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Tea Leoni (born February 25, 1966) is an American actress. With an adept comedic style and blonde beauty that was repeatedly likened to 1930s screwball comedy queen, Carole Lombard, Téa Leoni brought an intelligence and grace to the big and small screen in a way few modern actresses have. Candid, brazen and witty on and off screen, Leoni’s personality resonated throughout her work in both dramatic and comedic roles. Whether playing a divorced tabloid photographer on “The Naked Truth” (NBC, 1996-1998), a wry key-witness with legs to die for in “Bad Boys” (1995), or a neurotic, overbearing mother in “Spanglish” (2004), it was Leoni’s knack for delivering deadpan one-liners that made her one of Hollywood’s most unique and intelligent leading ladies. The fact that she became, along with husband and X-Files” hunk David Duchovny, one of Hollywood’s most lovable and seemingly happy couples –did nothing but add to her luster. Leoni was born Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni in New York City, the daughter of Emily (née Patterson), a dietician and nutritionist, and Anthony Pantaleoni, a corporate lawyer. Leoni’s mother is a native of Texas and her father is of Italian and Polish descent. Leoni’s paternal grandmother, Helen "Helenka" Tradusa Adamowska (1901 - 1987), was a film and stage actress who was a member of a family of prominent musicians known as the Adamowski Trio; through her, Leoni is related to Polish musician and prime minister Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Leoni's paternal great-grandfather was the brother of Italian economist and politician Maffeo Pantaleoni. Leoni attended Brearley School and The Putney School. She attended but did not complete studies at Sarah Lawrence College. Leoni auditioned – supposedly on a dare – for Aaron Spelling’s “Angels 88” (1988) an update on the popular 1970s series “Charlie’s Angels” (ABC, 1976-1981). Though Leoni landed the gig, the show never aired after a writer’s strike put the series on hold. Leoni decided to continue her pursuit of acting, however, quickly landing a role on the soap, “Santa Barbara” (NBC, 1984-1993). She went on to make her film debut two years later as the “dream girl” in Blake Edwards’ gender-bending “Switch” (1991). The following year, Leoni scored the role of a female first baseman in the WWII baseball comedy/drama, “A League of Their Own” (1992) – in which Leoni accidentally hit Madonna with a baseball. In Lawrence Kasdan's overlong oater "Wyatt Earp" (1994), she shone as a tough frontier prostitute. She followed this up with her television debut on the Fox sitcom, “Flying Blind” (1992-93), in which she garnered rave reviews for her non-stereotypical portrayal of a flamboyant blonde bombshell. It was while doing press for her first major TV series as lead, that she was criticized for an infamous interview in which she said there wasn't enough sex on TV; at least not enough "all-American, healthy, fun sex." She went on to star in a number of TV series and movies, starting as “Lisa DiNapoli” on Santa Barbara in 1989. She starred in the 1995 box-office hit, Bad Boys, along with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. She had an important role in the commercially successful movie Deep Impact, in which her character breaks the story of a comet that is going to hit Earth. She also starred in Woody Allen’s movie Hollywood Ending, with Allen and Mark Rydell. In 2004, she starred in Spanglish with Adam Sandler, Cloris Leachman, and Paz Vega. In 1992, Leoni landed the starring role in Fox’s Flying Blind, a short-lived sitcom. In 1995, Leoni landed the lead role in the television sitcom The Naked Truth, playing Nora Wilde, a tabloid news journalist. The show was a minor hit and was cancelled in 1998. Landing her first starring role on the big screen in 1995, Leoni appeared opposite Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the Michael Bay action flick “Bad Boys.” Portraying Julie Mott, key witness to a drug-related murder, Leoni brought attitude to what could have been a typical girl-in-distress role. Though the role gave her some much-needed career exposure, the shoot proved to be a difficult one for Leoni – an experience that almost made her quit the industry. Taking on a very different role in David O. Russell’s comedy “Flirting with Disaster” (1996) a film which Leoni credited with renewing her faith in Hollywood – she appeared as part of an ensemble cast led by Ben