Téa Leoni

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Téa Leoni
TéaLeoniJun07.jpg
Leoni in June 2007
Born Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni
(1966-02-25) February 25, 1966 (age 47)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1989–present
Spouse(s)
  • Neil Joseph Tardio, Jr. (1991–1995)
  • David Duchovny (1997–2011, separated)

Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni (pron.: /ˈteɪ.ə pɑːntəleɪˈoʊniː/; born February 25, 1966), better known by her stage name Téa Leoni, is an American actress. She has starred in a wide range of films including Jurassic Park III, The Family Man, Deep Impact, Fun with Dick and Jane, Flirting with Disaster, Spanglish, Bad Boys, Ghost Town and Tower Heist.

Contents

Early life [edit]

Leoni was born in New York City. Her mother, Emily Ann (née Patterson), was a dietician and nutritionist, and her father, Anthony Pantaleoni, was a corporate lawyer of the firm Fulbright & Jaworski.[1][2] Leoni's paternal grandfather was of Italian and English descent; he was a nephew of Italian economist and politician Maffeo Pantaleoni.[3][4][5] Leoni's paternal grandmother, Polish-American Helenka Adamowska Pantaleoni, a relative of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, was a film and stage actress who was a daughter of musicians Józef Adamowski and Antonina Szumowska-Adamowska; with Józef's brother Timothee Adamowski, they were the Adamowski Trio.[3][6] Leoni's mother is a native of Texas, and was the niece of actor Hank Patterson.[7]

Leoni attended two private schools, Brearley School and The Putney School. She attended but did not complete studies at Sarah Lawrence College. During her sophomore year Leoni was in a rock climbing accident in Colorado. She fell down a gorge while climbing with friends. The impact caused her to dislocate and fracture her jaw under the right interior mandible and caused extensive facial lacerations. Following the wiring shut of her jaw and extensive reconstructive surgery, Leoni was able to function and speak somewhat normally. She often credits this accident with the unique jaw shape and facial features she has come to be known for.[citation needed]

Career [edit]

In 1988, Leoni was cast as one of the stars of Angels 88, an updated version of the 1970s show Charlie's Angels. In May 1988, Life magazine ran a story on the casting of this new series.[citation needed] After production delays, the show never aired. The following year, Leoni starred as "Lisa DiNapoli" in the TV daytime drama Santa Barbara.

Leoni went on to appear in the women's baseball film A League of Their Own in 1992. Later in the year, she starred with Corey Parker in the single-season Fox sitcom Flying Blind, playing an eccentric, downtown-Manhattan libertine who falls in love with an ordinary Long Island college graduate. In February 1995, she appeared in the sitcom Frasier as the fiancée of Sam Malone (Ted Danson) in a crossover from Cheers, from which Frasier had spun off.

Leoni also landed the lead role in the sitcom The Naked Truth, playing Nora Wilde, a tabloid news journalist. The show ran through 1998. In the 2000 episode of the The X-Files "Hollywood A.D." (season 7, episode 19), Leoni played an actress portraying Dana Scully in a movie under her own name.

Leoni's film work includes a lead role in Deep Impact, a big-budget disaster film about a comet menacing Earth; and Jurassic Park III, The Family Man, Bad Boys, and You Kill Me. She starred as a film studio executive in Hollywood Ending for director Woody Allen, portraying his ex-wife, and in Spanglish as the emotionally unstable wife of Adam Sandler.

Leoni ranked #79 on the FHM "100 Sexiest Women of 2000" list.[8]

Personal life [edit]

Leoni married her first husband, Neil Joseph Tardio, Jr., a television commercial producer, on June 8, 1991, at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Hope, New Jersey.[9]

Leoni married her second husband, actor David Duchovny, on May 6, 1997, after an eight-week courtship.[10][11] They have a daughter, Madelaine West, born in 1999,[12] and son, Kyd Miller, born in 2002.[13] On October 15, 2008, Leoni and Duchovny confirmed that they had been separated "for several months." The media attributed the separation to Duchovny's much publicized sexual addiction. The couple publicly reconciled and were seen frequently together as a family.[14] On June 29, 2011, CNN reported that Leoni and Duchovny had once again split.[15]

