Childhood & Early Life
Laura Bell Bundy was born on April 10, 1981, in Euclid, Ohio, USA, to Lorna Bundy-Jones and Don Bundy. She grew up in Lexington, Kentucky. Her mother works at a Victoria's Secret store and her father is an electrical engineer. Her parents divorced when she was 16. Both of her parents have remarried since.
She was trained in dancing at Town and Village School of Dance in Paris, Kentucky. When she was nine, she made her stage debut with a regional theatre company, and at the age of 14, she acted in the film ‘Jumanji’. During this time, she also began writing songs, and formed her first band at the age of 18. In 1999, she graduated from Lexington Catholic High School.
When she was 18, she was diagnosed with celiac disease, a serious autoimmune disorder.
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Career
In 1992, Laura Bell Bundy played the role of Tina Denmark in the musical play ‘Ruthless! The Musical’. Premiered at an Off-Broadway theatre, it was an all-female musical with music by Marvin Laird and lyrics by Joel Paley.
In 1993, she appeared in two films—‘The Adventures of Huck Finn’, and ‘Life with Mikey’. She played Young Sarah Whittle in ‘Jumanji’ in 1995.
For two years, she appeared as Marah Lewis in 10 episodes of ‘Guiding Light’, which was aired from October 1999 to October 2001 on CBS. She was also seen in television shows like ‘Veronica Mars’, ‘Happy Hour’, ‘Modern Men’, and ‘Cold Case and Strangers with Candy’. She also appeared in several short web videos, playing various comedic characters, such as Justice Goode and Shocantelle Brown.
In 2002, she made her debut at Broadway Theater, with the musical ‘Hairspray’, in which she did another originating role of Amber Von Tussle. She was a standby for the role of Glinda in ‘Wicked’, which she continued till 2004.
In 2007, she released two albums—‘Longing for a Place Already Gone’, and ‘I'll Be Home for Christmas.’ From 2007 to 2008, she played the role of Elle Woods on Broadway in ‘Legally Blonde: The Musical’, and earned critical acclaims. She went on tour as one of the Von Trapp children in ‘The Sound of Music’ with singer Marie Osmond.
She released her first country music single, ‘Giddy On Up’ in 2010, followed by a music video. She performed the song at the 2010 Academy of Country Music Awards. Her second single, ‘Drop On By’ was not as successful as her debut.
After ‘Legally Blonde’ completed its run, Laura Bell Bundy started work on her next album, ‘Achin’ and Shakin', which was eventually released on April 13, 2010. She was also featured in Miranda Lambert's music video for ‘Only Prettier’, as one of Lambert's friends. She launched a new single, ‘That's What Angels Do,’ as a teaser to her studio album, ‘Another Piece of Me’ in 2012.
In 2012, she did a recurring role on the sixth season of ‘How I Met Your Mother’ as Becky, aired on CBS. She also had a recurring role on ‘The CW's Hart of Dixie’. FX then cast her as a sex-study researcher Dr. Jordan Denby in the series ‘Anger Management’.
She signed with Big Machine Records in 2013, and released the single ‘Two Step’, which peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. ‘Another Piece of Me’ was digitally released in June 2015 via Big Machine. In 2015, she appeared in the TV movie ‘Becoming Santa’, along with Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter.
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Laura Bell Bundy founded her production company Little Bit Bitchy (LBBTV) to promote her creative, comedic, and musical ideas. The company’s most successful project has been the comedy web series, ‘Cooter County’. When Laura is not performing, she writes, directs and produces most of the content released with her LBBTV partners Tiffany and Brooke Engen.
She launched her YouTube series ‘Skits-O-Frenic’ in October 2015, with Charlie Sheen as one of her first guests. The show also features her songs, dance, and dramatic scenes.
Since an open-heart surgery in 2015, she has been all over TV, guest-appearing on Angie Tribeca to Scream Queens, and on The Guest Book created by Greg Garcia.
In 2016, she appeared on Netflix’s ‘Fuller House’, as Ginger, wife of Joey Gladstone, in one episode in the last season.
In May 2017, she started appearing in a recurring role on the second season of TNT drama series ‘Good Behavior’, which is based on a series of books by Blake Crouch. Laura plays Carin, an upscale suburban mother who is involved in her daughter’s school.
In 2017, she returned to the stage after a 10-year hiatus in ‘The Honeymooners’. The new musical is based on the television comedy with the same name. Directed by John Rando, the musical was premiered at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey on September 28, 2017. She appears as Trixie Norton, a former burlesque dancer married to Ed Norton, who wants to get back into show business.
Facts About Laura Bell Bundy
Laura Bell Bundy is not only a talented actress and singer, but she also has a passion for writing and has penned several songs and scripts.
In addition to her work on Broadway and in television, Laura Bell Bundy is a strong advocate for mental health awareness and has spoken openly about her own struggles with anxiety and depression.
Laura Bell Bundy is a skilled dancer and has showcased her talents in various performances, including her time as a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars."
Despite her busy schedule, Laura Bell Bundy makes time to give back to the community through her involvement in various charitable organizations and causes.
Laura Bell Bundy has a great sense of humor and loves to make people laugh, whether through her comedic performances or her witty social media posts.
