Leigh Zimmerman
Encyclopedia
Leigh Zimmerman is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has appeared on Broadway
in The Will Rogers Follies
, Crazy for You
and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
with Nathan Lane
and in London
's West End
in The Seven Year Itch
and Chicago
.
In 1992, she had a minor role in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
as a fashion model who has a run-in with burglars Harry & Marv.
In April 2001 Leigh made a huge splash in the West End starring as Velma Kelly, opposite Denise Van Outen
in Chicago
for an unprecedented one-year contract.
In 2002, she was asked to work for the second time with director Susan Stroman
to create for the West End the role of The Girl in the Yellow Dress in Contact
, once again at the Queens Theatre. During that time, Leigh completed feature film work on Proof
with Gwyneth Paltrow
and Anthony Hopkins
, Red Light Runners with Harvey Keitel
, The Defender with Dolph Lundgren
, and Submerged
with Steven Seagal
.
In 2004, Leigh was asked to play the role of Miriam in the controversial play, Three on A Couch
, by the Nobel Prize
winning scientist, Carl Djerrassi and worked closely with him to shape the play for the legendary London fringe theatre, The Kings Head.
Leigh then starred as Leslie Peters in the television docudrama Small Pox: Silent Weapon for the FX Channel and as Tamsin Reed on BBC's Doctors.
Leigh was thrilled when she was asked to create the role of Ulla in London’s West End Production of The Producers
, and her portrayal earned her an Olivier Award Nomination for Best Leading Actress in 2004.
During her run as Ulla in London from 2004–2006, Leigh accepted leading roles in several more highly acclaimed film and television projects. She played the English double agent, Helen Harlow, alongside Brian Cox, in ITV’s The Outsiders. She starred as the Scottish police sergeant, Sergeant Beasley, in the BBC hit comedy Feel the Force
. She also had a leading role as the American desperate housewife, Megan, in Ben Elton’s comedy series Blessed
for the BBC.
In 2006, Leigh appeared in several high profile feature films. She portrayed Christine Snyder in United 93
directed by Paul Greengrass
for Universal and Working Title Films. She spoke fluent Spanish as the gothic siren, Irene, in the soon to be released Spanish Film, La Luna en Botella (Moon In A Bottle) for Ikiru Films in Madrid and Barcelona. Leigh also stars as the California love guru, Candy Connor, in the upcoming British independent film, Are You Ready For Love
for Carnaby Films.
In early 2007, Leigh returned to the US when she was asked to open the Las Vegas company of The Producers
, reprising her role as Ulla.
In early 2009 Leigh returned to the musical Chicago in London's West End to play Velma Kelly at the Cambridge Theatre. She performed alongside Aoife Mulholland
as Roxie Hart and Jerry Springer
as Billy Flynn.
Leigh guested on CBS
's Numbers.
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in The Will Rogers Follies
Will Rogers Follies
The Will Rogers Follies is a musical with a book by Peter Stone, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Cy Coleman.It focuses on the life and career of famed humorist and performer Will Rogers, using as a backdrop the Ziegfeld Follies, which he often headlined, and describes every...
, Crazy for You
Crazy for You
Crazy for You is a musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. Billed as "The New Gershwin Musical Comedy", it is largely based on the songwriting team’s 1930 musical, Girl Crazy, but interpolates songs from several other productions as well...
and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart....
with Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
and in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
in The Seven Year Itch
The Seven Year Itch
The Seven Year Itch is a 1955 American film based on a three-act play with the same name by George Axelrod. The film was co-written and directed by Billy Wilder, and starred Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell, reprising his Broadway role...
and Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
.
In 1992, she had a minor role in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is a 1992 American Christmas comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. It is the second film in the Home Alone series and the direct sequel to Home Alone. The film stars Macaulay Culkin in the lead role as Kevin McCallister, while...
as a fashion model who has a run-in with burglars Harry & Marv.
In April 2001 Leigh made a huge splash in the West End starring as Velma Kelly, opposite Denise Van Outen
Denise van Outen
Denise van Outen is an English actress, singer and television presenter. Her most notable roles to date are as a presenter on The Big Breakfast, and as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago on both the West End and on Broadway.- Early life :Born Denise Kathleen Outen in Basildon, Essex, she is the...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
for an unprecedented one-year contract.
