Leah Remini

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

Early life

Leah Remini was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York City, the daughter of Vicki Marshall, a private school teacher, and George Remini, who owned an asbestos removal company.^[1] Her mother was of Austrian-Jewish background and her father was Sicilian.^[2][3] 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),^[4] Elizabeth (born 1976), Stephanie (born 1977), and Shannon (born 1984).^{[citation needed]}

Remini moved to Los Angeles at the age of 13 with her mother.^[2] When Remini was 14, she left school and worked as a hostess at a restaurant while auditioning for acting jobs.^[5]

Acting career

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. In 1989, she played the lead on Living Dolls, a short-lived spin-off from Who's the Boss?. In 1991, Remini appeared as Carla Tortelli's daughter, Serafina on Cheers (she later reprised the role in a 1993 episode). That same year, she had a recurring role as Stacey Carosi, a love interest of Zack Morris, on Saved by the Bell, and starred in the short-lived sitcom The Man in the Family.

Remini also appeared in an episode of Friends (The One with the Birth, original air date 11 May 1995, Season 1, Episode 23) as Lydia, the single (or not) mother that Joey befriends whilst the gang are in hospital for the birth of Ross and Carol's baby.

After appearing in two more short-lived series, First Time Out and Fired Up, Remini landed the role of Carrie Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens. During her time on the show, she had a supporting role in the comedy film, Old School (2003). The King of Queens ran for nine seasons, from September 21, 1998 to May 14, 2007. Since The King of Queens ended, Remini has starred in nine-episode webisodes of In the Motherhood, along with Chelsea Handler and Jenny McCarthy.^[6]

Personal life

On July 19, 2003, Remini married actor Angelo Pagan who also appeared on The King of Queens as Rico and other various characters.^[7] On June 16, 2004, she gave birth to a daughter, Sofia Bella a day after her 34th birthday. Remini's pregnancy was chronicled on the VH1 documentary Inside Out: Leah Remini the Baby Special. Remini was also showcased on The Rachael Ray Show during a period of time she was trying to wean her child off pacifiers and drinking from a bottle.

Remini is a member of The Church of Scientology.^[3] In December 2005, she helped promote the gala opening of Church of Scientology's "Psychiatry: An Industry of Death" Museum.^[8] Responding to criticism of Scientology during an interview on CNN, Remini stated:^[3]

Filmography

References

External links

Scientology portal

• Official website
• Leah Remini at the Internet Movie Database
• Leah Remini at TV.com