Chyler Leigh

Early life

Leigh was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 10, 1982, to Yvonne Norton and Robert Potts. She was raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where her parents ran a weight-loss business. The business went bankrupt when she was eight and her parents' marriage ended when she was 12; she, her mother, and her older brotherformer actor Christopher Khayman Leethen moved to Miami, where her mother remarried her first husband. Leigh was estranged from her father for many years following her parents' divorce, but they have since reconciled.

Leigh was in eighth grade when she started modelling. She soon began acting by appearing in local television commercials and a syndicated teen news show, Hall Pass. In 1999, Leigh and her mother relocated to Los Angeles so she could develop her acting career. At 16, she took and passed the California High School Proficiency Exam.

Drug addiction and recovery

At age 16, Leigh met her future husband, 20-year-old Nathan West, when they both attended auditions for the pilot of an unsuccessful WB series titled Saving Graces. They began a relationship, and Leigh left home to move in with West. Leigh described them as being "broken", both having had troubled family lives and difficult upbringings. This led to abuse of drugs, which quickly escalated into addiction; she was told by the director of Not Another Teen Movie that she looked unhealthily thin. Around that time, she and West attended a Christian church service, at the invitation of a friend, which helped them in recovery, and the two were subsequently married.

Career

Leigh started acting at an early age and debuted in the film world at age 15 in 1997's Kickboxing Academy. She started hosting local TV shows and modeling; in 2001, Leigh nabbed the lead role in the box-office success Not Another Teen Movie as Janey Briggs opposite Chris Evans. She also appeared with the cast in Marilyn Manson's music video "Tainted Love", a song which appeared in the film. She was ranked number 65 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2002. In 2002, Leigh was cast in two short-lived TV series: Girls Club, in which she played lawyer Sarah Mickle, and That '80s Show, in which she played punk rocker June Tuesday. She then became a series regular on the ABC legal drama The Practice, but was let go at the end of the season due to budget cuts. Following that, she joined the cast of Reunion in September 2005.

In ABC's medical drama Grey's Anatomy, Leigh first appeared as a woman in Joe's bar who was noticed by Derek Shepherd during the final two episodes of the third season, and her character is later revealed to be Lexie Grey, the younger half-sister of the titular character. Leigh was made an official series regular for season four and remained so until the eighth-season finale, as Leigh chose to depart from the show after five years to spend more time with her family.

Leigh also makes music with her husband Nathan West (East of Eli), under the name "WestLeigh". They have performed covers and original songs. In 2015 for their 13th anniversary, they wrote "Love Lit the Sky". On Valentine's Day 2017, they released the single "Nowhere". Leigh has taken part in several of her husband's tours.

On June 18, 2017, a single "Spirit of Samba" by Laurent Voulzy was released featuring Leigh, Nina Miranda, Luisa Maita, and Eloisia; in France, it reached the 99th position on the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique chart.

From 2015 to 2021, Leigh starred in the CBS/CW DC Comics television series Supergirl as Alex Danvers, the elder adopted sister of the titular character and a scientist and government agent at the Department of Extranormal Operations. She reprised the role on Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow during crossover events Crisis on Earth-X, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and "Armageddon". She made her directorial debut with the season six episode "Prom Again!".

In April 2021, Leigh returned to Grey's Anatomy for the episode "Breathe".

Since 2023, Leigh has co-starred in the Hallmark Channel series The Way Home with Andie MacDowell.

Personal life

In 2002, Leigh married fellow actor Nathan West in Alaska. The couple worked together in 2000 on the television series 7th Heaven, playing Mary Camden's (Jessica Biel) troubled friends Frankie and Johnnie. Leigh and West have three children – a son and two daughters (born 2003, 2006, and 2009).

Leigh is a Christian and credits her faith and a "really awesome church" with giving her husband and her "a reason to live". She also supports The Thirst Project, a nonprofit organization in America, which aims to bring safe drinking water to communities around the world.

In 2019, Leigh revealed that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder a decade earlier.

