| Laura Leighton |
| Born |
Laura Miller
July 24, 1968 (1968-07-24) (age 40)
Iowa City, Iowa |
| Occupation |
Actress |
| Years active |
1993 - present |
| Spouse(s) |
Doug Savant (1998 - present) |
Laura Leighton (born July 24, 1968) is an American actress. She is best-known for the role of Sydney Andrews, introduced in the '90s television series Melrose Place, and reprised in the 2009 series of the same name.
Early life and career
Born Laura Miller in Iowa City, Iowa, Leighton is a 1986 graduate of West High School in Iowa City. In 1988, she assumed her grandfather's surname. In the early 1990s, she took her first acting role as Sydney Andrews in the prime time series Melrose Place (1992-97). The role was originally intended for only two episodes yet the following year she was invited back for a full time role.1
During breaks on filming of Melrose Place, Leighton starred in television films, including In the Name of Love: A Texas Tragedy as Laurette Wilder, a woman from the wrong side of the tracks who falls for a rich boy, much to the disgust of his grandparents.
Leighton left Melrose Place in 1997 at the end of her contract, and later appeared on Beverly Hills, 90210. Aaron Spelling created the role of wannabe actress Sophie Burns for her, and she received a six-figure salary per episode.1
In the 2000s, she has guest-starred in shows such as Cupid and The Outer Limits, and lent her voice to the animated series Duckman. She has also starred in indie films, such as Seven Girlfriends, The Sky Is Falling, and Angels, Baby! before taking a long break to have children. In 2003, Laura returned to the small screen in the much-hyped, but little-watched SKIN, which lasted three episodes, and in the short-lived 2005 ABC series Eyes. In 2006–2007, Laura has made numerous prime-time guest appearances, on shows such as the ABC drama/comedy Boston Legal, Law & Order: SVU, CSI: Miami, and Shark. In 2004 she starred in Deadly Encounter as Joanne Sanders, a single mother who is the victim of a stalker. Leighton was seen in the made-for-TV movie Love Notes on Lifetime the western/horror/thriller The Burrowers directed by J.T Petty and the movie Daniel's Daughter for Hallmark Channel and appeared in the 2009 Hallmark production Prosperos Last Stand opposite Angie Dickinson.
On April 5, 2009, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Leighton would appear in the 2009 series Melrose Place, reprising her role as the presumed-dead Sydney, who will serve as landlord at Melrose Place.2
Accolades
Following her performance in the second season of Melrose Place, Leighton was featured on the cover of Entertainment Weekly's 1994 Fall TV Preview issue.3 In 1995, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her work on the series.4 Also in '95, Leighton was named one of the most beautiful people in the world by People magazine.5 The role of Sydney Andrews, which she signed on to reprise in the 2009 Melrose Place spin-off, has been recognized by The Hollywood Reporter as "one of the most popular characters" from the original series.2
Personal life
In 1998, she married her Melrose Place co-star Doug Savant. They have two children together: Jack (born October 2000) and Lucy (born June 2005). She also raises Savant's two children from a previous marriage.6
Filmography
Award nomination
References
- ^ a b "Laura Leighton Biography". Yahoo!. http://tv.yahoo.com/laura-leighton/contributor/630565/bio. Retrieved on June 22, 2009.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (April 5th, 2009). "Laura Leighton moving back to 'Melrose Place'". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3if8bcecb2de71aac3265c172ec5d3419b.
- ^ "Fall TV Preview". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20002230_2,00.html. Retrieved on April 9, 2009.
- ^ "Laura Leighton". goldenglobes.org. http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/member/29499. Retrieved on June 13, 2009.
- ^ "Most Beautiful, Laura Leighton". People. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20105703,00.html. Retrieved on April 9, 2009.
- ^ "Fame & Fortune: Laura Leighton". bankrate.com. http://www.bankrate.com/nydn/news/investing/20080118_fame_fortune_Laura_Leighton_a1.asp?prodtype=invest. Retrieved on April 9, 2009.
External links
| Persondata |
| NAME |
Leighton, Laura |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES |
Miller, Laura |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION |
|
| DATE OF BIRTH |
July 24, 1968 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH |
Iowa City, Iowa, U.S. |
| DATE OF DEATH |
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| PLACE OF DEATH |
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