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Kristen Anne Bell was born near Detroit, Michigan, on July 18, 1980. Like her former character Veronica Mars, Kristen Bell knows what it's like to come from a broken home: Her parents split when she was just two years old.

Her mother started checking out modeling agencies after several people said her daughter would look great in pictures. Before her 13th birthday, Kristen Bell had an agent and began to appear in newspaper advertisements for several Detroit retailers, including Kmart.

She took her act to Los Angeles and scored a few guest-starring roles, appearing on Everwood, American Dreams and The Shield in 2003. In 2004, she was in the cable film Gracie's Choice, playing a girl forced to help raise her sickly siblings while her mother tries to overcome a drug addiction.

She is TV stints filled 2007. She became the narrator on the hit show Gossip Girl and she also landed the role of Elle Bishop on the wildly popular TV drama Heroes. As if her relatively small but crucial role on the ensemble show Heroes wasn't enough, 2008 also saw Kristen complete work on the Star Wars-driven Fanboys and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Kristen Bell and Anna Paquin stepped out in the same LBD with a sheer bodice less than two months apart. Both wowed on the red carpet in the creation by Versace's more moderately-priced line, Versus, from its Fall 2011 Ready to Wear collection.

A-line version of the frock at a Television Critics Association bash in Beverly Hills on August 2. The former "Veronica Mars" accessorized with black pumps, round silver earrings, and a sparkly Ferragamo clutch.

"True Blood" star Anna Paquin donned the dress a few inches shorter for the season premiere of her HBO hit in Hollywood on June 21.

The 29-year-old's version featured purple glitter on the bodice and a tank-style top. She completed her ensemble with black pumps, a cuff bracelet, and a metallic bag.In this fashion battle, picking the winner is easy: Anna.

Kristen's look was sweet, but a tad boring. Meanwhile, the Oscar-winning Anna took a chance by injecting some color into the equation -- and by flaunting her fabulous figure (which Kristen has, too) in a shorter style. For this, Anna wins plenty of props from me! What do you think?

Kristen Bell was born 18th July 1980, Bell was raised in a suburb of Detroit, MI. She fell in love with performing at a very early age, and landed onstage in a local production at age 11. By age 13, she had secured an agent and was appearing in print advertising for local retailers; eventually working her way up to local television commercials.

With her sights firmly set on an acting career, Bell went on to study musical theater at New York University's Tisch School for the Arts. In 2001, while still a student, she made her Broadway debut playing Becky Thatcher in a musical version of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." She also appeared off-Broadway in an adaptation of the legendary 1930s public service announcement film, "Reefer Madness: The Musical," in the lead role of Mary Lane.

Clever writing and direction and a terrific cast helped earn "Veronica Mars" popularity among critics and a substantial cult following, though not quite enough to make the show a breakout hit. For her part, Bell won numerous award nominations, including from the Teen Choice Awards and TV Critics Association.

Reprising her flair for romantic comedy, Bell took a starring role as a tourist whose offhanded visit to a famed fountain of love in Rome leads to her unexplained pursuit by half a dozen men when she returns to New York in "When in Rome" (2010).

Kristen Bell's breakout role as feisty, teen detective-in-training "Veronica Mars" (UPN, 2004- 07) might have been surprised to know that the young actress' roots were in musical theater. She had already appeared on Broadway twice when she was cast in the lead of the critically acclaimed TV series.

While Bell's fledgling film career included brief dips into horror and little-seen indie comedy, a leading role in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (2008) launched her romantic comedy career and bumped up her status to big league Hollywood films, where her self-possessed demeanor, quick wit and dark edge made her a film and TV star simultaneously.

She had secured an agent and was appearing in print advertising for local retailers; eventually working her way up to local television commercials. Theater continued to be a passion, and while attending the Shrine Catholic High School in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak.

Bell was also cast as the kidnapped daughter of the President in David Mamet's largely unseen thriller "Spartan" (2004), and had a recurring role as a conniving grifter who meets an unpleasant end in HBO's gritty, wild West drama, "Deadwood" (HBO, 2004-06). But 2004 was best remembered as Bell's breakout year - thanks to a quirky family drama (of sorts) called "Veronica Mars."