LeeAnne Locken is an American actress, philanthropist, television personality, model, and author. She first rose to prominence after winning the Miss Arizona USA 1989 pageant, and regularly appeared in the reality television series '' Big Rich Texas'' and '' The Real Housewives of Dallas''. Locken began her career as an actress, appearing in films such as '' Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter'' (1986) and '' My Best Friend Is a Vampire'' (1987). She subsequently competed in the

Miss Texas USA The Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant, and the name of the title held by that winner. This pageant is part of the Miss USA Organization, owned by Texas native C ...

1988 pageant, coming second; and went on to win the

Miss Arizona USA Miss Arizona USA is the beauty pageant that selects the representative for the state of Arizona in the Miss USA pageant, and the name of the title held by its winner. The pageant is directed by Casting Crown Productions. Arizona's most successf ...

contest the following year, placing in the top ten at the Miss USA 1989 pageant. She continued to work as an actor, appearing in films and television shows including '' Sons of Thunder'' (1999), '' Miss Congeniality'' (2000), ''

Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both this series and that film starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texa ...

'' (2001) and '' Beyond the Farthest Star'' (2015). In 2009, Locken made her reality television debut, starring in ''

She's Got the Look ''She's Got the Look'' is a reality series created for and aired on TV Land. Hosted by model Kim Alexis, twenty women compete to become the next great supermodel 35 years or older. Celebrity judges, Robert Verdi, Sean Patterson and Roshumba Wil ...

'', in which she came third in the show's second season. She was introduced as a board member and representative for the charity ''The Fashionistas'', in

Esquire Network Esquire Network was an American pay television network that was a 50/50 joint venture between NBCUniversal and the Hearst Corporation. The network carried programs aimed at a metrosexual audience centering on travel, cooking, sports and fashion ...

's series '' Big Rich Texas'' in 2012. She left the show after two seasons in 2013. From 2016 until 2020, she was a main cast member in

Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels *Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 *Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing company ...

's '' The Real Housewives of Dallas'' since the

series premiere A series premiere is the first aired installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. In the United States, many series premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or ...

, leaving the show after its fourth season. Locken has published two books and shown her continuous involvement in her philanthropic activities for several charities.

Early life and education

Locken was raised by her grandparents from the age of three years old. She was introduced to the carnival world at a young age and began her first job as a carnival worker when she was just a child. She graduated from

J. Frank Dobie High School J. Frank Dobie High School is a public secondary school located in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1968, it is named after the Texas writer of the same name. It houses grades 10-12. A Ninth Grade Center was opened recently to help with the influx of ...

in 1985 and attended

The University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the university in Texas with over 47,000 students. Its campus, which is primarily in s ...

Career

Film and television

Acting

Locken has had roles in television programs including: '' Sons of Thunder'', ''

'', ''Inspector Mom'', ''

Chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England * Chase Co ...

'', '' GCB'' and ''Ex-Housewife''. She has also appeared on the covers of ''Gladys'', ''

People A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...

'', ''Restyled'' and ''OTS Magazine''. Additionally, Locken has appeared in several films: '' Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter'' (1986), '' My Best Friend Is a Vampire'' (1987), ''

The Only Thrill ''The Only Thrill'' is a 1997 film directed by Peter Masterson. It stars Diane Keaton and Sam Shepard. Plot In Lockhart, Texas, circa 1966, Reece McHenry, whose wife is in a coma, owns a clothing store. He hires widow Carol Fritzsimmons as a seams ...

'' (1997), '' Broken Vessels'' (1999), '' Miss Congeniality'' (2000), ''

Rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

'' (2006), ''Chariot'' (2013), ''Pros and Cons: A Fantasy Football Movie'' (2013), '' Beyond the Farthest Star'' (2015) and ''

Carter High ''Carter High'' is a 2015 American sports film directed and written by Arthur Muhammad. The film is centered on the 1988 Cowboys of David W. Carter High School in Dallas, a team that fought through racial prejudice and a grades controversy to c ...

'' (2015).

Reality television

In 2009, Locken joined the season two cast of

TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cla ...

