Leigh Anne Tuohy (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Roberts; born August 9, 1960) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

businesswoman and interior designer. She is the adoptive mother of

Michael Oher Michael Jerome Oher (; né Williams Jr.; born May 28, 1986) is a former American football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football at t ...

. Their story was featured in the 2006 book '' The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game'' and its 2009 feature film adaptation '' The Blind Side''. In the film, Tuohy was portrayed by

Sandra Bullock Sandra Annette Bullock (; born July 26, 1964) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, Bullock was the world's highest-paid actress in 2010 and 2014. In 2010 ...

, who won an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

and a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

for her performance.

Early life

She was born in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...

, the daughter of Virginia (

Cummings 1939-2018) and Stanley Roberts, a U.S. air marshal. She has one brother, Stanford Roberts, and two nephews Bradford Roberts, and Wade Roberts. Growing up, she was close to her maternal grandmother, Virginia "Virgie" (Collins) Cummings, who lived with her family. She graduated from Briarcrest Christian School in

. In the early 1980s, she graduated from

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...

, where she became a member of the

Kappa Delta Kappa Delta (, also known as KD or Kaydee) was the first sorority founded at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University), in Farmville, Virginia. Kappa Delta is one of the "Farmville Four" sororities founded at the university, whic ...

sorority, was a cheerleader, and met her future husband, Sean Tuohy, a basketball player for the

Ole Miss Rebels The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford. The first was the football team, which began play in 1893. Originally known as ...

Career

Tuohy and her husband once owned 115 fast food franchises of

Taco Bell Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includi ...

and

Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, wit ...

, but owned 11, having sold the majority in six separate transactions. Tuohy is an interior designer. In 2010, she was named one of three new design team members for ABC's '' Extreme Makeover: Home Edition''. Tuohy and her husband are also the co-authors of the book ''In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving'', which was published in 2010.

Personal life

Tuohy married her husband Sean Tuohy in 1982. They have three children. Their adopted son

is a former

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

offensive lineman. Their daughter Collins Tuohy was a state champion pole vaulter and a cheerleader at the

. Their son Sean "SJ" Tuohy, Jr. played basketball for the

Loyola Greyhounds The Loyola Greyhounds are the athletic teams that represent Loyola University Maryland. The teams include men and women's basketball, cross country, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, swimming & diving, and tennis. Men's sports also include golf, while wo ...

. Tuohy and her husband live in Memphis, Tennessee. Tuohy gave the commencement address at

Christian Brothers University Christian Brothers University is a private Roman Catholic higher education institution in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded in 1871 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, a Catholic teaching order. History Christian Brothers University w ...

on May 14, 2010. She also received an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad h ...

from the university during its commencement ceremony for her commitment to the less fortunate and her ongoing quest to recruit others to make a difference.

References

External links

* * - archived old website {{DEFAULTSORT:Tuohy, Leigh Anne 1960 births Living people People from Memphis, Tennessee University of Mississippi alumni American interior designers Tuohy family