In 2002, she was asked to work for the second time with director Susan Stroman
Susan Stroman
Susan Stroman is an American theatre director, choreographer, film director, and performer. She has won the Tony Award for both her choreography and direction, notably for the stage musical The Producers.-Early years:...
to create for the West End the role of The Girl in the Yellow Dress in Contact
Contact (musical)
Contact: The Musical is a musical "dance play" that was developed by Susan Stroman and John Weidman, with its "book" by Weidman and both choreography and direction by Stroman. It ran both off-Broadway and on Broadway in 1999 - 2000. It consists of three separate one-act dance...
, once again at the Queens Theatre. During that time, Leigh completed feature film work on Proof
Proof (2005 film)
Proof is a 2005 American drama film directed by John Madden and starring Anthony Hopkins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Hope Davis; it was written by Rebecca Miller, based on David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same title.-Plot:...
with Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
and Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
, Red Light Runners with Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel is an American actor. Some of his most notable starring roles were in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, Ridley Scott's The Duellists and Thelma and Louise, Ettore Scola's That Night in Varennes, Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Jane Campion's The...
, The Defender with Dolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren is a Swedish actor, director, and martial artist. He belongs to a generation of film actors who epitomise the movie action hero stereotype including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.A graduate in chemical...
, and Submerged
Submerged
Submerged is an action film, released in 2005. The film stars Steven Seagal, Christine Adams, William Hope, Gary Daniels, Alison King and Vinnie Jones. The film was directed by British director Anthony Hickox.- Plot :...
with Steven Seagal
Steven Seagal
Steven Frederic Seagal is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist and reserve deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan...
.
In 2004, Leigh was asked to play the role of Miriam in the controversial play, Three on A Couch
Three On A Couch
Three on a Couch is a comedy film directed by and starring Jerry Lewis.Filmed from September 13-December 1, 1965, it was released on July 7, 1966 by Columbia Pictures. Co-starring are Janet Leigh, James Best, Mary Ann Mobley and Kathleen Freeman....
, by the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winning scientist, Carl Djerrassi and worked closely with him to shape the play for the legendary London fringe theatre, The Kings Head.
Leigh then starred as Leslie Peters in the television docudrama Small Pox: Silent Weapon for the FX Channel and as Tamsin Reed on BBC's Doctors.
Leigh was thrilled when she was asked to create the role of Ulla in London’s West End Production of The Producers
The Producers
The Producers commonly refers to Mel Brooks' series of comedic works about two con-men who attempt to cheat theater investors out of their money, only to have the scheme improbably backfire:...
, and her portrayal earned her an Olivier Award Nomination for Best Leading Actress in 2004.
During her run as Ulla in London from 2004–2006, Leigh accepted leading roles in several more highly acclaimed film and television projects. She played the English double agent, Helen Harlow, alongside Brian Cox, in ITV’s The Outsiders. She starred as the Scottish police sergeant, Sergeant Beasley, in the BBC hit comedy Feel the Force
Feel the Force
Feel the Force is a British television police sitcom produced for BBC Scotland by Catherine Bailey Limited.The series is written by Georgia Pritchett; the first episode was broadcast on BBC 2 on 8 May 2006...
. She also had a leading role as the American desperate housewife, Megan, in Ben Elton’s comedy series Blessed
Blessed (TV series)
Blessed was a BBC television sitcom written by Ben Elton and starring Ardal O'Hanlon as Gary, a record producer, who is struggling to bring up two small children...
for the BBC.
In 2006, Leigh appeared in several high profile feature films. She portrayed Christine Snyder in United 93
United 93 (film)
United 93 is a 2006 fact-based historical drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Paul Greengrass that chronicles events aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked during the September 11 attacks...
directed by Paul Greengrass
Paul Greengrass
Paul Greengrass is an English film director, screenwriter and former journalist. He specialises in dramatisations of real-life events and is known for his signature use of hand-held cameras.-Life and career:...
for Universal and Working Title Films. She spoke fluent Spanish as the gothic siren, Irene, in the soon to be released Spanish Film, La Luna en Botella (Moon In A Bottle) for Ikiru Films in Madrid and Barcelona. Leigh also stars as the California love guru, Candy Connor, in the upcoming British independent film, Are You Ready For Love
Are You Ready for Love
"Are You Ready for Love" is a song recorded by Elton John in 1977, and was first released in the UK in 1979 on the EP The Thom Bell Sessions. It was written by Leroy Bell, Thom Bell and Casey James, and was originally produced in Philadelphia by Thom Bell...
for Carnaby Films.
