Jessica Leccia
 |
Jessica Leccia | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 8, 1976 |
| Years active | 2001-present |
| Known for | Natalia Rivera Aitoro on Guiding Light |
| Awards | 2008 ALMA Award Outstanding Performance in a Daytime Drama Series Guiding Light |
Jessica Leccia /ləˈtʃiːə/, lə-CHEE-ə; (born January 8, 1976) is an American actress. She is known for her portrayals of Natalia Rivera on Guiding Light from 2007 to 2009 and of Inez Salinger on One Life to Live from 2010 to 2011.
Early life and education
Leccia was born in New York City, New York. She received a B.A. from Bloomsburg University.[1] Graduated from East Stroudsburg High School - South (East Stroudsburg, PA), Class of 1994, as Jessica Rodriguez. She was 1 of 5 candidates for 1993 Homecoming Queen. Her extracurricular activities included the Welcoming Club 12, Float Committee 10-12, Drama Club 9, and Soccer Manager, 12. She was raised by a young, Hispanic (Puerto Rican), single mother.
Career
Leccia is best known for her portrayal of Natalia Rivera Aitoro on the American daytime drama Guiding Light. Prior to joining Guiding Light, Leccia had a recurring role on the television show Rescue Me starring Denis Leary. Leccia also guest-starred on the American daytime drama As the World Turns.[1]
Leccia joined the cast of Guiding Light on April 25, 2007 as Natalia Rivera, Gus Aitoro's (Ricky Paull Goldin) long lost high school sweetheart.[2] Leccia's character Natalia was paired with Crystal Chappell's character Olivia Spencer as the popular same-sex supercouple known by the portmanteau Otalia during the last several months of Guiding Light, which ended its 72-year run on 18 September 2009.[3][4]
Leccia is working with ex Guiding Light castmate Chappell again on Chappell's new webseries, Venice: The Series, in which she plays Ani, a photographer and ex-girlfriend of Crystal Chappell's character, Gina. Along with Chappell and Leccia, other ex Guiding Light stars Jordan Clarke, Tina Sloan and Gina Tognoni joined the cast of Venice. Venice aired its first episode on December 4, 2009.
Leccia has also made appearances in the prime time shows Law & Order: Trial by Jury and Love Monkey.[1]
From June 2010 to May 2011, Leccia portrayed Inez Salinger on One Life to Live and also stars as Ivy on The Grove: The Series with and created by Crystal Chappell.
Personal life
She has been married to Brian Malloy since May 3, 2008. The couple welcomed their daughter Ivy Lola Malloy, on June 10, 2009.[5]
Leccia has said that she enjoys watching the television series Lost and that her favorite singer is Stevie Wonder.[1]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Snipes | Receptionist | |
| 2005 | Preaching to the Choir | Groupie | |
| 2006 | Slippery Slope | Stacy | |
| 2006 | The Wedding Album | Jasmine | TV Movie |
| 2013 | Tio Papi | Daniella | |
| 2017 | A Million Happy Nows | Eva Morales |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Law & Order: Trial by Jury | Hope Newhall | Episode: "Pattern of Conduct" |
| 2005 | Rescue Me | Mary Magdelene | 4 episodes |
| 2006 | Love Monkey | Detective Aida Perez | Episode: "Opportunity Knocks" |
| 2006 | As the World Turns | Innocencia | 1 episode |
| 2007 | Queens Supreme | Erin Glover | Episode: "Case by Case" |
| 2007-2009 | Guiding Light | Natalia Rivera | 247 episodes |
| 2009–Present | Venice: The Series | Ani Martin | |
| 2010 | Mercy | Camilla | Episode: "We All Saw This Coming" Episode: "Too Much Attitude and Not Enough Underwear" |
| 2010-2011 | One Life to Live | Inez Salinger | 59 episodes |
| 2012 | NYC 22 | Sarah | Episode: "Schooled" |
| 2012 | 30 Rock | Maria | Episode: "There's No I in America" |
| 2012 | The Grove | Ivy | |
| 2013 | The Carrie Diaries | Woman in Bar | Episode: "Read Before Use" |
Awards
Nominated
- 2008 ALMA Award Outstanding Performance in a Daytime Drama Series (Guiding Light)
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Guiding Light.net: Actors' Profiles, www.guidinglight.net/, (Retrieved 03-08-2009).
- ^ Actor Profile from SoapCentral: Jessica Leccia, www.soapcentral.com, (Retrieved 03-08-2009).
- ^ D'Emidion,Tiffany."Television: Guiding Light Coming Out of the Closet?" Archived 2009-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, eclipsemagazine.com, February 9, 2009.
- ^ Entertainment Weekly,"The Must List - The Top 10 Things We Love This Week", March 13, 2009, page 10-11 (print edition).
- ^ Guiding Light's Jessica Leccia Welcomes Daughter Ivy Lola.