Leigh Zimmerman is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has appeared on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
in ''
The Will Rogers Follies
''The Will Rogers Follies'' is a musical with a book by Peter Stone, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Cy Coleman.
It focuses on the life and career of famed humorist and performer Will Rogers, using as a backdrop the Ziegfeld ...
'', ''
Crazy for You'' and ''
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' with
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane (born Joseph Lane; February 3, 1956) is an American actor. In a career spanning over 40 years he has been seen on stage and screen in roles both comedic and dramatic. Lane has received numerous awards including three Tony Awards, ...
and created the role of Go-To-Hell-Kitty in the 1996 Broadway production of ''
Chicago The Musical''. Leigh is also known for London's
West End productions of ''
The Seven Year Itch
''The Seven Year Itch'' is a 1955 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder, from a screenplay he co-wrote with George Axelrod from the 1952 three-act play. The film stars Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell, who reprised his stage role. ...
'', ''
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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'', role of Velma Kelly, ''
Contact
Contact may refer to:
Interaction Physical interaction
* Contact (geology), a common geological feature
* Contact lens or contact, a lens placed on the eye
* Contact sport, a sport in which players make contact with other players or objects
* ...
'', role of The Girl in the Yellow Dress, ''
The Producers'', role of Ulla and ''
A Chorus Line
''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante.
Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is centered on seventeen Broadway dancers ...
'', role of Sheila, for which she won an
Olivier Award
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...
in 2013.
Career
In 1992, she had a minor but memorable role in ''
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.''
In 2002, she was asked to work for the second time with director
Susan Stroman to create for the West End the role of The Girl in the Yellow Dress in ''
Contact
Contact may refer to:
Interaction Physical interaction
* Contact (geology), a common geological feature
* Contact lens or contact, a lens placed on the eye
* Contact sport, a sport in which players make contact with other players or objects
* ...
'', once again at the Queens Theatre. During that time, Leigh completed feature film work on ''
Proof'' with
Gwyneth Paltrow and
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...
, ''
Red Light Runners'' with
Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He first rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running association with ...
, ''
The Defender'' with
Dolph Lundgren
Hans Lundgren (, ; born 3 November 1957), better known as Dolph Lundgren, is a Swedish actor, filmmaker and martial artist. His breakthrough came in 1985, when he starred in '' Rocky IV'' as the imposing Soviet boxer Ivan Drago. Since then, Lu ...
, and ''
Submerged'' with
Steven Seagal
Steven Frederic Seagal (; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, screenwriter and martial artist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-l ...
.
In 2004, Leigh was asked to play the role of Miriam in the controversial play ''
Three on A Couch
''Three on a Couch'' is a 1966 American comedy film directed by Jerry Lewis and starring Jerry Lewis and Janet Leigh.
Plot
Christopher Pride wants to marry his girlfriend, Dr. Elizabeth Acord. However, she is too involved with her patients and s ...
'' by the Nobel Prize winning scientist
Carl Djerassi
Carl Djerassi (October 29, 1923 – January 30, 2015) was an Austrian-born Bulgarian-American pharmaceutical chemist, novelist, playwright and co-founder of Djerassi Resident Artists Program with Diane Wood Middlebrook. He is best known for his ...
, and worked closely with him to shape the play for the legendary London fringe theatre, The Kings Head.
Leigh then starred as Leslie Peters in the television docudrama ''
Small Pox: Silent Weapon'' for the FX Channel and as Tamsin Reed on BBC's ''
Doctors''.
Leigh was thrilled when she was asked to create the role of
Ulla
Ulla is a given name. It is short for Ursula in German-speaking countries and Ulrika/Ulrikke in Scandinavian countries. As of 31 December 2011, there were 61,043 females named Ulla in Sweden, with the name being most popular during the 1930s a ...
in London's West End Production of ''
The Producers'', and her portrayal earned her an Olivier Award Nomination for Best Leading Actress in 2004.
During her run as Ulla in London from 2004 to 2006, Leigh accepted leading roles in several more highly acclaimed film and television projects. She played the English double agent, Helen Harlow, alongside
Brian Cox, in ITV's ''The Outsiders''. She starred as the Scottish police sergeant, Sergeant Beasley, in the BBC hit comedy ''
Feel the Force
''Feel the Force'' is a British television police sitcom produced for BBC Scotland by Catherine Bailey Limited.
The series is written by Georgia Pritchett; the first episode was broadcast on BBC 2 on 8 May 2006. The series was directed by Tr ...
''. She also had a leading role as the American desperate housewife, Megan, in Ben Elton's comedy series ''
Blessed
Blessed may refer to:
* The state of having received a blessing
* Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified
Film and television
* ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...
'' for the BBC.
In 2006, Leigh appeared in several high-profile feature films. She portrayed Christine Snyder in ''
United 93'' directed by
Paul Greengrass
Paul Greengrass (born 13 August 1955) is a British film director, film producer, screenwriter and former journalist. He specialises in dramatisations of historic events and is known for his signature use of hand-held cameras.
His early film ' ...
for Universal and Working Title Films. She spoke fluent Spanish as the gothic siren, Irene, in the soon to be released Spanish Film, ''
La Luna en Botella'' (''
Moon in a Bottle'') for Ikiru Films in Madrid and Barcelona. Leigh also stars as the California love guru, Candy Connor, in the upcoming British independent film, ''
Are You Ready For Love
"Are You Ready for Love" is a song recorded by English musician Elton John in 1977 and first released in the UK in 1979 as the first single from the EP '' The Thom Bell Sessions''. It was written by Leroy Bell, Thom Bell and Casey James, a ...
'' for Carnaby Films.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zimmerman, Leigh
American film actresses
American musical theatre actresses
Living people
Actors from Madison, Wisconsin
Laurence Olivier Award winners
Musicians from Madison, Wisconsin
1969 births