Chyler Leigh is an American actress, perhaps best known for her portrayal of
Dr. Lexie GreyAlexandra Caroline Grey, more commonly known as Lexie Grey, is a fictional surgeon from the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy. The character is portrayed by Chyler Leigh, and was created by Shonda Rhimes. She was made an official series regular for season four...
on the television show
Grey's AnatomyGrey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series. It follows the lives of five surgical interns, later residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital in Seattle, Washington. The pilot episode, "A Hard Day's Night" premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC...
.
Early life
Leigh was born
Chyler Leigh Potts in
Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte is the largest city in the state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. Charlotte's population was estimated to be 687,456 in 2008, making it the 18th largest city in the United States. Residents of Charlotte are referred to as "Charlotteans"...
, the daughter of Yvonne Norton and Robert Potts. She was raised in
Virginia Beach, VirginiaVirginia Beach is an independent city located in the South Hampton Roads area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Although Fairfax County is the most populous jurisdiction, Virginia Beach is the most populous city in Virginia and the 42nd largest city in the...
, until the age of twelve when she moved with her mother and brother
Christopher Khayman LeeChristopher Khayman Lee is an American actor who was born on March 11, 1978 in Miami, Florida, USA and raised in Virginia Beach, VA. His younger sister is actress Chyler Leigh , who co-starred with him in "Safe Harbor"...
to
Miami, FloridaMiami is a major coastal city in southeastern Florida, in the United States. Miami is the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida. With an estimated population of 424,662 in 2007, Miami is the largest city within the Miami metropolitan area, which is the...
. During eighth grade she started
modelingthumb|200px|Alesya Nazarova modeling a dress by [[bebe stores|bebe]]A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed for the purpose of displaying and promoting fashion clothing or other products and for advertising or promotional purposes or who poses for works of art.Modeling...
. She soon moved on to acting by appearing in local television commercials and a syndicated teen news show called
Hall Pass. Leigh did not graduate from high school, instead taking the
California High School Proficiency ExamThe California High School Proficiency Exam is an early-exit exam for high school students who are in the second semester of their sophomore year in high school, or 16-18 years old, or those that have enrolled in the 10th grade for two semesters or more...
.
Career
Leigh started acting at an early age and debuted in the film world at age 15 in 1997's
Kickboxing Academy, in which she played the love interest of her real-life brother Christopher. The two shared several romantic scenes which have been heavily played on
YoutubeYouTube is a video sharing website on which users can upload and share videos. Three former PayPal employees created YouTube in February 2005. In November 2006, YouTube, LLC was bought by Google Inc. for $1.65 billion, and is now operated as a subsidiary of Google...
due to the shock value of siblings passionately kissing onscreen. She started hosting in local TV shows and modeling. In 2001, Leigh nabbed the lead role in the box-office success
Not Another Teen MovieNot Another Teen Movie is a 2001 comedy film released on December 14, 2001 by Columbia Pictures. It is a parody of the teen movies and other cinematic portrayals of adolescence which have accumulated in Hollywood over the last few decades...
as Janey Briggs. She also appeared in
Marilyn MansonMarilyn Manson is an American rock band founded by Brian Warner and Scott Putesky in the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The band advocates nonconformism and iconoclasm, often utilizing controversial imagery and lyrical content...
's music video "
Tainted Love"Tainted Love" is a song composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of The Four Preps, which was originally recorded by Gloria Jones. It attained worldwide fame after being covered by Soft Cell in 1981, reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart, and has since been covered by numerous other groups and artists...
", a song which appeared in the film. She was ranked #65 on the
MaximMaxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its revealing pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, none of whom are nude in the American version....
Hot 100 Women of 2002.
In 2002, Leigh was cast in two short-lived TV series:
Girls ClubGirls Club was a short-lived 2002 American television series created by David E. Kelley.-Plot:Three young, female lawyers share a deep friendship and a common desire to leave their mark on the legal system. After graduating, they move to San Francisco where they find employment in the same law firm...
, in which she played
lawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain stability, and deliver...
Sarah Mickle, and
That '80s ShowThat '80s Show was an American sitcom that aired in half-hour long episodes from January through May 2002. Despite having a similar name, show structure, and many of the same writers and production staff, it is not considered a direct spin-off of the more successful That '70s Show, as the...
, in which she played
punk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
er June Tuesday. She then became a series regular on the ABC legal drama
The PracticeThe Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful spin-off series Boston Legal, which began airing in the fall of 2004 and deals...
, but was let go at the end of the season due to budget cuts. Following that, she joined the cast of
ReunionReunion is an American television series that aired on FOX in late 2005. The series was intended to chronicle 20 years in the lives of a group of six high school friends from Bedford, New York, with each episode following one year in the lives of the six, beginning with their high school graduation...
in September, 2005.
In ABC's
Grey's AnatomyGrey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series. It follows the lives of five surgical interns, later residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital in Seattle, Washington. The pilot episode, "A Hard Day's Night" premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC...
