Born in California (October 2, 1986) to a Brazilian mother and American father, Camilla Belle (Camilla Belle Routh ) speaks several languages fluently, including Spanish and Portuguese. She made her professional debut in a print ad at the age of nine months. Commercials soon followed and by the time she was five, she'd landed her first TV movie role in Troubleshooters: Trapped Beneath the Earth, starring Kris Kristofferson. More telefilms followed, including playing Molly, the littlest orphan in Annie: A Royal Adventure (1995), before making her feature film debut as Jane in Alfonso Cuaron's adaptation of the classic novel, A Little Princess (1995).

Following a turn as Steven Seagal's daughter in The Patriot (1998), Camilla earned a 1999 Youth in Film Young Artist Award nomination for her portrayal of Sandra Bullock's character as a girl in Practical Magic (1998), as well as another nomination the same year for her guest appearance on the TV series Walker, Texas Ranger. She received her third and fourth YAA nominations respectively for the telefilm Replacing Dad (1999), and for her role in the Disney Channel's TV movie Rip Girls (2000).

In Showtime Network's Back to the Secret Garden (2001), the sequel to the classic family film, Camilla had the opportunity to work with Joan Plowright. After a break from working to concentrate on school, Camilla returned to film with a lead role as Daniel Day-Lewis' daughter in The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005). For her work in the film, she was nominated for a Breakthrough Award at the Gotham Awards.

In between film projects, Camilla is an aspiring classical pianist. She is also an international spokesperson for Kids With A Cause, created to provide a helping hand to children suffering from poverty, hunger, lack of education, neglect, or abuse.