Here's How Much Lauralee Bell Is Really Worth
Chances are that if you're into daytime dramas, then you know the name Lauralee Bell. After all, she's been on one of the most popular soaps, "The Young and the Restless," for almost four decades. The Chicago native's parents, William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, created the long-running TV series in 1973, with Lauralee joining the cast about ten years later when she was just a teenager.
Since then, fans have watched Lauralee Bell grow up on TV over the years as her character, Christine "Cricket" Blair. When it comes to her longevity, Bell told Classic Chicago Magazine, "I believe people feel that their 'other families,' as they come to think of the characters, will be there for them that day." While Blair was Lauralee's most notable role, she's acted in other TV and web series, as well as some TV movies. Lauralee's kept busy off-camera too, by directing, writing, and producing. She explained to Global TV, "I'm in the space where I'm just as happy creating as I am acting. Whatever the day brings, I sort of switch hats."
Between Lauralee's family legacy and her own work in show business, it should come as no surprise that she has an impressive amount of money in the bank. Yet it may be even more than you guessed. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the mother-of-two is worth a whopping $200 million. So how did a soap opera actor make so much money? We're breaking down what Lauralee Bell is really worth.
Lauralee Bell came from a daytime TV dynasty
It goes without saying that Lauralee Bell's parents, the creators of popular daytime dramas "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beautiful," were incredibly successful. Her father, William Joseph Bell, also wrote for other soaps like "Days of Our Lives," and her mother, Lee Phillip Bell, hosted a local talk show in their native Illinois. Lauralee recalled to We Love Soaps, "In Chicago, we couldn't go anywhere without being stopped."
With Lauralee's parents being in charge of "The Young and the Restless," it's no secret that nepotism got her on the show, which was something she was embarrassed about. However, as she told Global TV, her worries about what people might think when they find out her last name eventually dissolved. "Now, I say it with such pride," she continued. "My name may have gotten me in, but I earned my spot here after that."
Lauralee learned a lot about show business from her parents, too. "When I was younger, I would pretend to be sick ... so I could sit with my dad and listen in on his conference calls with the 'Y&R' production office and the writers," she revealed. They still inspire her work to this day, with her telling Soap Central, "I want fans to see in something that I put out there the same [qualities my parents had], the character-driven qualities of shows that my father created ... and the quality and sincerity of my mother."
The TV star started working at a young age
Lauralee Bell began pursuing her career in her early teens. However, her career kind of caught her by surprise. She once told We Love Soaps, "I see young girls now who ... want to be an actress. I don't remember saying that so much." That eventually changed though. Bell continued, "Once I did 'The Young and The Restless,' the bug was there." At age 13, she made her TV debut on her parents' show — much to the chagrin of her mom and dad. "I begged and begged, so they allowed me to be on for two days," she revealed to Jae-Ha Kim.
As Bell said in The Chicago Tribune, the two-day gig eventually snowballed into a regular role. When she wasn't working on the daytime drama's set, she was working on her schoolwork. "[M]y dad insisted that I study as much as possible," she dished.
From the outset, Bell got a great response from viewers. "Some fans wrote in and said it was so nice to see a young person actually playing a young character on the show," she told The Chicago Tribune. "So it just grew." Bell moved to Los Angeles for her senior year of high school to be on the show, and while she had plans to go to college, she ended up choosing her acting career over university. That choice quite literally paid off.
Acting is Lauralee Bell's main line of work
It's safe to assume Lauralee Bell has made a good portion of her money from acting, which has been her main career since she got the role of Christina "Cricket" Blair on "The Young and The Restless" in 1984. That role was a steady job for Bell for over three decades. Having that kind of longevity in one role is pretty uncommon for most actors, and Bell even played that same character on another show, "The Bold and the Beautiful." Needless to say, that character has defined her career. Bell once told Soaps.She Knows, "People don't get that I am not Christine."
Outside of soaps, Bell has acted in other TV shows, like "CSI: Miami," and "Castle." She's also appeared in several Lifetime movies like "Ruby," and "Pearl in the Mist," which apparently served as a nice change from daytime TV. Bell dished to TV Meg, "If I'm at 'Y&R,' I pretty much know what the program is ... So, to kind of get this offer and escape and just kind of dive into that world for two movies, it was a great experience."
Dramas have been good to Bell, but she's always open to other genres. She once told We Love Soaps, "When people asked me my dream job, I would always say a sitcom." Bell seemingly doesn't mind still playing Cricket though, as long as she can do other things too.
The soap actor makes money behind the scenes
Lauralee Bell doesn't just make an income from acting, she also earns money behind the scenes as a director, writer, and producer. For web series "Family Dinner," "Just off Rodeo," and "mI Promise," she got a chance to work on the other side of the camera. Regarding 2009's "Family Dinner," Bell told Michael Fairman TV, "I have to be the actress first. But, I liked being in charge of this because everyone was so talented, that directing this was a piece of cake." She also used what she learned from her TV creator parents, saying, "What my parents taught me is that a character-driven show will attract people ... you don't need all the hoopla."
