Erica Leerhsen
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{short description|American actress}}
{{Infobox person
| image = EricaLeerhsenPhotoshot.jpg
| caption = Leerhsen at the 2005 screening of Little Athens
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|2|14}}
| birth_place = New York City, U.S.
| occupation = Actress
| education = Boston University (BFA)
| years_active = 2000–2015
| spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|Antony Galvan|2007|2008|end=divorce}}|{{marriage|David Wilson|2012}}}}
}}
Erica Lei Leerhsen (born February 14, 1976){{cite web |title=Leerhsen, Erica 1976– |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/leerhsen-erica-1976 |website=Encyclopedia.com |publisher=Cengage |access-date=July 24, 2022}} is an American actress. She first gained recognition for her leading part in the moderately successful horror sequel Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000). Her work led her to take on a recurring role in the first season of The Guardian and star in the horror hit The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003). She has since appeared in numerous films of that genre, including Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007), Lonely Joe (2009) and The Butterfly Room (2012), and is considered a scream queen. She has also acted in the Woody Allen films Hollywood Ending (2002), Anything Else (2003) and Magic in the Moonlight (2014) as well as in Allen's play A Second-Hand Memory (2004).
Early life
Leerhsen was born in New York City, and was raised in Ossining, Westchester County, New York, along with her two younger sisters, Debbie and Nora. Their father, Charles Leerhsen, is a longtime editor of celebrity publication Us Weekly.{{cite web|url=http://www.fandango.com/people/erica-leerhsen-387093/biography|work=Fandango|title=Erica Leerhsen Biography|publisher=Rovi|access-date=September 22, 2016}} She attended St. Augustine's School and Ossining High School and attended the Boston University College of Fine Arts. While in college, Leerhsen performed in stage productions of The Call of the Wild and The Tempest. After graduating in 1998, she earned BFA in acting the same year.
Career
=2000s=
Leerhsen made her film debut in the short film Junior Creative (2000), as Sarah, and shortly afterwards, she appeared in the horror sequel Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000), though she originally auditioned for the part that eventually went to Kim Director. Upon its premiere, the sequel received extremely negative reviews by critics,{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/book_of_shadows_blair_witch_2/|title=Book of Shadows – Blair Witch 2|website=Rotten Tomatoes }} but grossed US$26.4 million in North America,{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=blairwitch2.htm|title=Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000) – Weekend Box Office Results – Box Office Mojo|website=boxofficemojo.com}} and went on to gross US$47.7 million globally.{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=blairwitch2.htm|title=Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000) – Box Office Mojo|website=boxofficemojo.com}}{{cite web| title= Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2| publisher= The Numbers| url= https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2000/TBWP2.php | access-date= September 12, 2010}} She was nominated for the Fangoria Chainsaw Award for her supporting role in that movie.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0001163/2001/1?ref_=nmawd_ev_1|title=Fangoria Chainsaw Awards (2001)|publisher=IMDb. Amazon.com, Inc.|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/A3iEf|archive-date=May 23, 2024|access-date=May 23, 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/kROAY|title=Erica Leerhsen Biography|work=Primes World|date=December 29, 2022|first=Onkar|last=Misal|access-date=May 23, 2024}} Leerhsen's profile raised significantly and her work in the film was followed by a number of appearances on television. In 2001, she guest-starred 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, and became a member of the cast of the television series The Guardian, where she played Amanda Bowles, an ambitious but caring associate, who leaves midway through season one. She played a supporting role in Woody Allen's Hollywood Ending. Screened out of competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/3107546/year/2002.html |title=Festival de Cannes: Hollywood Ending |access-date=November 4, 2009|work=festival-cannes.com}} the film garnered a mixed critical response while it grossed a lukewarm US$14.5 million at the end of its theatrical run.{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=hollywoodending.htm |title=Hollywood Ending (2002) |access-date=February 13, 2008 |publisher=Box Office Mojo}}
