Leah Remini Bio

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Leah Remini Pictures

Leah Remini (born June 15, 1970) is an American actress. Remini launched her acting career in 1988, guest starring in various television series, including Head of the Class, Who's the Boss?, Living Dolls, Paradise and The Hogan Family. She is best known for her roles as Stacy Carosi during the summer season of Saved by the Bell and as Carrie Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens.

Leah Remini: Early life

Leah Remini was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York. Her parents are Austrian-born Vicki Marshall (a former high school principal and current LA restaurant owner) and Italian-American George Remini, owner of an asbestos company (not to be confused with the late Gambino crime family captain George Remini, who died in March 2007).

Remini has an older sister, Nicole Remini (born 1969) who was her assistant on The King of Queens. She also has four half-sisters: Christina Remini (born 1969 ), Elizabeth Remini (born 1976), Stephanie Remini (born 1977), and Shannon Remini (born 1984). Shannon has acted on Leah's show as a character named "Desiree."

Remini moved to Los Angeles at the age of 13. She tried fitting into her new neighborhood by imitating the look and style of the local Mexican-American culture. When Remini was 14, she left school against the advice of her mother.

At the beginning of her working life, Remini had a variety of jobs, such as waitressing, selling car insurance, and as a telemarketer for a solar heating company.

Leah Remini: Acting career

Leah Remini - Television

Remini's entrance into television came in the mid-'80s, when she got her first speaking line as an actress on an episode of Head of the Class. Later she was on the show Cheers where she appeared as Carla Tortelli's daughter, Serafina, on two episodes. In 1989, Leah played the lead on Living Dolls, a short-lived spin-off from Who's the Boss?.

In 1991, she had a recurring role as, Stacey Carosi, a love interest of Zack Morris, on Saved by the Bell. During the summer when the gang worked at the Malibu Sands Beach Club she gained popularity among teens as Zack's summer love interest. In 1991 she also starred in the short-lived sitcom The Man in the Family.

Remini also guest starred in The Commish, where her character was involved in the plot line responsible for Geoffrey Nauft's departure from the show. Remini gained some popularity with her role as Terri Reynolds, on the 1997 NBC comedy series, Fired Up.

She starred for nine years as one of the main characters, Carrie Heffernan, on the TV sitcom The King of Queens.

She had several guest appearances on shows such as Evening Shade, Diagnosis: Murder, NYPD Blue and Friends (in the Season 1 episode "The One with the Birth"). She originally auditioned for the part of Monica Geller but did not get the role and instead was considered for the role of Rachel Green.

Remini appeared on an episode of MTV Cribs.

Leah Remini: In The Motherhood

Remini has starred in an online nine-episode MSNweb series, In The Motherhood, along with Chelsea Handler and Jenny McCarthy. The show was based on being a mother, and users could submit their stories to have it made into real webisodes.

Leah Remini: Personal life

On July 19, 2003 she married actor Angelo Pagan who also appeared on The King of Queens as Rico. This was aired on the VH1 series Inside Out. On June 16, 2004, she gave birth to a daughter, Sofia Bella a day after her 34th birthday. This was chronicled on the VH1 documentary Inside Out: Leah Remini the Baby Special. Remini was also showcased on The Rachael Ray Show during a period of time she was trying to wean her child off pacifiers and drinking from a bottle.

Her weight has varied widely after the birth of her daughter, she was heard to lament on an episode of Fat Actress. Viewers of the King of Queens might note that Remini gained weight when she got pregnant during the middle seasons of the show, and failed to lose the weight until the final season of the show. Despite the end of The King of Queens, Remini still stays in touch with Kevin James.

Remini is a member of The Church of Scientology. In December 2005, she helped promote the gala opening of Church of Scientology's "Psychiatry: An Industry of Death" Museum. Responding to criticism of Scientology during an interview on CNN, Remini stated:

If somebody is going to get turned off about something because of what they read or heard, then that person's not smart enough to even enter a church. If you're really against something, then know what you're against.