Téa Leoni

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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Distinguish". Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Wikidata image Téa Leoni (Template:IPAc-en; born Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni; February 25, 1966)[1] is an American actress. Early in her career, she starred on the television sitcoms Flying Blind (1992–1993) and The Naked Truth (1995–1998). Her breakthrough role was in the 1995 film Bad Boys, which led to leading parts in Deep Impact (1998), The Family Man (2000), Jurassic Park III (2001), Spanglish (2004), and Fun with Dick and Jane (2005). From 2014 to 2019, Leoni starred as Elizabeth McCord on the CBS drama series Madam Secretary.

Early life and family

Leoni was born on February 25, 1966, in New York City. Her mother, Emily Ann (née Patterson),[2][3] was a dietitian and nutritionist, and her father, Anthony Pantaleoni, was a corporate lawyer with the firm Fulbright & Jaworski.[4] Her paternal grandfather was of Italian, English, and Irish descent; he was a nephew of Italian economist and politician Maffeo Pantaleoni.[5][6][7]

Leoni's paternal grandmother, American silent film actress and humanitarian Helenka Adamowska Pantaleoni, was born in Brookline, Massachusetts to Polish musicians Józef Adamowski and Antonina Szumowska-Adamowska.[5][8] Leoni's mother is a native of Amarillo, Texas. She is a niece of actor Hank Patterson.[9]

Leoni grew up in Englewood, New Jersey, and New York City, and attended The Elisabeth Morrow School, Brearley School and The Putney School in Vermont.[10] She attended but did not complete studies at Sarah Lawrence College.[10]

In a 2017 episode of Finding Your Roots, hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr., Leoni discovered that her mother Emily, who was adopted, is the biological daughter of Mavis Abilene Gindratt from Vick, Louisiana, and Sumpter James Daniel, whose ancestors originated in Ireland. The Daniels immigrated to Virginia in the early 18th century, and founded a farm in Fairfax County, seven miles from that of George Washington.[11] Her mother's adoptive parents were Florry Elizabeth (née Roberts) and Virgil Pearson Patterson.[12][13]

Career

In 1988, Leoni was cast as one of the stars of Angels 88, an updated version of the 1970s show Charlie's Angels.[14] After production delays, the show never aired. The following year, she was cast as Lisa DiNapoli in the NBC daytime soap opera Santa Barbara. In 1991, she made her film debut with a small role in the comedy Switch and later played another small part in A League of Their Own (1992).

From 1992 to 1993, Leoni starred with Corey Parker in the short-lived Fox sitcom Flying Blind. In February 1995, she appeared in the sitcom Frasier, a spinoff from Cheers, as the fiancée of Sam Malone (played by Ted Danson).

Later in that year, she landed the lead role in the ABC/NBC sitcom The Naked Truth, playing Nora Wilde, a tabloid news journalist. The show ran through 1998. She was also offered the role of Rachel Green on the hit sitcom Friends, which she had turned down in favor of The Naked TruthScript error: No such module "Unsubst".. Leoni had the female lead role in the 1995 action comedy film Bad Boys, which was a box office success, grossing over $141 million worldwide.[15]

After leaving television, Leoni had a leading role in Deep Impact (1998), a big-budget disaster film featuring projected effects of a comet hurtling towards Earth. The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a success at the box office, grossing $349 million worldwide.[16] She later had main roles in two other big budget movies: romantic comedy The Family Man (2000), co-starring alongside Nicolas Cage, and science fiction film Jurassic Park III (2001) as William H. Macy's character's ex-wife. In 2002, she starred as a film studio executive in Hollywood Ending, directed by Woody Allen and had a supporting role in the box office bomb crime drama People I Know. In 2004, she appeared as the wife of Adam Sandler's character in the financially unsuccessful comedy-drama Spanglish. In 2005, Leoni starred alongside Jim Carrey in the comedy film Fun with Dick and Jane. The movie grossed $202 million at the box office worldwide.[17]

