Maria Elana Bello (born April 18, 1967) is an American actress.

Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania to an Italian American father and a Polish American mother, Bello grew up in a working-class Roman Catholic family. She attended Villanova University, majoring in political science. She had every intention of becoming a lawyer, but took an acting class during her senior year, just for fun. Demonstrating a natural aptitude for acting, she was soon cast in small off-Broadway plays, such as "The Killer Inside Me", "Small Town Gals With Big Problems" and "Urban Planning". She later guest-starred on episodes of "The Commish" (1991), "Nowhere Man" (1995), "Misery Loves Company" (1995) and "Due South" (1994).