What started as a humorous class pairing transformed into a romance 20 years in the making, when soap opera star Lauralee Bell Martin ‘87 married her former “assigned husband,” Scott Martin ‘87.
Ms. Bell Martin entered Latin in junior kindergarten, while Mr. Martin enrolled in the eighth grade. Mr. Martin instantly caught his classmate’s attention, as he was one of the few new kids.
Ms. Bell Martin said, “We were always excited for new class members to join. Scott was very easy on the eyes, too, so he became a very welcomed new student.”
Despite her interest in Mr. Martin, the two were not romantically involved while attending Latin. “Scott was dating other people,” Ms. Bell Martin said, “so I don’t think anyone ever saw this match-up coming.”
As a high schooler, Ms. Bell Martin made a name for herself as a budding star. In 1973, her parents, William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, launched the iconic daytime television show, “The Young and the Restless.” Ms. Bell Martin was cast in the show as Christine “Cricket” Blair in 1983, during her freshman year at Latin. Her role eventually grew into one of the show's most recognizable characters.
Her rising success did not go unnoticed at school. The Forum interviewed her in 1984, calling her an “up-and-coming soap opera star.” She was also featured on a Latin Trivia Board in 1985, where she, along with two of her classmates, was the answer to “What three Latin students have been seen as ‘regulars’ on T.V.?”
Mr. Martin made his mark at Latin in a different way. He was a four-year athlete dominating the soccer field, and was also well known for his comedic side. In 1985, he was recognized in The Forum because he “got into the Forum supply of paint and decided to spell a word on Latin’s litter-free Loggia.”
Although their relationship was purely platonic at the time, Mr. Martin and Ms. Bell Martin first crossed paths in their Values class, which was a required Affective Education course for ninth graders. Ironically, they were paired as “husband and wife” during a classroom exercise.
“At the end of the year, I wrote in Scott’s yearbook, ‘I hope you have a good summer job, because I’ll expect my engagement ring soon,’” Ms. Bell Martin said. They rediscovered the joke years later and ended up printing the line on their wedding invitations.
After Mr. Martin graduated from Latin, he attended the University of Arizona before moving back to Chicago. Ms. Bell Martin and her family relocated to Los Angeles in 1986 for her parents to debut their next soap opera, “The Bold and the Beautiful,” which expanded Ms. Bell Martin's role of “Cricket.”
Even with their journeys continuing in different cities, Ms. Bell Martin admitted that she wished that she and Mr. Martin would reunite. “Every once in a while, if I came to town to hang with Latin friends, I’d hope that Scott would join,” she said.
In 1995, Ms. Bell Martin took a daring step and invited Mr. Martin to fly to Los Angeles to accompany her at the Soap Opera Digest Awards.
“It was a gutsy move,” she said. “I’m glad he replied yes.”
After the awards, they started dating and began to navigate a long-distance relationship, maintaining constant contact between Chicago and Los Angeles.
“I remember when they first started dating, how excited they were when either Lauralee would go to Chicago or Scott would fly out to Los Angeles,” said Myra Ruttenberg ‘87, Ms. Bell Martin’s best friend. “They couldn’t wait to play their phone message machines to hear their voicemails and then X the days off on a calendar like a countdown because they couldn’t wait to see each other.”
Just six months later, Mr. Martin ended up moving to Los Angeles to reunite in-person. Two years after the move, he proposed on New Year's Eve. The couple married in Santa Barbara on Oct. 4, 1997, in an extravagant wedding that many of their closest friends from Latin attended.
“It was beautiful, like a fairy tale,” Ms. Ruttenberg said. “So much love around, because it was so many old and new friends. I was the maid of honor and loved standing up for them. It was very special.”
In January of 2001, Ms. Bell Martin and Mr. Martin welcomed their first son, Christian James, followed by their daughter, Samantha Lee, in October of 2002.
While Ms. Bell Martin raised her family, her career progressed as she continued to star in “The Young and Restless” and made appearances on shows including “CSI: Miami” and “Diagnosis: Murder.”
Mr. Martin, who became a photographer, collaborated with Ms. Bell Martin behind the scenes, serving as an executive producer on the comedy web series “Family Dinner” and “ml promise,” the latter of which won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2014.
Together, Ms. Bell Martin and Mr. Martin have built a life filled with shared milestones. The two continue to celebrate their marriage, and they renewed their vows in 2022, a nice reminder that the Latin School student experience can shape not only your academic future but your entire life journey.