Image:EricaLeerhsenChainsawPremiere.jpg premiere]]
Leerhsen starred alongside Jessica Biel in the horror remake The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), where she took on the role of one of the doomed teens. In a 2007 interview with website Icons of Fright, she admitted that in her audition for the movie, she screamed so loud that people on other floors of the building called the police to report that a woman was being attacked.{{cite web|url=http://www.iconsoffright.com/IV_Erica.htm|title=Erica Leerhsen interview - WRONG TURN 2, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, BLAIR WITCH 2|website=www.iconsoffright.com}} Reviews for the film were mixed, but it 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.{{mojo title|tcm03|The Texas Chainsaw Massacre}} Leerhsen became a prominent figure among horror films actors; Arrow in the Head honored her as the "Mistress of the Year 2003".{{cite web|url=https://archive.today/20241112105724/https://www.facebook.com/OfficialEricaLeerhsen/posts/erica-leerhsen-was-honored-with-the-title-arrow-in-the-heads-mistress-of-the-yea/703511866407386/|title=Erica Leerhsen was honored with the title 'Arrow in the Head's Mistress of the Year 2003'|publisher=Facebook. Meta Platforms|access-date=November 12, 2024}} Also in 2003, Leerhsen was a guest star in two episodes of the TV show Alias, and appeared in Woody Allen's romantic comedy film Anything Else, opposite Jason Biggs, Christina Ricci, Stockard Channing, Danny DeVito and Jimmy Fallon. She reunited with Allen in his play A Second-Hand Memory (2004), where she portrayed what was described by Variety as a "sweet secretary and superficial, nouveau-riche Hollywood wife".{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2004/legit/markets-festivals/a-second-hand-memory-1200529371/|title=A Second Hand Memory|first=David|last=Rooney|date=November 22, 2004}}
Leerhsen starred opposite Michael Peña in the independent comedy drama film Little Athens (2005), which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, and was released straight-to-DVD, to a mixed critical reception. While Variety remarked that Leerhsen and co-star Jill Ritchie were "stuck with narrowly conceived, deeply dislikable gals",{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2005/film/reviews/little-athens-1200525014/|work=Variety|title=Review: 'Little Athens'|author=Koehler, Robert|date=June 21, 2005|access-date=September 22, 2016}} she was praised by Mark Bell from Film Threat who, in his review, wrote that the actress "proves that the Blair Witch 2 was as much a blip in her acting skill as the film was in the pop culture conscienceness. Her interplay with Rachel Miner is true in the way that smalltown friendships really are: simple seemingly on the surface, but built on such complex webbing and history that every nuance, statement or situation is to be weighed and studied."{{cite web|url=https://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/7646/#ixzz3APywNKJV|work=Film Threat|title=Little Athens|archive-date=August 19, 2014|author=Bell, Mark|date=April 17, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819082406/http://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/7646/}}
In 2006, Leerhsen made a guest appearance in the TV show Ghost Whisperer, and appeared as the female leading character Bronwin in the romantic comedy Mozart and the Whale, which was released in limited theaters.{{cite web|title=Mozart and the Whale |url=http://ericaleerhsen.net/mozart.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928202622/http://ericaleerhsen.net/mozart.html |archive-date=September 28, 2007 }} Leerhsen also guest appeared in a 2006 episode of the CBS crime drama series CSI: Miami. In the drama The Warrior Class, Leerhsen played the drug-addict wife of a mafia boss (Jake Webber). The film was filmed in 2004 but was released directly-to-DVD on February 6, 2007.{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/schedule/?view=bydate&release=dvd&date=2007-02-06&p=.htm|title=DVD Releases for February 6, 2007|website=www.boxofficemojo.com}}
She headlined the horror sequel Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007), directed by Joe Lynch and co-starring Henry Rollins and Texas Battle. Unlike the 2003 film, the sequel premiered on DVD, but rated favorably with reviewers while it made US$9 million in domestic home video sales.{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wrong_turn_2/|title=Wrong Turn 2|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes}}{{cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Wrong-Turn-2-Dead-End#tab=summary|title=Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007) - Financial Information}} DVD Talk critic David Walker found her to be a "stand out" and noted that she "puts a great spin on what could easily have been another tired retread of the scream queen character".