Tia Leoni (photo given in the article) is a movie star with Polish, Italian and English roots and a wonderful acting talent. She became popular thanks to the main role in the blockbuster "Bad Guys" (1995). Then she starred in other famous films, such as “Clash with the Abyss” (1998.), “Family Man” (2000), “Jurassic Park III” (2001) and “Scammers Dick and Jane” (2005.)
Early biography
Tia Leoni (Elizabeth Tia Pantaleoni) was born in New York on February 25, 1966 in the family of lawyer Anthony and nutritionist Emily.
She fell in love with acting at an early age, largely due to the influence of paternal grandmother Helenka Pantaleoni, who played in silent films. But the girl chose to focus on her studies at school, then at Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, where she studied anthropology and psychology.
And only having returned from a trip to Italy, Japan and the island of St. Croix, she began her career as an actress.
Television debut
Accepting the challenge of her friend, the girl decided to participate in the casting for the filming of the television series "Charlie's Angels" in 1988. Tia unexpectedly got the main role, despite her shallow knowledge and lack of experience in this matter.
Realizing her flaw, she began to improve acting skills in Los Angeles. But the filming of Charlie’s Angels, unfortunately, didn’t begin because of the strike of screenwriters in Hollywood.
Fortunately, in 1989, the blue-eyed beauty managed to get the role of Lisa Di Napoli in the NBC soap opera Santa Barbara (1984-1993), after which she debuted on the big screen in the comedy film Blake Edwards called The Switch (1991).). In addition, the girl took part in other projects of the same genre, such as “Own League” (1992), “Flying Blind” (1992) and “Fake Countess” (1994). The actress attracted more public attention when she starred with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Michael Bay's "Bad Boys" (1995).
Comic talent
Noting the potential of Tia and her excellent comedic abilities, ABC immediately invited her to play a major role in his new sitcom Wilde Again. The series was broadcast in 1995, and then aired on NBC (1996) under the title Naked Truth. This not only made her popular, but also praised critics and audiences. Tia became one of Hollywood's most notable rising stars of the time.
Acting in the series until 1998, the actress also played with Ben Stiller in the film "Flirting with Natural Disaster" (1996). And she also began to meet with David Dukhovny, who fell in love with the audience based on The X-Files, drawing the attention of the media.
Wedding and movie success
Despite her unsuccessful relationship with director Neil Tardio and the creator of Naked Truth, Chris Thompson, on May 6, 1997, Tia married Duchovny in the Manhattan Church of Grace without a doubt.
She continued her acting career this time in the science fiction drama Mimi Leder's “Clash with the Abyss” (1998). Here, the girl played the television reporter Jenny Lerner, who learned that the Earth would be destroyed by a huge meteorite.
Having successfully proved her versatile talent in the performance of various characters, Tia Leoni helped the film become one of the highest grossing films of the year. This achievement increased her status in the Hollywood film industry, but the actress decided to leave the field of attention in order to raise her daughter Madeleine West, born April 24, 1999.
Successful career
However, it was difficult for Tia Leoni to resist the inner desire to withdraw. Therefore, she returned to the cinema at the end of 2000, playing a major female role in Brett Ratner’s fantasy drama “The Family Man” with Nicolas Cage.
Then there was the thriller "Jurassic Park III" (2001). And the director Woody Allen involved her in his dramatic comedy work entitled "The Hollywood Finale" (2002).
After working together with Al Pacino and Kim Besinger in the popular film "People I Know" (2002), on June 15, 2002, Tia gave birth to a son, Kid Miller. And again, a two-year break did not affect her talent, because she brilliantly played with Adam Sandler in Spanish English (2004). Add to this the films with her participation: “Secrets of the Past” (2004) and “Swindlers Dick and Jane” (2005).
After returning, Tia Leoni has even more roles. She played in the films: “Kill me” (2007), “Ghost Town” (2008) and “Miss Captivity” (2010). At the same time, the actress willingly starred with Duchovny in the drama "American Dreamers" in 2009.
