Laura Bell Bundy  

American singer and actress of stage, television, and film, Laura Bell Bundy is most known for her recently won role of Elle Woods in the Broadway version of Legally Blonde. She is also recognized for her work on the popular soap opera The Guiding Light.

Laura Ashley Bell Bundy was born April 10, 1981 in Lexington, Kentucky. Her parents were Don Bundy and Lorna Bundy Jones, and she attended Lexington Catholic High, from which she graduated in 1999.

An actress that knew her passion from early on, Bundy made her onstage debut in 1990 when she was just nine. In addition to her early acting credits, Bundy also had an in to the entertainment world, because her mother was the babysitter for the Culkin family. Consequently, Bundy was a childhood friend of child actor Macaulay Culkin. They were later linked romantically.

On the career front, her first role came as Tina Demark in Ruthless! The Musical, where her understudies included Britney Spears and Natalie Portman. After three successful years with the show, she earned a Drama Desk Award nomination.

By 2002, the young singer found her way onto the bright lights of a Broadway stage playing Amber Von Tussle in the extremely popular musical Hairspray. She followed with the role of Glinda in Wicked, and she recently took the lead in Legally Blonde: the Musical. After a varied stage career, Bundy earned her first Tony nomination for this most recent role.

Outside of stage, Bundy made her onscreen debut with The Adventures of Huck Finn starring Elijah Wood, Courtney B Vance, Robbie Coltrane, Jason Robards, and Anne Heche. She also took a brief role in the adventure comedy Jumanji with Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Jonathan Hyde, and Bonnie Hunt.

Her first recurring role, however, came in 1999 with Guiding Light. Playing Marah Shayne Lewis, her role landed her steady work until 2001. Some costars included Wes Ramsey, Bradley Cole, and Ricky Paull Goldin.

Playing to the teen demographic, she also showed up opposite Kristen Bell in one episode of Veronica Mars.

Her most recent project is The Drum Beats Twice, which is a drama starring Amy Redford and Costas Mandylor.

Also interested in pursuing her music career, Bundy released her first album entitled Longing for a Place Already Gone. Hitting the shelves on July 24, 2007, the album was decidedly country as opposed to her typical Broadway style. Ultimately, sales lagged, and it didn’t make as big of a splash as anticipated.

In her personal life, Bundy did not attend college. She was, however, accepted into New York University. She intended to attend, but then she landed her role on Guiding Light, which she decided was an opportunity too good to pass up.