About Laura Bell Bundy
Laura Ashley Bell Bundy-Hinkle (born April 10, 1981) is an American actress and singer-songwriter. Her career started as a child, when her mother entered her in beauty pageants, where she would sing as a talent. After recognizing her singing ability, her mother took her to New York City, where she found success as a child actress and model, signing with Ford Modeling Agency in 1986. She was cast as the lead in Ruthless! at age 9 in 1991. She later gained wider recognition for her role as the young Sarah Whittle in 1995's Jumanji. Later she played Marah Lewis on the daytime soap Guiding Light from 1999 to 2001. She is best known for originating the Broadway roles of Amber Von Tussle in the musical version of Hairspray and Elle Woods in the musical version of Legally Blonde in 2007, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. In 2010 she signed to Mercury Records Nashville and released her two country music singles, "Giddy On Up" and "Drop on By". Bundy is a co-founder of Womxn of Tomorrow, a foundation that supports and encourages women and women's rights. In 2023, she returned to Broadway, starring in The Cottage. For this role she received her first Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.