Leslie Mann

Leslie Mann has made a career out of finding the tension inside comedy. Her characters can be warm, frustrated, impulsive or sharply direct—sometimes within the same scene—and her performances often give broad comic situations a recognisably human edge. Born in San Francisco on March 26, 1972, Mann grew up in Newport Beach. She studied acting at the Baron/Brown Acting Studio and worked with the comedy improv troupe The Groundlings. After beginning her career at 18 in television commercials, she moved into film with The Cable Guy in 1996. Roles in George of the Jungle, Big Daddy, Orange County and The 40-Year-Old Virgin followed, establishing her as a consistent presence in American screen comedy. She also appeared in the television series Freaks and Geeks. Knocked Up gave Mann one of her most prominent roles, opposite Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl and Paul Rudd. Her performance earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination from the Chicago Film Critics Association. She later reunited with Rogen and Adam Sandler in Funny People, while 17 Again and I Love You Phillip Morris showed her working in different shades of comedy. In This Is 40, Mann and Rudd reprised their Knocked Up characters, with the story placing their marriage and family at its centre. Mann’s performance received a Best Actress in a Comedy nomination from the Broadcast Film Critics Association. She went on to appear in Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring, the comedy Vacation, Blockers and Welcome to Marwen. Mann’s work has also extended into animation. She voiced Linda in Rio, played a role in the stop-motion film ParaNorman and contributed to the animated television series Allen Gregory. Across film, television and voice acting, she has repeatedly shown how much comic energy can come from irritation, vulnerability and impeccable timing.