Laura Leighton is an American actress best known for her role in the American soap opera Melrose Place from the 1990s and also for its revival in 2009. Leighton’s character of Sydney Andrews was originally intended for several episodes of the first season. However, the character was further developed and eventually became one of the most popular characters on the iconic TV show.
Her outstanding performance in the series earned her a Golden Globe nomination in 1995. After she left the series in 1997, Leighton appeared on numerous television shows. She has also starred in a number of movies, including Angels, Baby! (1999) and The Burrowers (2008). In 2011, Laura Leighton was cast as Ashley Marin in the ABC family thriller series Pretty Little Liars.
Laura Leighton Bio, Age
She was born on 24 July 1968 as Laura Diane Miller in Iowa City, Iowa, USA. In 1988, however, she decided to take her mother’s maiden name, “Leighton”.
Laura had her high school education at West High School in Iowa City. She was a very active student and participated in several groups. In school, she was a popular cheerleader and a talented singer and instrumentalist. Laura was also a member of the school’s “Good Time Company” choir group. She graduated from high school in 1986 and joined the performance group “The Young Americans”. Laura took part in the group’s foreign tour in 1987.
She completed her college education at California State University in Long Beach, California, majoring in economics. After college, she moved to Los Angeles to continue her acting career. While waiting for television and film roles, Leighton worked as a waitress to earn a living.
Her role in Melrose Place was one of Leighton’s first roles and was only to appear in 2 episodes of the first season. Later the character developed into a regular role played by Leighton until season five.
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While working on Melrose Place in the 1990s, Leighton also had several other television appearances. In 1995, she hosted an episode of the nocturnal television show Saturday Night Live. She also graced the covers of several magazines in 1994, including Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone, both in 1994.
After leaving the legendary show in 1997, Leighton appeared in Beverly Hills, 90210, in a role created especially for her, with six episodes. She also played a role in an episode of the animated series Duckman (1997). Guest appearances in Cupid (1998), Early Edition (2000), and The Outer Limits (2000) followed.
Laura Leighton also had a number of film appearances, including The Clean and Narrow (1999), Angel’s Baby (1999), and Seven Girlfriends (1999). She also starred in the indie film The Sky Is Falling (2000) before taking a break to start a family. In the 2000s she made guest appearances on the following shows: CSI: Miami, Boston Legal, Hai, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Laura Leighton resumed her role as Sydney Andrews in the 2009 revival of the CW network of Melrose Place. However, the reprisals were stopped after only one season of miserable ratings. In 2011 she joined the main cast of Pretty Little Liars, where she plays the role of Ashley Marin.
Husband
Laura Leighton got married to her actor colleague Doug Savant in May 1998 after a six-month engagement. Doug Savant was her co-star in Melrose Place. Although they worked together for a long time, they only started going out together in 1997, and in November of the same year, they got engaged.
According to Savant, meeting his wife at Melrose Place was one of his best results on the show. Their relationship is not the only one that began in Melrose Place, but their relationship was the most successful.
Kids, Family
Laura Leighton has four children with her husband Doug Savant. On October 10, 2000, they welcomed their son, Jack Douglas. Later they welcomed their daughter Lucy Jane on June 9th, 2005.
In addition to their two biological children, the family has two more daughters from Doug Savant’s previous marriage. These two daughters are Arianna Josephine Savant, born in 1992, and Madeleine Marie Savant, born in 1993.
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Laura Leighton Net Worth
In the 1990s she earned a lot of money, which marked the first highlight of her Hollywood career. After leaving Melrose Place in 1997, Laura Leighton went to the feature film industry in 90210, where she earned a six-figure salary for each of her six episodes.
At the beginning of the 2000s, she remained stubborn, even if the big roles didn’t come to her. The casting of the leading role in the ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars helped the actress to reinvent her career in 2011. Thanks to her acting career of over 2 decades, Laura Leighton is currently worth about $3 million.
Quick Facts
Laura Leighton is 5′ 4″ (1.63 m) high.
Before starting her acting career, she worked as a waitress at the infamous Mezzaluna Restaurant in Brentwood, California.
In 1995, the gorgeous actress received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in Melrose Place for best performance as a supporting actress in a series.
In 1996 Laura Leighton was named one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world by People magazine.
Although she enjoys a happy acting career, Leighton hopes that none of her children will make the leap into the business. She is literally terrified by the possibility that one of her children might show interest.
In her spare time, Laura Leighton also plays the piano.
Source: Celebily.com
