Laura Bell Bundy

Laura Ashley Bell Bundy was born in Euclid, Ohio, and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. Her mother, Lorna Bundy-Jones (née Lorna Ann Bell), is a Lancome Beauty Advisor at Ulta, and her father, Don Bundy, was an electrical engineer. Her parents divorced in 1997 when she was 16 years old; both later remarried. Her father died in 2018. She took dance lessons at Town and Village School of Dance in Paris, Kentucky. When she was nine, she appeared in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in New York City. Finding success on stage, she auditioned for roles in Les Misérables and The Will Rogers Follies before landing the lead role in Ruthless!. In 1991, she moved to New York and attended the Professional Children's School while performing in Ruthless!. Five years later she moved back to Kentucky and graduated from Lexington Catholic High School. She is the niece of Marcia Malone Bell, Miss Kentucky 1978 and 1979 Top Ten Miss America semifinalist. Bell Bundy was diagnosed with celiac disease when she was about 18 years old. In 1995, at the age of 14, Bell Bundy appeared in the film Jumanji, playing the younger version of Bonnie Hunt's character, Sarah Whittle. During this time she began writing songs. Her first band was formed at the age of 18. While performing in Hairspray, she enrolled in NYU as a sociology major, but did not graduate.