Leoni stated in the October 27, 2006 issue of Life magazine that she became a Goodwill ambassador for UNICEF partially because Helenka Pantaleoni, her paternal grandmother, was the president of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF for 25 years.[16]

Filmography [edit]

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1991 Switch Connie the Dream Girl
1992 League of Their Own, AA League of Their Own Racine 1st Base
1994 Wyatt Earp Sally
1995 Bad Boys Julie Mott
1996 Flirting with Disaster Tina Kalb
1998 Deep Impact Jenny Lerner
1998 There's No Fish Food in Heaven[17] Landeene
2000 Family Man, TheThe Family Man Kate Reynolds
2001 Jurassic Park III Amanda Kirby
2002 People I Know Jilli Hopper
2002 Hollywood Ending Ellie
2004 House of D Mrs. Warshaw
2004 Spanglish Deborah Clasky
2005 Fun with Dick and Jane Jane Harper
2007 You Kill Me Laurel Pearson
2008 Ghost Town Gwen
2009 Smell of Success, TheThe Smell of Success Rosemary Rose
2011 Tower Heist Special Agent Claire Denham
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1989 Santa Barbara Lisa DiNapoli (temporary replacement) Episodes 1169–1174
1992-1993 Flying Blind Alicia 22 episodes
1994 Counterfeit Contessa, TheThe Counterfeit Contessa[18] Gina Leonarda Nardino TV movie
1995 Frasier Sheila Episode: "The Show Where Sam Shows Up"
1995-1998 Naked Truth, TheThe Naked Truth Nora Wilde 50 episodes
2000 X-Files, TheThe X-Files Herself Episode: "Hollywood A.D."
2011 Spring/Fall Margo TV movie

References [edit]

  1. ^ Tea Leoni Biography (1966–)
  2. ^ Anthony Pantaleoni Biography
  3. ^ a b Lo Schiavo, LindAnn (June, 2005). "Take Téa". L'idea Magazine. Retrieved October 21, 2010. 
  4. ^ Matheou, Demetrios (July 17, 2001). "It's Téa time for T-Rex". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved August 20, 2011. 
  5. ^ Leoni Online: New York Times Interview
  6. ^ Helenka A. Pantaleoni (obituary), The New York Times, January 7, 1987
  7. ^ GertieBeth. "The Articles – Elle Magazine". Leoni Online. Retrieved 2012-08-31. 
  8. ^ "FreeJose.com". FHM 100 Sexiest Women of 2000. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. 
  9. ^ "Miss Pantaleoni, Actress, Marries", The New York Times, June 9, 1991
  10. ^ "'Still in love': Sex addict David Duchovny and Téa Leoni get touchy-feely on Malibu beach". Daily Mail. 22 June 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2012. 
  11. ^ Jessica Derschowitz (29 June 2011). "Tea Leoni and David Duchovny separate". CBS News. Retrieved 14 April 2012. 
  12. ^ "Duchovnys: Baby Makes 3". People magazine. March 16, 1999. ISSN 0093-7673. Retrieved August 29, 2011. 
  13. ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (June 18, 2002). "Leoni, Duchovny: And Baby Makes Four". People magazine. ISSN 0093-7673. Retrieved August 29, 2011. 
  14. ^ "David Duchovny & Tea Leoni Reconcile"
  15. ^ "Tea Leoni and David Duchovny split" June 29, 2011, CNN
  16. ^ Sophie Schillaci (June 29, 2011). "Tea Leoni: 5 Things About the Newly Single Actress". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 29, 2011. 
  17. ^ "There's No Fish Food in Heaven (1998)". The New York Times. Retrieved October 8, 2011. 
  18. ^ Hiltbrand, David (April 4, 1994). "Picks and Pans Review: The Counterfeit Contessa". People magazine 41 (12). ISSN 0093-7673. Retrieved October 8, 2011. 

External links [edit]
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