, Leigh first appeared as a woman in Joe's bar who went noticed by
Derek ShepherdDerek Christopher Shepherd, more commonly known as Derek Shepherd, is a fictional surgeon on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy...
, while In the third season finale, it was revealed that she was
Lexie GreyAlexandra Caroline Grey, more commonly known as Lexie Grey, is a fictional surgeon from the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy. The character is portrayed by Chyler Leigh, and was created by Shonda Rhimes. She was made an official series regular for season four...
,
Meredith'sMeredith Grey is a fictional surgeon and the series protagonist on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy. The character is portrayed by actress Ellen Pompeo, and was created by Shonda Rhimes. Ellen Pompeo was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama at the 64th...
half-sister. She was made an official series regular for season four. Her character now has a relationship with
Eric DaneEric William Dane is an American actor, most recently known for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan in Grey's Anatomy.-Career:...
's 'McSteamy' that has now become a garnered storyline by the show's fans that nicknamed their team as 'McSexie'.
Personal life
On July 20, 2002, Leigh married fellow actor
Nathan WestNathan Luke West is an American actor.West was born in Anchorage, Alaska. He used to be a hockey goaltender for the Junior A Plymouth Whalers in the Ontario Hockey League as a teen. Nathan graduated from Service High School in Anchorage where he was elected prom king...
. The couple worked together in 2000 on the television series
7th Heaven7th Heaven is an American drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on Monday August 26, 1996, on the WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from 1996-2007...
, playing Mary Camden's (
Jessica BielJessica Claire Biel is an American actress and former model, who has appeared in several Hollywood films, including Summer Catch, the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Illusionist and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry...
) troubled friends Frankie and Johnnie. Leigh and West have three children - a son and two daughters: Noah Wilde (born December 2003), Taelyn Leigh (born September 2006), and Anniston Kae (born May 7, 2009).
Leigh has said that she and her husband have a pact in which the person who guesses the baby's gender correctly gets to choose the name. When pregnant with Noah, she guessed she was having a boy so she chose the first name and Nathan gave him his middle name. For Taelyn, Nathan correctly guessed it was a girl, so he named her. Their third child, also a girl, was guessed correctly by West; he chose the name Anniston Kae.
Filmography
- Kickboxing Academy (1997) - Cindy
- Not Another Teen Movie
Not Another Teen Movie is a 2001 comedy film released on December 14, 2001 by Columbia Pictures. It is a parody of the teen movies and other cinematic portrayals of adolescence which have accumulated in Hollywood over the last few decades...
(2001) - Janey Briggs
Television
- Hall Pass
A hall pass is a pass or token used in American and Canadian public schools to show that a student has been authorized to be out of his/her classroom while lessons are in progress. They are commonly issued to students if they need to visit the restroom, if they have been asked to run an errand for...
(1996) - Co-Host
- Kinetic City Super Crew (1997)
- Saving Graces (1999) - Grace Smith
- Safe Harbor
Safe Harbor is a 2009 television film based on a true story starring Treat Williams and Nancy Travis. The film first aired on Hallmark Channel on May 30, 2009.-Plot Summary:...
(1999) - Jamie Martin
- M.Y.O.B. (2000)
- 7th Heaven
7th Heaven is an American drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on Monday August 26, 1996, on the WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from 1996-2007...
(2000) - Frankie
- Wilder Days (2000) - Rip
- That '80s Show
That '80s Show was an American sitcom that aired in half-hour long episodes from January through May 2002. Despite having a similar name, show structure, and many of the same writers and production staff, it is not considered a direct spin-off of the more successful That '70s Show, as the...
(2002) - June Tuesday
- Girls Club
Girls Club was a short-lived 2002 American television series created by David E. Kelley.-Plot:Three young, female lawyers share a deep friendship and a common desire to leave their mark on the legal system. After graduating, they move to San Francisco where they find employment in the same law firm...
(2002) - Sarah Mickle
- The Practice
The Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful spin-off series Boston Legal, which began airing in the fall of 2004 and deals...
(2003) - Claire Wyatt
- North Shore
North Shore was an American prime-time soap opera that aired on Fox every Monday at 8 p.m. EST for seven months in 2004 and 2005...
(2004) - Kate Spangler
- Rocky Point (2005) - Cassie
- Reunion
Reunion is an American television series that aired on FOX in late 2005. The series was intended to chronicle 20 years in the lives of a group of six high school friends from Bedford, New York, with each episode following one year in the lives of the six, beginning with their high school graduation...
(2005) - Carla
- Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series. It follows the lives of five surgical interns, later residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital in Seattle, Washington. The pilot episode, "A Hard Day's Night" premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC...
(2007-present) - Lexie GreyAlexandra Caroline Grey, more commonly known as Lexie Grey, is a fictional surgeon from the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy. The character is portrayed by Chyler Leigh, and was created by Shonda Rhimes. She was made an official series regular for season four...
External links