Catherine Bell made a brief appearance on JAG nine seasons ago as a Navy lieutenant who was murdered, and the series' creator and executive producer, Donald Bellisario, was so impressed by her performance that he cast her as the female lead when the series moved to CBS in January 1997.

Bell began her acting career by accident. During her college years at UCLA, she modeled part time while studying to be either a doctor or a biomedical engineer. Her studies were interrupted when she was offered an assignment to model for several months in Japan. Although her modeling career was flourishing, she felt hampered by her shyness, so she hired an acting coach and was immediately bitten by the acting bug.

Bell has been featured in numerous theatrical films, including "Death Becomes Her," "Men of War" and, most recently, "Bruce Almighty." Her television credits include "The Time Shifters," "Friends," "Dream On," "Misery Loves Company" and the syndicated series "Hercules." She also starred in the television movie "Cab to Canada," on CBS.

Bell was born in London and moved to Los Angeles with her family when she was three years old. She speaks fluent Farsi, the language of her grandparents. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Adam, and their daughter. Her birth date is August 14.