Leigh Zimmerman is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has appeared on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

in ''

The Will Rogers Follies ''The Will Rogers Follies'' is a Musical theatre, musical with a book by Peter Stone (writer), Peter Stone, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Cy Coleman. It focuses on the life and career of humorist and performer Will Rogers, ...

'', '' Crazy for You'' and ''

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. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specif ...

'' with

Nathan Lane Nathan Lane (born Joseph Lane; February 3, 1956) is an American actor. Since 1975, he has been Nathan Lane on screen and stage, on stage and screen in both comedic and dramatic roles. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Na ...

and created the role of Go-To-Hell-Kitty in the 1996 Broadway production of the musical ''

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

''. Zimmerman is also known for her roles in the London West End productions of ''

The Seven Year Itch ''The Seven Year Itch'' is a 1955 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder, who co-wrote the screenplay with George Axelrod. Based on Axelrod's 1952 The Seven Year Itch (play), play of the same name, the film stars Marilyn Monroe ...

'', ''

'', as Velma Kelly, ''

Contact Contact may refer to: Interaction Physical interaction * Contact (geology), a common geological feature * Contact lens or contact, a lens placed on the eye * Contact sport, a sport in which players make contact with other players or objects * C ...

'', as The Girl in the Yellow Dress, '' The Producers'', originating the role of Ulla and ''

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical conceived by Michael Bennett with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is cent ...

'', as Sheila, for which she won an

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...

in 2013.

Career

In 1992, Zimmerman had a minor but memorable role in '' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' as a fashion model (woman on the street). In 2002, she was asked to work for the second time with director

Susan Stroman Susan P. Stroman (born October 17, 1954) is an American theatre director, choreographer, and performer. Her notable theater productions include ''Oklahoma!'', ''The Music Man'', ''Crazy for You (musical), Crazy for You'', ''Contact (musical), Co ...

to create for the West End the role of The Girl in the Yellow Dress in ''

'' at the Queens Theatre. During that time, Zimmerman also worked on films such as ''

Proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a co ...

'' with

Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow ( ; born September 27, 1972) is an American actress and businesswoman. The daughter of filmmaker Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner, she established herself as a leading lady appearing in mainly mid-budget and perio ...

and

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

, ''Red Light Runners'' with

Harvey Keitel Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor and film producer, known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running associatio ...

, '' The Defender'' with

Dolph Lundgren Hans "Dolph" Lundgren (, ; born 3 November 1957) is a Swedish actor, filmmaker, and martial artist. Lundgren made his acting debut in 1985 with a cameo in the List of James Bond films, James Bond film ''A View to a Kill''. Also that year, he h ...

, and '' Submerged'' with

Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal ( ; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, martial artist, and musician. A 7th-Dan (rank), dan Black belt (martial arts), black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instru ...

. In 2004, Zimmerman was asked to play the role of Miriam in the controversial play ''Three on A Couch'' by the scientist

Carl Djerassi Carl Djerassi (October 29, 1923 – January 30, 2015) was an Austrian-born Bulgarian-American pharmaceutical chemist, novelist, playwright and co-founder of Djerassi Resident Artists Program with Diane Wood Middlebrook. He is best known for his ...

, 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 Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

''. Leigh was thrilled when she was asked to create the role of

Ulla Ulla is a given name. It is short for Ursula (given name), Ursula in German-speaking countries and Ulrika/Ulrikke in Scandinavian countries. As of 31 December 2011, there were 61,043 females named Ulla in Sweden, with the name being most popular ...

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 to 2006, Zimmerman accepted leading roles in several 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'' 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. The series was directed by Tristr ...

''. She also had a leading role as the American desperate housewife, Megan, in Ben Elton's comedy series '' Blessed'' for the BBC. In 2006, Zimmerman appeared in feature films, such as '' United 93'' directed by

Paul Greengrass Paul Greengrass (born 13 August 1955) is an English film director, film producer, screenwriter and former journalist. One of his early films, '' Bloody Sunday'' (2002), won the Golden Bear at 52nd Berlin International Film Festival. Other f ...

, where she portrayed Christine Snyder. She spoke fluent Spanish as the gothic siren, Irene, in the Spanish Film, '' La Luna en Botella'' ('' Moon in a Bottle''). Zimmerman also stars as the California love guru, Candy Connor, in the British independent film, ''

Are You Ready For Love "Are You Ready for Love" is a song recorded by English musician Elton John in 1977 and first released in the UK in 1979 as the first single from the EP ''The Thom Bell Sessions''. It was written by LeRoy Bell, Thom Bell and Casey James, an ...

''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Personal life

Zimmerman is married to Scottish singer Domenick Allen. The two have a daughter, who is also a theatre actress and singer,

Cayleigh Capaldi Cayleigh Capaldi (born Allen) is a vocalist and performer. She is best known for playing the role of Celine Dion and Rose in the musical parody ''Titanique'' and for portraying the lead character Sienna in ''Figaro: an Original Musical'' in both ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zimmerman, Leigh American film actresses American musical theatre actresses Living people Actresses from Madison, Wisconsin Laurence Olivier Award winners Musicians from Madison, Wisconsin 1969 births