A Field Guide To Kristen Bell

"House of Lies" returns to Showtime in just a few months – and with it, our fervent hope that we'll get to seen Kristen Bell naked. Over the years, Kristen's been in numerous sex scenes, one "nude" photo shoot, and had the occasional nip slip; but never once have we seen her totally topless. And so, once again, we're hoping that this (or, well, 2015) will be the year when Kristen makes the big reveal.

But friends, we're getting ahead of ourselves. Because what we actually came here to do (aside from tell you about how hot we think Kristen is) is learn a little bit more about this stunning lady and her fascinating backstory. So let's move on to that!

Kristen Bell was born July 18, 1980 in the Detroit suburb of Huntington Woods. She kicked off her acting career at the age of twelve, winning her first role (as both a banana and a tree) in a suburban Detroit theater production of Raggedy Ann and Andy. Not long after, she secured herself an agent, who booked her newspaper advertisements and a few television commercials; meanwhile, she attended Shrine Catholic High School, where she honed her stage skills in productions like "The Wizard of Oz," "Lady Be Good," "Fiddler on the Roof," and "Li'l Abner."

Upon graduating from high school, Bell headed east to enroll at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she majored in musical arts. Bell did not graduate from NYU, however – during her senior year, she dropped out of school a few credits shy of graduating to take the role of Becky Thatcher in a Broadway production of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." Though that show didn't last long, it soon led to other roles: a bit part in Pootie Tang (which, regrettably, was almost entirely cut from the film), a role in a production of "The Crucible" – and then, in 2002, Bell moved out to fans and began to test the waters of TV stardom.

Bell's TV career took a bit of time to find traction – but then, in 2004, she got cast in a little show you may have heard of called "Veronica Mars," playing the title role of the show's teen detective (who, yes, is named Veronica Mars).  During the show's three seasons, Bell built up a fan base; when the show was cancelled in 2007, she was well positioned to take her career to the next level (and, as those who pay attention to Kickstarters are well aware, well positioned to rally her fan base to fund a "Veronica Mars" movie).

In the seven years since "Veronica Mars," Bell has appeared in many onscreen roles, both big and small (by which we mean both the screens and the roles). Though it's hard to pick a favorite, we've enjoyed her performances in raunchy comedies like the Judd Apatow-produced "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (in which she played Sarah Marshall – a role she reprised in "Get Him to the Greek") and the Disney flick "Frozen" (which featured her voice as the lead character Princess Anna); as well as TV shows like "Party Down," "Parks and Recreation," and, of course, "House of Lies." And she's also racked up recognition in a few other celebrity arenas. Maxim's given her a place on its Hot 100 on three separate occasions (and credited her with having  "single-handedly saved the CW from becoming the worst network ever"); PETA, Ask Men, and Wizard Magazine have also recognized her with special sexy honors. (And, for those who find good skin to be the ultimate turn on, in 2011 she earned the honor of being the new face of Neutrogena.)

As alluring as Bell has been off-camera, we find her just as exciting behind the scenes. She's unabashedly nerdy (as she told Complex, "What I like about nerdiness, geekiness, is it doesn’t really matter what you’re into—it just means you’re not a follower.") and has helped to turn geekiness into something cool (and, we might add, something hot). She's also dedicated herself to quite a few charitable causes, including animal rescue, healthy living, and the plight of Ugandan children (and, we might add, was incredibly active in the Barack Obama campaign, to boot, promoting voter registration on college campuses with fellow celebrihottie Rashida Jones).

We understand if all this makes you want to get down on one knee and propose marriage to Ms. Bell, we totally understand – but unfortunately, we have to tell you that she's taken. Bell's been partnered with fellow actor Dax Shepard since 2007, and engaged since 2010 (though the two waited until 2013 to tie the knot, as they didn't want to get married until same sex unions were legal in their home state of California). They also have one young daughter, and are expecting another (because apparently Kristen Bell really can do it all -- and boy, dow we ever love her for that).