In mid 2020, Leigh published a statement on the Create Change website, an advocacy website she cofounded, in which she expressed an emotional connection with her Supergirl character's coming-out scene. Several websites and media outlets, especially those connected with LGBTQ advocacy, interpreted this statement as Leigh's own coming-out about her sexuality.

Leigh and her family previously lived in Los Angeles, but they now split their time between Vancouver and Nashville.

During mid-2020, Leigh contracted COVID-19; she described her experience in an article published to createchange.me on October 14, 2020:

Filmography

Films

Television

Music videos

• "Tainted Love" (2001) by Marilyn Manson

Awards and nominations

References

References

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2. "Chyler Leigh Biography".
3. (November 14, 2005). "Chyler Leigh still waiting for prime time to be kind". Virginian-Pilot Archives.
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5. . (November 28, 2007). ["'Anatomy' of a taboo"](https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/anatomy-taboo-article-1.255578). *New York Daily News*.
6. "Preview Grey's Anatomy's newest intern, Chyler Leigh – Celebrity and Entertainment News".
7. Marsi, Steve. (September 24, 2007). "Addiction to Fulfillment: An Interview With Chyler Leigh". TV Fanatic.
8. (May 2002). "2002 Hot 100 List".
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10. "''Grey's'' Creator Defends Finale Death".
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14. (February 14, 2017). "Nowhere (feat. Chyler Leigh) by East of Eli".
15. (March 12, 2017). "East of Eli at the Troubadour Featuring Chyler Leigh".
16. "Chyler Leigh and Nathan West release delightful new song for Valentine's Day". AXS.
17. (July 2020). "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 37, 2017)". [[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique]].
18. (June 18, 2017). "Spirit of Samba (feat. Nina Miranda, Chyler Leigh, Luisa Maita & Eloisa) - Single di Laurent Voulzy".
19. Damore, Meagan. (August 25, 2021). "Team Flash's Season 8 Roster Is Basically the Arrowverse's Justice League".
20. Hatchett, Keisha. (March 17, 2021). "Supergirl: Chyler Leigh Takes Us Behind the Scenes of Her Directorial Debut". [[TVLine]].
21. (April 1, 2021). "'Grey's Anatomy': Inside Those Long-Awaited and Surprising Returns".
22. Rice, Lynette. (November 17, 2022). "'The Way Home': Hallmark Announces Premiere Date, Drops Trailer for New Series Starring Andie MacDowell, Chyler Leigh".
23. Ingrassia, Lisa. (November 10, 2008). "''Grey's Anatomy'' Star: At Long Last, Love". People.
24. Ingrassia, Lisa. (July 12, 2007). "Grey's Anatomy Cast 'Happy to Be Back'". People.
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28. (December 23, 2019). "Supergirl Star Chyler Leigh Explains Why She Felt Relief With Bipolar Diagnosis".
29. (June 9, 2020). "'Supergirl' co-star Chyler Leigh comes out in emotional 'Wear Your Pride' essay".
30. (June 9, 2020). "'Supergirl's Chyler Leigh Comes Out, Doesn't Specify Sexuality".
31. (June 9, 2020). "Supergirl and Grey's Anatomy star Chyler Leigh comes out in moving essay about her journey with her sexuality".
32. (June 8, 2020). "'Supergirl,' 'Grey's Anatomy' Star Chyler Leigh Comes Out".
33. (June 9, 2020). "Chyler Leigh Opens up About Her Sexual Identity".
34. (June 9, 2020). "Supergirl star Chyler Leigh comes out in emotional essay to mark Pride Month".
35. (May 17, 2020). "Supergirl's Chyler Leigh on Turning Vigilante and the Critical Finale Ending".
36. "Create Change on Instagram: "Hi friends! If you missed our 10/18/2020 #SelfishSunday chat with Create Change CCO, Chyler @chy_leigh , you can watch the replay here. 💚…"".
37. "Brake Cast and Crew - Cast Photos and Info".
38. (March 2, 2015). "Musical Montage: Marilyn Manson "Tainted Love"".
39. "21st Annual Young Artist Awards".
40. "Movieline's 4th Annual Young Hollywood Awards".
41. "14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards".