Biography: Courtney Bell is an American actress, born on June 4, 1978, in Maryland, USA. She graduated from Towson University in 2001 with dual degrees in Acting and English Secondary Education. Bell is best known for her work in the horror films of director Mike Flanagan. She starred as the lead, Tricia Riley, in Flanagan's 2011 debut feature Absentia, a role which earned her a Best Actress award from the Tabloid Witch Awards. She also appeared in his subsequent films Oculus (2013) and Before I Wake (2016).