Stiller. Returning to television the same year, Leoni was cast in a starring role as tabloid photographer Nora Wilde on the NBC sitcom “The Naked Truth” (1996-1998). Taking up with the show’s producer and creator, Chris Thompson, Leoni’s personal life became tabloid fodder worthy of her character’s work – in that Thompson was rumored to have left his wife for Leoni. Originally an ABC series, the show was soon bought by NBC, revamped and given a second shot – due mainly to the faith network brass had in Leoni’s comic timing. Though “Truth” aired in the coveted post-“Seinfeld” Must See TV slot on the network, the show never caught on with viewers and went off the air in 1998. Leoni’s relationship with Thompson was equally as short-lived – the pair split before the end of the series. Another film role followed in 2000, playing the lead alongside Nicolas Cage in The Family Man. In 2001, she starred with Sam Neill and William H. Macy in the blockbuster, Jurassic Park III, the third instalment of the Jurassic Park franchise. The film was a major box office hit and is one of her most notable roles. Leoni ranked #79 on the FHM 100 Sexiest Women of 2000. Taking time off from work to start a family with Duchovny, Leoni gave birth to her first child, Madeleine West Duchovny, on April 24, 1999. Leoni returned to work the following year to star opposite Nicholas Cage in the holiday fantasy “The Family Man” (2000) which was bit too sappy and sentimental, even for holiday audiences. She went on to face off against dinosaurs in the sequel “Jurassic Park III” (2001) alongside William H. Macy and Sam Neill. Shifting gears, Leoni next starred as Woody Allen’s movie producer wife in “Hollywood Ending” (2002) and appeared opposite Al Pacino as a celebrity with troublesome addictions in the well-regarded but little-seen “People I Know” (2002). Balancing motherhood with her acting career, Leoni gave birth to her second child, Kyd Miller Duchovny on June 15, 2002. Returning to the screen in 2004, Leoni starred opposite Adam Sandler in James L. Brooks’ critically acclaimed comedy “Spanglish.” As Deborah Clasky, a high-strung, fitness-obsessed, controlling mother, Leoni managed to bring an endearing quality to the emotionally frayed character and provided audiences with the most raucous orgasm sequence on film since Meg Ryan’s memorable scene in “When Harry Met Sally” (1989). Leoni next portrayed a mother grieving over the loss of her husband in “The House of D” (2004), the directorial debut of her real-life husband, Duchovny. Leoni went on to star opposite Jim Carrey in the high-profile comedy, “Fun With Dick and Jane” (2005), a remake of the 1976 film starring Jane Fonda and George Segal. In the updated version, Carrey and Leoni played Dick and Jane Harper, a married couple so desperate to retain their deluxe suburban lifestyle they resort to armed robbery. Though Leoni and Carrey shared chemistry on-screen, the film was ultimately panned by critics. Faring better in her next film, Leoni portrayed a less-than-grieving television ad exec who has lost her father, in the black comedy “You Kill Me” (2007). Leoni states in the October 27, 2006, issue of Life magazine that she became a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF partially because her paternal grandmother was the president of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF for 25 years. Leoni married her first husband, Neil Joseph Tardio, Jr., a television producer, on June 8, 1991, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Hope, New Jersey. The couple divorced in 1995. She married her second husband, actor David Duchovny, on May 6, 1997, after a nine-week courtship. Their first child, daughter Madelaine West Duchovny, was born on April 24, 1999, in Southern California, and their second, son Kyd Miller Duchovny, was born on June 15, 2002, in Los Angeles, California. During a June 14, 2007, interview on The Tonight Show, she commented on her 10 year anniversary and how 10 years in Hollywood is like “50 years in the real world”. She also revealed that she and Duchovny got tattoos on their ring fingers to celebrate their tenth anniversary. She is a vegetarian. The family lives in Malibu, California. Leoni starred as herself representing Dana Scully alongside Garry Shandling as Fox Mulder in the X-Files season 7 spoof episode "Hollywood A.D.". Duchovny was also writer and director. An asteroid, 8299 Téaleoni, has been named after Leoni. |
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