Leoni co-starred in a number of small films in the late 2000s, including You Kill Me and The Smell of Success. She co-starred opposite Ricky Gervais in the 2008 supernatural comedy-drama Ghost Town. In 2011, she had a supporting role in the heist comedy film, Tower Heist. In 2011, she was also cast alongside Hope Davis as leads in the HBO comedy pilot, Spring/Fall; however, the pilot was not picked up.[18]

Leoni starred as Elizabeth McCord in the CBS political drama Madam Secretary, which ran from September 21, 2014, to December 8, 2019.[19]

Personal life

Leoni married Neil Joseph Tardio Jr., a television commercial producer, on June 8, 1991, at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Hope Township, New Jersey.[20] They divorced in 1995.[21]

Leoni married actor David Duchovny on May 13, 1997, after an eight-week courtship.[22][23] They have two children, daughter Madelaine West Duchovny[24][25] and a son Kyd Miller Duchovny.[26][27] In 2008, Leoni and Duchovny separated.[28] The couple reconciled in 2009 but separated again in June 2011.[29][30] Duchovny filed for divorce in June 2014, and the couple had agreed to settlement terms by that August.[31][32]

Leoni began dating Tim Daly, her Madam Secretary co-star, in December 2014. They are both alumni of The Putney School.[33][34] Leoni and Daly were married on July 12, 2025 in New York during an intimate family wedding.[35][36]

Humanitarian work

Leoni was named a UNICEF goodwill ambassador in 2001.[37] She has been a member of UNICEF's national board since 2004.[37] Helenka Pantaleoni, her paternal grandmother, was the president of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF for more than 25 years.[8]

Asteroid

Asteroid 8299 Téaleoni, discovered by Eric Elst at La Silla in 1993, was named after Leoni.[38]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1991 Switch Connie the Dream Girl
1992 Script error: No such module "Sort". Racine 1st Base
1994 Wyatt Earp Sally
1995 Bad Boys Julie Mott
1996 Flirting with Disaster Tina Kalb
1998 Deep Impact Jenny Lerner
There's No Fish Food in Heaven[39] Landeene Also executive producer; Also known as Life In the Fast Lane
2000 The Family Man Kate Reynolds
2001 Jurassic Park III Amanda Kirby
2002 People I Know Jilli Hopper
Hollywood Ending Ellie
2004 House of D Mrs. Warshaw
Spanglish Deborah Clasky
2005 Fun with Dick and Jane Jane Harper
2007 You Kill Me Laurel Pearson Also executive producer
2008 Ghost Town Gwen
2009 The Smell of Success Rosemary Rose
2011 Tower Heist Special Agent Claire Denham
2025 Death of a Unicorn Belinda Leopold
Bird Boy Emmie Khumalo

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1989 Santa Barbara Lisa DiNapoli Temporary replacement for Tawny Kitaen
1992–1993 Flying Blind Alicia Main cast
1994 The Counterfeit Contessa[40] Gina Leonarda Nardino Television film
1995 Frasier Sheila Episode: "The Show Where Sam Shows Up"
1995–1998 The Naked Truth Nora Wilde Main cast
2000 The X-Files Herself Episode: "Hollywood A.D."
2011 Spring/Fall Margo Television film
2014–2019 Madam Secretary Elizabeth McCord Main cast; also producer
2024–2025 Only Murders in the Building Sofia Caccimelio Recurring cast

Awards and nominations

Year Nominated work Award Category Result
1998 Deep Impact Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite Actress – Sci-Fi Nominated
2000 The Family Man
Saturn Awards Best Actress Won
2006 Herself TV Land Awards Little Screen/Big Screen Star – Female Nominated
2014 Madam Secretary People's Choice Awards Favorite Actress in a New TV Series
2016 CBS MVP Awards Best Motivational Speech

References

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  1. ↑ Cite error: Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".
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  3. ↑ Stated on Finding Your Roots, November 21, 2017
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Cbignore
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Finding Your Roots Series 4 Episode 8
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ "Tea Leoni and David Duchovny split" Template:Webarchive. June 29, 2011, CNN
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".

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External links

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