Tara Louise Leniston (born 1 May 1983) is an Irish actress. She was born in England, grew up in County Clare,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and has also lived in Korea, Sweden, and Hong Kong. She travelled abroad with her father Greg, who was a senior manager with

Baltimore Technologies Baltimore Technologies was a leading Irish internet security firm, with its headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was briefly part of the FTSE 100 Index during 2000. Fran Rooney was the CEO for a period ...

.Gonna be huge: Tara Leniston
''Irish Independent'', 20 January 2008 In 1995, Leniston started her acting career while living in Seoul, appearing in ''Whats up Doogie'', a Korean kids TV program. A year later, the family moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, where Leniston attended

The Arts Educational School Arts Educational Schools, or ArtsEd, is an independent performing arts school based in Chiswick in the London Borough of Hounslow. Overview ArtsEd provides specialist vocational training at secondary, further and higher education level in musi ...

and she studied Drama for two years. After her studies were completed, Leniston moved to Hong Kong with her family and worked as a TV presenter for MTV's Channel V. She met

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

in Hong Kong. She went on to be the first western female to be trained and signed by the Jackie Chan group, set up by Jackie Chan for people he thinks have exceptional talent. Her affiliation with the group led to a part in Jackie Chan's film ''

The Medallion ''The Medallion'' () is a 2003 action comedy film directed by Hong Kong film director Gordon Chan in his first English-language film, who also wrote the screenplay with Bey Logan, Paul Wheeler, Bennett Joshua Davlin and Alfred Cheung Who also ...

''. In 2003, Leniston moved to New Zealand to star in her first motion picture, ''

Meet Me in Miami ''Meet Me in Miami'' is a 2005 New Zealand film directed by Eric Hannah and Iren Koster and starring Carlos Ponce, Tara Leniston, Eduardo Verastegui, and Ayşe Tezel. The film received positive reviews despite its limited release. Plot Lui ...

'', alongside Latin actors Carlos Ponce and

Eduardo Verastegui Eduardo is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the male given name Edward. Another version is Duarte. It may refer to: Association football * Eduardo Bonvallet, Chilean football player and sports commentator * Eduardo Carvalho, Portuguese footb ...

. The premier of ''Meet me in Miami'' in Houston in the 2006 summer was part of the Giving Hope tour in aid of victims of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

.The Starkey Hearing Foundation
/ref> She has also been involved in a number of short films, commercials and modelling campaigns for brands including

Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren, ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his co ...

The North Face The North Face is an American outdoor recreation products company. The North Face produces outdoor clothing, footwear, and related equipment. Founded in 1968 to supply climbers, the company's logo draws inspiration from Half Dome, in Yosemite ...

, and Loreal hair care. Leniston will be the female lead and co-producer in Irish film ''Danny Boy''. Her sister ''Sophie Leniston'' was in a girlgroup called "City Girls". They released an album and two singles.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leniston, Tara Irish television actresses Irish film actresses Irish expatriates in Hong Kong Irish expatriates in Australia 1983 births Living people Actors from County Clare