Jessica Leccia , ; (born January 8, 1976) is an American
actress
An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
. She is known for her portrayals of
Natalia Rivera
This is a list of characters who have appeared on the soap opera ''Guiding Light''.
A Sunny Adelman
:Fay Wolf (2000)
Gus Aitoro (deceased)
:Ricky Paull Goldin (2001–2008)
Brad Andrews
:Brendan Wentworth (1997–1998)
Leslie Ann Andrews
:Car ...
on ''
Guiding Light
''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...
'' from 2007 to 2009 and of
Inez Salinger on ''
One Life to Live
''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...
'' from 2010 to 2011.
Early life and education
Leccia was born in
New York City, New York
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...
. She received a
B.A.
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...
from
Bloomsburg University
Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg (CU-Bloomsburg, or Bloomsburg) is a campus of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The ...
.
[
]
Career
Leccia is best known for her portrayal of Natalia Rivera Aitoro on the American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
daytime drama ''Guiding Light
''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...
''. Prior to joining ''Guiding Light'', Leccia had a recurring role on the television show '' Rescue Me'' starring Denis Leary
Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Born in Massachusetts, he first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV (including the comedic song " Asshole") and th ...
. Leccia also guest-starred on the American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
daytime drama ''As the World Turns
''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...
''.[Guiding Light.net: Actors' Profiles](_blank)
www.guidinglight.net/, (Retrieved 03-08-2009).
Leccia joined the cast of ''Guiding Light'' on April 25, 2007, as Natalia Rivera, Gus Aitoro's long lost high school sweetheart. Leccia's character Natalia was paired with Crystal Chappell
Crystal Elizabeth Chappell (born August 4, 1965) is an American actress who played Carly Manning on ''Days of Our Lives'' from 1990 to 1993, Maggie Carpenter on ''One Life to Live'' from 1995 to 1997 and Olivia Spencer on ''Guiding Light'' ...
's character Olivia Spencer
Olivia Spencer is a fictional character on the CBS daytime soap opera, ''Guiding Light''. The character was introduced to audiences in the summer of 1999 as the fiancée of the late Prince Richard Winslow. Crystal Chappell originated the role a ...
during the last several months of ''Guiding Light'', which ended its 72-year run on 18 September 2009.
Leccia worked with ''Guiding Light'' castmate Chappell again on Chappell's new webseries, '' Venice: The Series'', in which she played Ani, a photographer and ex-girlfriend of Chappell's character, Gina. Along with Chappell and Leccia, other ''Guiding Light'' stars Jordan Clarke, Tina Sloan, and Gina Tognoni
Gina Tognoni (born November 28, 1973) is an American actress, best known for her work with American daytime soap operas. Her most notable performances include Kelly Cramer on ''One Life to Live'', Dinah Marler on ''Guiding Light'' and Phyllis ...
joined the cast of ''Venice''. ''Venice'' aired its first episode on December 4, 2009.
Leccia also made appearances on '' Law & Order: Trial by Jury'' and ''Love Monkey
''Love Monkey'' is an American comedy-drama television series set in New York City starring Tom Cavanagh. The series was created by Michael Rauch, based on the book of the same name, by Kyle Smith. It was a co-production of Paramount Televisi ...
''.[
From June 2010 to May 2011, Leccia portrayed Inez Salinger on '']One Life to Live
''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...
'' and also as Ivy on ''The Grove: The Series.''
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.Guiding Light's Jessica Leccia Welcomes Daughter Ivy Lola.
Leccia has said that she enjoys watching the television series '' Lost'' and that her favorite singer is Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
.[
]
Filmography
Awards
Nominated
* 2008 ALMA Award
The American Latino Media Arts Award or ALMA Award, formerly known as Latin Oscars Award, is an award highlighting the best American Latino contributions to music, television, and film. The awards promote fair and accurate portrayals of Latino ...
Outstanding Performance in a Daytime Drama Series (Guiding Light
''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...
)
See also
*Olivia Spencer and Natalia Rivera Aitoro
Olivia Spencer and Natalia Rivera Aitoro, often referred to by the portmanteau Otalia, are a fictional couple from the American CBS daytime drama ''Guiding Light''. Olivia Spencer, Olivia is portrayed by Crystal Chappell, and Natalia Rivera, Natal ...
*List of supercouples
This is a list of supercouples, fictional couples who have been titled supercouples by the media, usually with the addition of substantial fan support; they may have been referred to as ''power couples'' or ''dynamic duos'', and are often defined ...
References
External links
The Official Jessica Leccia Website
*
Actor Profile from SoapCentral
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leccia, Jessica
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania alumni
American soap opera actresses
Living people
1976 births
21st-century American actresses