert -- as well as a passel of nominations and wins from, among others, the Screen Actors' Guild, the National Society of Film Critics, and the Hollywood Foreign Press.
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11She is openly not-straight (in her own words, "a 'whatever'"), coming out of the closet in a ''New York Times'' editorial in 2013 about her relationship with Clare Munn. Also an author, she published a memoir, ''Whatever... Love is Love: Questioning the Labels We Give Ourselves'', in 2015.
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13Finally, she's an avid practitioner of UsefulNotes/MuayThai, a no-holds-barred form of kickboxing from UsefulNotes/{{Thailand}}.
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15Bello has a son with her ex-boyfriend Dan Mcdermott. She got engaged to Dominique Crenn in 2019.
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17!!Partial Filmography:
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19* ''Series/{{ER}}'' (1997-1998) as Dr. Anna Del Amico
20* ''Film/{{Payback}}'' (1999) as Rosie
21* ''Film/CoyoteUgly'' (2000) as Lil Lovell
22* ''Film/AutoFocus'' (2002) as Creator/SigridValdis
23* ''Film/TheCooler'' (2003) as Natalie Belisario
24* ''Film/AHistoryOfViolence'' (2005) as Edie Stall
25* ''Film/{{The Dark|2005}}'' (2005) as Adele
26* ''Film/{{Flicka}}'' (2006) as Nell [=McLaughlin=]
27* ''Film/WorldTradeCenter'' (2006) as Donna [=McLoughlin=]
28* ''Film/TheJaneAustenBookClub'' (2007) as Jocelyn
29* ''Film/DownloadingNancy'' (2008) as Nancy Stockwell
30* ''Film/TheYellowHandkerchief'' (2008) as May
31* ''Film/TheMummyTombOfTheDragonEmperor'' (2008) as Evelyn O'Connell
32* ''Film/TheCompanyMen'' (2010) as Sally Wilcox
33* ''Series/{{Prime Suspect|US}}'' (2011-2012) as Det. Jane Timoney
34* ''Series/{{Touch|2012}}'' (2012-2013) as Lucy Robbins
35* ''Film/{{Prisoners}}'' (2013) as Grace Dover
36* ''Film/BigDriver'' (2014) as Tess Thorne
37* ''Film/TheConfirmation'' (2016) as Bonnie
38* ''Film/{{Lights Out|2016}}'' (2016) as Sophie
39* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' (2017-2021) as Special Agent Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane

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