Bell's time on "The Young and The Restless" also inspired her to write "mI Promise," a web series about teens texting and driving. She said to Suzee Behind the Scenes, "Every time we had a storyline with the message 'It's okay to say no', we got praise, and the ratings went up.'" With that in mind, "ml Promise" seemingly poured out of her, with Bell revealing, "I sat down one night and wrote the whole thing."
Bell also served as an executive producer on one of her Lifetime movies, "Nightmare Tenant," where she got to have more control over her work. She dished to TV Insider, "You feel a responsibility. If I feel that something's off even a little bit, I'll beg to do it again. There hasn't been one fake moment in this."
The entrepreneurial side of Lauralee Bell
Many fans probably don't know that Lauralee Bell is a businesswoman, having run two of her own companies. One of those involved her work in Hollywood since she started a production company, Martin-Bell Productions, with her husband, Scott Martin. When it came to partnering with her spouse, Bell told Michael Fairman TV in 2009, "He is so visual and an amazing photographer. ... I needed someone's eyes to watch all the monitors." She reiterated how they were a good team when doing her web series, "Family Dinner" in particular, telling We Love Soaps, "I would write it and hand it off to him. ... We really talked it through and it was fun."
According to Apparel News, Bell also owned a high-end clothing boutique in Los Angeles called On Sunset. Running this shop gave her a chance to realize a longtime goal: She told The Chicago Tribune in 1990, ”I would eventually like to open my own clothing store."
Bell hinted at problems with the business the aforementioned Michael Fairman TV interview." I put too many things on my plate... but now I realized you have to prioritize," she said. "The store is managing through this difficult economic time, and it's definitely another agenda in my life." Unfortunately, the boutique did close later that year, but Bell found the silver lining. Per Apparel News, she said at the time, "There is no sadness here. I've worked with such incredible women."
Lauralee Bell's family owned impressive real estate
Lauralee Bell is pretty private when it comes to how she spends her millions but what is known is that her parents, William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, dropped a ton of money on real estate, which may have had some impact on Lauralee's finances. According to Celebrity Net Worth, most of the Bells' homes were in Los Angeles, including a prestigious gated community in Malibu. One of those Malibu homes was eventually scooped up for a cool $13.5 million by billionaire Sheldon Adelson.
Yet it was the Beverly Hills home where Lauralee's parents had lived before their deaths that made headlines. That's because, per Dirt, it was purchased in 2020 for a whopping $39 million by basketball star LeBron James. It appears it was worth the price too, considering the 9,000-square-foot mansion sits on 2.5 acres, and features a pool, two guest houses, and a tennis court.
The home also meant a lot to Lauralee. After the house sold, she shared on Instagram that she and her two brothers said goodbye to it with a champagne toast. She wrote, "Our parents created such a loving home ... This house was also where lots of story ideas were created, 'Y&R' and 'B&B' holiday parties took place." That same year, another one of the Bell family's Malibu homes was also put on the market for $21.5 million, per Dirt. Since Lauralee's parents are deceased, it can be assumed she and her brothers probably made a profit from both their 2020 home sales.
Lauralee Bell gives back
Between Lauralee Bell's family's fortune and the success she was able to find as a TV star, it's obvious that the Daytime Emmy winner has been pretty lucky in life. Yet Bell makes a point to give back to those less fortunate than her, not only by just donating money but even by donating her time to different charities. One of those is The Salvation Army. Bell and her "The Young and The Restless" co-stars had volunteered with them in 2021, collecting toys alongside the NAACP for kids in need. Bell posted about the experience on Instagram, writing, "Incredible day yesterday shopping for toys in hopes to brighten some Christmas's ... Loved meeting inspirational people who make such a difference in the community."
Bell also once took part in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach/Celebrity Pro Race, where, per Almost Human 99, she earned $5,000 for children's hospitals. Despite the dangers, Bell didn't seem worried about racing, dishing, "We all wear fire suits, helmets and five seat belts." Yet she added, "I think if I were going in with a daredevil attitude, then there'd be reason for some fear or concern. My goal is to finish."
Lauralee Bell on success
While Lauralee Bell has clearly found success as a TV actor, she's emphasized the importance of a work/life balance, especially when it comes to family. She explained to Suzee Behind The Scenes, "I learned how to have a nice career and still keep the family together." She continued, "When I was growing up, it was all about the family unit ... I realize the importance of passing on this value."
Bell knows when to work hard though, particularly when it involves achieving her goals of creating shows. She admitted to Global TV, "It's so hard! People think it's easier now, because there's so many places to pitch to, but there's also so much being pitched to all these places." But, of course, Bell's parents were incredible resources, two TV titans who she could learn from. As she told Classic Chicago Magazine, her dad would say, "no idea is a bad idea." She continued, "It may not be what you end up using in a script, but it could get you thinking."
Bell in turn has inspired others, especially her "The Young and The Restless" co-star Tricia Cast, who started a scarf business because of Bell. Cast revealed to Soap Hub, "She was the one who actually said to me I should sell these on an Etsy store ... It was really Lauralee who got me started on this. She's a lovely friend." Between her family, friends, and successful career, you could say Bell has it all — or at the very least, $200 million.