In early 2007, Leigh returned to the US when she was asked to open the Las Vegas company of The Producers
The Producers
The Producers commonly refers to Mel Brooks' series of comedic works about two con-men who attempt to cheat theater investors out of their money, only to have the scheme improbably backfire:...
, reprising her role as Ulla.
In early 2009 Leigh returned to the musical Chicago in London's West End to play Velma Kelly at the Cambridge Theatre. She performed alongside Aoife Mulholland
Aoife Mulholland
Aoife Mulholland is an Irish actress and musical theatre performer from Salthill, Galway. Aoife is a successful leading lady in London's West End...
as Roxie Hart and Jerry Springer
Jerry Springer
Gerald Norman "Jerry" Springer is a British-born American television presenter, best known as host of the tabloid talk show The Jerry Springer Show since its debut in 1991...
as Billy Flynn.
Leigh guested on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's Numbers.
Filmography
- Luna en botella, La (2007) as Irene
- Numb3rsNUMB3RSNumb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes...
as Leslie Dennis (1 episode, 2007) - The Outsiders (2006) (TV) as Helen Harlow
- Feel the ForceFeel the ForceFeel the Force is a British television police sitcom produced for BBC Scotland by Catherine Bailey Limited.The series is written by Georgia Pritchett; the first episode was broadcast on BBC 2 on 8 May 2006...
as Sergeant Beesley (6 episodes, 2006) - Are You Ready for Love?Are You Ready for Love?This article refers to the film. For the Elton John song see Are You Ready for LoveAre You Ready For Love? is a British romantic comedy feature film, directed by Helen M Grace, produced by Carnaby Films, 2006.- Plot :...
(2006) as Candy - United 93United 93 (film)United 93 is a 2006 fact-based historical drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Paul Greengrass that chronicles events aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked during the September 11 attacks...
(2006) as Christine Snyder - Land of the Blind (2006) as Anchorwoman
- BlessedBlessed (TV series)Blessed was a BBC television sitcom written by Ben Elton and starring Ardal O'Hanlon as Gary, a record producer, who is struggling to bring up two small children...
(3 episodes, 2005) - ProofProof (2005 film)Proof is a 2005 American drama film directed by John Madden and starring Anthony Hopkins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Hope Davis; it was written by Rebecca Miller, based on David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same title.-Plot:...
as Friend at Party - Valley of Kings as Pharaoh
- Submerged (2005) (V) as U.S. Ambassador
- Doctors as Tamsin Read (1 episode, 2005)
- The Defender (2004) as Reporter
- Second NatureSecond NatureSecond Nature may refer to:*Second Nature *Second Nature *"Second Nature" *"Second Nature" *Second Nature , a short film by Colin Blackshear...
(2003) (TV) as Dr. Shepherd - Smallpox 2002: Silent Weapon (2002) (TV) as Lesley Peters
- Another WorldAnother World (TV series)Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
(1964) TV series as Cherie (unknown episodes, 1998) - Rear WindowRear WindowRear Window is a 1954 American suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by John Michael Hayes and based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "It Had to Be Murder"...
(1998) (TV) as Business Woman - Mr. JealousyMr. JealousyMr. Jealousy is a 1997 romantic comedy film written and directed by Noah Baumbach and starring Eric Stoltz and Annabella Sciorra.-Plot:Aspiring writer Lester Grimm starts going out with Ramona Ray after being introduced by Lester's friend Vince and Vince's fiancee Lucretia...
(1997) as Lois - Home Alone 2: Lost in New YorkHome Alone 2: Lost in New YorkHome Alone 2: Lost in New York is a 1992 American Christmas comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. It is the second film in the Home Alone series and the direct sequel to Home Alone. The film stars Macaulay Culkin in the lead role as Kevin McCallister, while...
(1992) as Fashion Model