Leah Remini

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Leah Remini

Born Leah Marie Remini
June 15, 1970 (1970-06-15) (age 37)
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Years active 1984–present
Spouse(s) Angelo Pagan (2003–present)
Official website

Leah Remini (born June 15, 1970) is an American actress best known for her role as Carrie Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens.

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[edit] Biography

Leah Remini was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York, to George Remini, an Italian-American owner of an asbestos company (not to be confused with the late Gambino crime family captain George Remini). Her mother Vicki Marshall, a former high school principal and current LA restaurant owner, is Jewish and originally from Austria.

Remini has an older sister, Nicole Remini (born 1969) who was her assistant on The King of Queens. She also has four half-sisters: Christina (born 1969[1]), Elizabeth (born 1976), Stephanie (born 1977), and Shannon (born 1984). Shannon has acted on Leah's show as a character named Desiree.

Remini moved to Los Angeles at the age of 13. She tried fitting into her new neighborhood by imitating the look and style of the local Mexican-American culture. When Remini was 14, she left school against the advice of her mother.

At the beginning of her working life, Remini had a variety of jobs, such as waitressing, selling car insurance, and as a telemarketer for a solar heating company.

Remini stands 5' 3" (1.60 m) tall.[2]

[edit] Television

Remini's entrance into television came in the mid-'80s, when she got her first speaking line as an actress on an episode of Head of the Class. Later she was on the show Cheers where she appeared as Carla Tortelli's daughter Serafina on two episodes. Leah played the lead on Living Dolls, a short-lived spin-off from Who's the Boss? In 1991, she had a recurring role as Stacey Carosi, a love interest of Zack Morris, on Saved by the Bell (during the summer when the gang worked at the Malibu Sands Beach Club) and starred in the short-lived sitcom The Man in the Family. Remini also guest starred in The Commish, where her character was involved in the plot line responsible for Geoffrey Naufft's departure from the show. She gained some popularity with her role as Terri Reynolds on the 1997 NBC comedy series Fired Up. She starred as the main character Carrie in the TV sitcom The King of Queens.She had several guest appearances on shows such as Evening Shade, Diagnosis: Murder, NYPD Blue and Friends (in the Season 1 episode "The One with the Birth"). She originally auditioned for the part of Monica Geller but did not get the role. Remini has also made an appearance on MTV Cribs.

[edit] In The Motherhood

Remini has starred in an online nine-episode MSNweb series, In The Motherhood, along with Chelsea Handler and Jenny McCarthy. The show was based on being a mother, and users could submit their stories to have it made into real webisodes.

[edit] Personal Life

On July 19, 2003 she married actor Angelo Pagan. This was aired on the VH1 series Inside Out. On June 16, 2004, she gave birth to a daughter, Sofia Bella a day after her 34th birthday. This was chronicled on the VH1 documentary Inside Out: Leah Remini the Baby Special.

Her weight has varied widely after the birth of her daughter, she was heard to lament on an episode of Fat Actress. Viewers of the King of Queens might note that Remini gained weight when she got pregnant during the middle seasons of the show, but lost the weight by the show's 9th and final season.

Remini currently lives in Los Angeles, California with her family and her dog Blue. Remini is also good friends with Jennifer Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony.

Remini is a member of the Church of Scientology.

[edit] Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result
2007 1st Annual Wave Awards, Academy of Wireless Arts, Video And Entertainment 2007 Favorite Mobile Comedy Artist, "In the Motherhood" Won

[edit] Filmography

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Bob Rivers Show: Leah Remini, star of 'King of Queens'
  2. ^ Roper, Darrell (2006). Leah Remini photo gallery and fan page. Unmistakable Celebrities. Unmistakables.com. Retrieved on 2006-06-27.

[edit] External links

Scientology Portal