Leslie Browne

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For the chemist, see Les Browne.

Leslie Browne (born 1958) is an American ballet dancer and actress.

She was born Leslie Brown (no "e") in New York, the daughter of Kelly Brown and Isabel Mirrow. She had two brothers and one sister; her brother Kevin is a film producer. At the age of seven she began dancing, and would be trained at her father's studio in Arizona, along with her brother Ethan and her sister Elizabeth. She earned a scholarship to study at the School of American Ballet, then joined the distinguished New York City Ballet.

She has appeared in the dance films The Turning Point (1977), Nijinsky (1980) and Dancers (1987), each directed by Herbert Ross, her godfather. In 1977, at the age of 17, she received a nomination for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role of Emilia Rodgers in The Turning Point. She also appeared on the television series Happy Days as a guest star.

In 1976 she joined the American Ballet Theatre as a soloist, then became principal in 1986. She retired from the company in 1993. Since then she has made guest appearances, studied acting for three years, and performed in the Broadway show The Red Shoes. She has also been choreographing and teaching dancing. In 1997 she was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award by the New York City Dance Alliance.

Her father died due to a heart attack in 1981.

[edit] External links

• Leslie Browne at the Internet Movie Database
• NYC Dance Alliance
• Interview with Leslie Browne
• Steps on Broadway