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BIOGRAPHY

Most peole go through life wondering what they want to be when they get older. For one girl, it would seem as though she was born knowing what she wanted to do. Born April 10, 1981, Laura Ashley Bell Bundy was destined to be a star. Growing up as a very photogenic child in Lexington, Kentucky, Laura began her career by modeling as a young child. She designed hair ribbons as a hobby at a young age. She also realized that she could sing at a young age. At the age of five, she was singing songs such as "I’ve Got Rhythm" and "Good Morning Heartache", which she learned from her grandfather, who was a radio announcer and DJ in the fourties. When she was younger, she was in a singing duo called Laura & Amber, where she toured with country music star Amber Rhodes.

Laura has been performing since the ripe old age of nine, when she landed her first professional theater gig in New York City when she performed at the Rockafeller Center's Christmas Spectacula. At age 10, she originated the role of Tina Denmark in Ruthless, The Musical!. She never auditioned for the show, because the director of the special, Marvin Laird, was working on it and introduced her to the director and writer. The show may have been an off-Broadway production, but Laura was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle and a Drama Desk award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. She moved from Kentucky to New York for four-and-a-half years as a result of her rising career. She and her mother would fly to and from the two states to see her father, who owns a business in Kentucky. Soon after doing Ruthless, The Musical!, Laura started a career in movies and televison. Her first major film came in 1992, where she played Susan Wilks in The Adventures of Huck Finn. She also landed the role of Courtney Aspinall in Life with Mikey that same year.

Ruthless! wasn't the only theatre performence she was involved in as a child. Laura also performed in productins such as The Sound of Music and Pajama Game. In 1995, she landed the role of young Sarah Whittle in Jumanji. She'd put her career on pause for a moment, when she decided to fly back to Kentucky to be with her dad. Soon after, her parents would split up, and eventually divorce. The next year, Laura landed a guest starring role on Home Improvement. Her next few television roles would include Strangers with Candy: Retardation, a Celebration, Gulf Zone, Prudy and Judy, and All Grown Up. In 1999, Laura would land one of her biggest television roles yet, playing Marah Shayne Lewis on the soap The Guiding Light. Laura would also book roles in the shows Grease, Damn Yankees, Taxiclub Chronicles, and an off-Broadway production of Gypsy.

In May of 2000, Laura started reading for a new Broadway musical that would skyrocket into the mainstream pop culture. Laura would get her named reconized by all Broadway fans when she originated the role of Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray, set in the 1960's, about a pleasantly plump teenager who wants to be "Miss Teenage Hairspray". She would also end up being a standby (for Kristin Chenoweth) for the role of Glinda in Wicked. On October 4, 2004, Laura performed in her premiere show Shameless! The Life and Times of Laura Bell Bundy. (she originally wanted to call it If Jon Bonet Had Lived, "but people were afraid that was a little too off color.") In her show, she was, vertually, acting and singing out her life story through the eyes of different people, such as her mother, Judy Garland, and countless other famous actors and actresses.

After Shameless!, Laura went back into television, guest starring on shows such as Veronica Mars, Dirtbags, Cold Case, Happy Hour, and Modern Men. She also filmed Pulse, Surf School, and Dreamgirls, all released in 2006. She also starred as Sherrie Christian in the musical Rock of Ages.

In mid-2006, Laura would audition for another Broadway musical, one she calls her "biggest role yet". Rehearsals started in November 2006, and would rehearse for six months. Laura would originate the role Elle Woods in the Broadway musical Legally Blonde, based on the 2001 movie. The show performed a pre-Broadway tryout at the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco in previews starting on January 23, 2007. After some minor changes to the score and book, the show opened for previews on April 3, 2007 in New York, and opened at the Palace Theatre (in New York) on April 29, 2007. The musical was a huge success, earning mixed reviews. Many praised the show for being a fun and upbeat production. The original cast recording on May 7 and 8, 2007, and was released on July 17, 2007. On September 18, 2007, Legally Blonde was taped by MTV, and aired on the channel on October 13th. MTV is also making a reality show called Legally Blonde: The Search for the New Elle Woods. Laura is scheduled to be with the show until late June/July 2008. The show will also go on tour starting September 23, 2008, and will be opening in Europe in November 2008.

Laura released her first CD, I'll Be Home For Christmas in December 2007. She also released her first personal CD, entitled Longing for a Place Already Gone, in March 2008. The CD includes some of Laura Bell's favorite tunes, as well as her own unqie songs. Laura Bell also has a charity called Kreative Kids Foundation, and is the founder and co-designer of Schmancy Purses. (some of the purses are used in Legally Blonde, the Musical)

Laura Bell Bundy may only be 27, but she's acceled in all aspects of the entertainment industry, from acting and singing, to designing and dancing. This woman has quite the future ahead of her, and we can't wait to see what she'll do next!

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