Ashley Bell made her feature film debut in Lionsgate and Strike Entertainment's thriller, “The Last Exorcism.” Her performance garnered her an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and an MTV Movie Award nomination, while the film grossed nearly $70 million worldwide. The New York Post praised Bell's performance as “Oscar-worthy” and one of the 10 best performances of 2010 for her extraordinary portrayal of the possessed Nell Sweetzer, which she will reprise in the highly anticipated sequel, entitled “The Last Exorcism Part II,” set to be released nationwide on March 1, 2013.
In 2012, Bell starred in Doug Aarniokoski's post-apocalyptic thriller “The Day,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Upcoming projects include Norry Niven's romantic drama "Chasing Shakespeare” opposite Danny Glover; the noir feature film “Sparks,” based on the graphic comic; “The Marine: Homecoming,” along with Neil McDonough; and the romantic comedy “The Bounceback,” directed by fellow Spirit Award nominee Bryan Poser.
Bell, an animal lover, is passionately involved with the Save Elephant Foundation. She is currently directing and producing a documentary depicting the rescue of two Asian elephants from captivity and their subsequent release. She is also in pre-production on the animated series, “The LeBrons,” starring NBA player LeBron James, in which she will lend her voice.
Bell’s voice has been featured in several top-selling video games, including the lead role of Erline in Sony PlayStation’s “Sorcery” and The White Queen in Disney's “Alice in Wonderland.” Her television credits include appearances in “The United States of Tara,” “Grow,” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Bell is the daughter of actor/voice animator Michael Bell and actress and Groundlings co-founder Victoria Carroll. She studied acting and directing at Cambridge University, where she was awarded “Best Actress” for her portrayal of “Ophelia.” Bell later graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with honors, and was mentored by Oscar nominee Kathleen Turner.