Erica Leerhsen Biography

Erica Lei Leerhsen (born February 14, 1976) is an American actress. She is best known for her lead roles in the horror films Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Wrong Turn 2: Dead End. She is often referred to as a modern day scream queen. She is also known for her acting on television series, such as her lead role in The Guardian and several guest appearances, including The Sopranos, Alias, and others.

Early life and education

Leerhsen was born in New York City, and raised in Ossining, Westchester County, New York, along with her two younger sisters, Debbie and Nora, by their father Charles Leerhsen, a longtime editor of celebrity publication Us Weekly. She attended St. Augustine's School and Ossining High School and graduated from Boston University College of Fine Arts in 1998. She earned BFA in acting the same year.

Career

Career progression, 2000"2002

Leerhsen made her film debut in the short film Junior Creative (2000), as Sarah. The film received several good reviews. She appeared in the horror sequel Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, though she originally auditioned for the part that eventually went to Kim Director. The film was panned by film critics, but it debuted at number 2 with $13,000,000 in the United States, and finished with $26,421,314 Overall, internationally the film made $47,737,094. She was also voted #96 in 2001's Maxim Hot 100.

In 2001, Leerhsen appeared in an episode of the third season of The Sopranos, where she played a lesbian tennis instructor who falls for Drea de Matteo's character. That same year, She was part of cast of the well-acclaimed TV show The Guardian, she played as Amanda Bowles, an ambitious but caring associate, who leaves mid-way through season one. She played a supporting role in Woody Allen's Hollywood Ending. The film received mixed response by critics and at the box office making $14,569,744 at the end of its theatrical run. It was screened out of competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.

Worldwide success, 2003"2007

Leerhsen was honored with the title "Arrow in the Head's Mistress of the Year 2003". She starred alongside Jessica Biel in the horror remake The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, in which Leerhsen had a lead role as one of the doomed teens. During her screen test for the film, her screams were so loud that people on other floors of the building called the police to report that a young woman was being attacked. The film received mixed reviews and was a box office success, scoring the number-one spot in its opening week and going on to earn more than $80 million in the U.S. She was a guest star in two episodes of the TV show Alias. She appeared in Woody Allen's romantic comedy film Anything Else, opposite Jason Biggs, Christina Ricci, Stockard Channing, Danny DeVito, Jimmy Fallon, KaDee Strickland, and Allen. The film was the opening"night selection at the 60th annual Venice International Film Festival.

Leerhsen starred in the 2004 independent thriller The Warrior Class, where she played Anson Mount's love interest. The film got released on DVD on February 6, 2007. Leerhsen starred opposite Michael Peña in the independent comedy drama film Little Athens. The film was released at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, and on DVD on November 21, 2006. She had a guest appearance in the TV show Ghost Whisperer, and appeared as the character Bronwin in the romantic comedy film Mozart and the Whale, which was released in limited theaters on April 14, 2006. That same year, Leerhsen guest appeared as Brenda Sanders in the CBS series CSI: Miami episode "The Score".

She starred in Wrong Turn 2: Dead End, the 2007 sequel to the 2003 horror film Wrong Turn. The film was directed by Joe Lynch and co-starring Henry Rollins and Texas Battle. It got released on DVD on October 9, 2007 in the United States, was commercially successful and received a positive response from critics.

Recent work, 2008"present

She also had the lead role in the horror/thriller film Living Hell, where she played Carrie Freeborn, a hazmat specialist. The film, written and directed by Richard Jefferies premiered on the SCI FI Channel on February 23, 2008, and was released on DVD under the title Organizm on June 10 in the United States.

Leerhsen starred in the 2009 independent horror film Lonely Joe. The film's premise followed a reporter from New York City, Michele, who returns to her hometown to investigate and find out what happened, related with the mysterious murder of her brother. As she discovers bodies dating back more than fifty years, she begins to feel as if she is part of the story she is investigating. Filming began on October 15, 2007 and wrapped on November 6, 2007.

Leerhsen also stars in The Message, a supernatural thriller film about a young woman who is forced to come to terms with her personality flaws. She is visited by a group of angels who try to guide her on a path away from her darker side. In 2010, she landed a role in the horror film The Butterfly Room, which is an Italian/American production, produced by Ethan Wiley for Wiseacre Films and directed by Jonathan Zarantonello.

Personal life

Leerhsen currently lives in Los Angeles. She married professional cyclist Antony Galvan in February 2007, but the couple divorced in 2008.

On June 29, 2012, she married David Wilson in California. She enjoys yoga, running, and playing basketball.

Filmography

Film

Year	title	Role	Notes
2000	Junior Creative	Sarah	Short film
2000	Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2	Erica Geerson
2002	Hollywood Ending	Actress
2003	Anything Else	Connie
2003	The Texas Chainsaw Massacre	Pepper Harrington
2005	Little Athens	Heather
2006	Mozart and the Whale	Bronwin
2007	Wrong Turn 2: Dead End	Nina Papas
2007	The Warrior Class	Annie Sullivan
2009	Lonely Joe	Michele Connelly
2010	First Dates	Clara
2012	The Message	Anna
2012	The Butterfly Room	Claudia
2012	Phobia	Dr. Lesley Parker	Post-production
2014	Untitled Woody Allen project		Filming

Television

Year	title	Role	Notes
2001"2002	The Guardian	Amanda Bowles	22 episodes
2001	The Sopranos	Birgit Olafsdottir	Episode "Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood"
2003	Alias	Kaya	Episode "Conscious"
2005	Ghost Whisperer	Hope Paulson	Episode "Hope and Mercy"
2006	CSI: Miami	Brenda Sanders	Episode "The Score"
2008	Living Hell	Carrie Freeborn	TV movie
2011	The Good Wife	Dana Briglio	Episode "Getting Off"
2012	Person of Interest	Amy	Episode "Critical"