's ''

''. She made a guest appearance in ''

Most Eligible Dallas ''Most Eligible Dallas'' is American reality television series on Bravo (U.S. TV channel), Bravo that premiered on August 15, 2011. The series follows a clique of friends in Dallas, Texas as they navigate through the local social scene. Cast * C ...

'' for its first season in 2011. In 2012, Locken was added to the cast of '' Big Rich Texas'' for its second season in a recurring capacity as a representative for the charity ''The Fashionistas'', along with the charity's founder, Heidi Dillon. Both left after the show's third season in 2013. It was announced on November 15, 2015, that Bravo was expanding ''

The Real Housewives ''The Real Housewives'' is an international reality television media franchise, franchise that consists of 57 programs; 11 The Real Housewives#Installments originated in the United States, American installments, 20 The Real Housewives#Installments ...

'' franchise to

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, Texas; with Locken joining the cast of '' The Real Housewives of Dallas'', alongside Cary Deuber, Tiffany Hendra, Stephanie Hollman and Brandi Redmond. The first season premiered on April 11, 2016. After four years on the show, Locken announced her departure from the series on February 25, 2020, ahead of the show's fifth season. The show was later put on an indefinite hiatus after five seasons. She has also made numerous appearances on '' Watch What Happens Live! with

Andy Cohen Andrew Joseph Cohen (born June 2, 1968) is an American radio and television talk show host, producer, and writer. Cohen is the host and executive producer of Bravo's late night talk show, '' Watch What Happens Live!'' He also has a pop culture ...

'' throughout her time as a housewife.

Modeling and pageants

Locken began modeling at the age of 19 and subsequently entered the

beauty pageant in 1988, placing third. At age 22, Locken won Miss Arizona USA 1989 and went on to compete in the Miss USA 1989 pageant, placing in the top 10. Locken continued her modeling career into the 1990s and early 2000s, and shot campaigns alongside fellow model Hendra.

Philanthropy

Locken has been a pivotal part of ''The Fashionistas'', ''DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS'', ''

Fashion Group International The Fashion Group International (FGI) is a global, non-profit, professional organization founded in 1930 in New York City to benefit the fashion industry. FGI currently has over 5000 members in the fashion industry including apparel, accessories, b ...

'', ''AIDS Services of Dallas'', ''Dallas Challenge'' and ''Housing Crisis Center'' charities; hosting galas, raising money and increasing awareness for each of the charity's causes. As of current, she serves as the vice president of ''The Fashionistas'' and is a board member of ''Housing Crisis Center''. She has previously been the honorary chair for ''AIDS Services of Dallas' "No Tie Dinner"'' gala and co-chair of ''Dallas Challenge's "Art From the Heart"'' event. She has also made numerous speeches at women's empowerment exhibitions, sharing her own experiences of domestic violence.

Authoring

On November 5, 2012, Locken published a book titled ''What's Your Status?: Finding Your Way to a More Positive Life One Day at a Time!'', which is described as "a collection of daily posts designed to motivate, inspire and encourage others to be their best and live a more positive life one post at a time". On August 1, 2018, Locken released ''Color Me Crazy: Adult Coloring Book'', with the front cover resembling her confessional interview moment from the second season of '' The Real Housewives of Dallas'' where she and her dog wore matching hotdog costumes. The book was featured on the show's third season.

Personal life

Locken began working in the carnival scene at three years old and left once she was able to buy rides at the carnival at the age of sixteen. As a self-described "carny kid", she was exposed to environments involving domestic abuse and drugs at a young age. She has been very vocal regarding her struggle with mental health problems including depression and low self-esteem. She has also discussed her suicidal past, revealing she now advocates for people who have dealt with similar situations as herself. In April 2019, Locken married law enforcement veteran Rich Emberlin, which was featured on ''The Real Housewives of Dallas'' for its fourth season.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Locken, LeeAnne 1967 births Living people Mass media people from Dallas 20th-century American people American actresses Actresses from Dallas Actresses from Houston American film actresses American television actresses American television personalities American women writers Female models from Texas American philanthropists Participants in American reality television series The Real Housewives of Dallas The Real Housewives (franchise) cast members