{{cite web|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/30652/wrong-turn-2-dead-end/|title=Wrong Turn 2 - Dead End|website=DVD Talk}} Brian Collins of Bloody Disgusting stated that Leerhsen "continues to impress" and that she had "got chops far beyond what is required for this type of film".{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/reviews/109564/wrong-turn-2-dead-end-v-2/|work=Bloody-Disgusting|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607082831/http://bloody-disgusting.com/reviews/109564/wrong-turn-2-dead-end-v-2/|archive-date=June 7, 2012|title=Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (V)|date=August 18, 2007}} That year she was meant to star in another horror film — Shutter, opposite Joshua Jackson — portraying a character named Allison Carter, although ultimately she does not appear in the final production.{{cite web|url=https://www.espinof.com/en-rodaje/todo-listo-para-rodar-el-remake-de-shutter|title=Todo listo para rodar el remake de 'Shutter'|work=Espinof|date=March 1, 2007|first=Juan Luis|last=Caviaro|language=Spanish|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241112111442/https://www.espinof.com/en-rodaje/todo-listo-para-rodar-el-remake-de-shutter|archive-date=November 12, 2024|access-date=November 12, 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cinema.de/film/shutter-sie-sehen-dich,10435.html|title=Shutter – Sie sehen dich (2008)|publisher=Cinema.de. Hubert Burda Media|language=German|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/7QPin|archive-date=November 12, 2024|access-date=November 12, 2024}}
Leerhsen next had the lead role in the horror-thriller film Living Hell, where she played Carrie Freeborn, a hazmat specialist.{{cite web|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/story/leerhsen-talks-living-hell|title= Leerhsen Talks Living Hell|date= July 5, 2006|publisher=Dread Central}} 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. In 2009, the independent horror film Lonely Joe — in which Leerhsen starred — premiered in the festival circuit and was released for digital markets and selected theaters.{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/16295/lonely-joe-available-online-now/|title='Lonely Joe' Available Online NOW - Bloody Disgusting|website=bloody-disgusting.com|date=May 25, 2009 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.joblo.com/horror-movies/news/lonely-joe-screening|title=Lonely Joe screening|date=June 3, 2008 }} Filming began on October 15, 2007 and wrapped on November 6, 2007.{{cite web|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/story/lonely-joe-update-new-project-announced|title=Lonely Joe Update, New Project Announced|date=December 27, 2007 }} Leerhsen took on the role of Michele Connelly, a New York City reporter who returns to her hometown 10 years after the mysterious murder of her younger brother. Doing her own stunts for the film, she was nearly hit by the train when she lost her balance and lunged forward while shooting a sequence. Her scene was shot with her only 12 inches from the side of the train as it passed by at 30 miles per hour. Unshaken, she insisted on shooting the scene again.{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180609230906/https://mrrumsey.com/2015/01/08/erica-leerhsen-talks-magic-in-the-moonlight/|title=ERICA LEERHSEN TALKS MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT!|work=Mr Rumsey|date=January 8, 2015|first=James|last=Walpole|access-date=May 23, 2024}}
=2010s=
Leerhsen filmed a comedic short film entitled First Dates, exploring the dating scene of several single people. The production premiered at the AFI screening room in Los Angeles on January 8, 2011.{{cite web|url=http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-erica-leerhsen-first-date-premiere-screening-held-at-the-american-44334342.html|title=Stock Photo – Erica Leerhsen 'First Date' premiere screening held at The American Film Institute (AFI) Screening Room Los Angeles, California – 08.01.11|publisher=Alamy Limited|access-date=November 12, 2024}} She made one-episode appearances in The Good Wife in 2011 and in Person of Interest in 2012. She portrayed the next-door neighbor of a bipolar and butterfly-obsessed elderly lady (Barbara Steele) in The Butterfly Room, an Italian–American horror production, produced by Ethan Wiley and directed by Jonathan Zarantonello.[https://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/19275 "Erica Leerhsen Gets a Bag on the Head in First 'Butterfly Room' Image"], Bloody Disgusting The film premiered throughout the European film circuit in 2012, and was released in Italy on June 6, 2014, and in the US in one theater on April 11, 2014.{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=butterflyroom.htm|title=The Butterfly Room (2014) - Box Office Mojo|website=www.boxofficemojo.com}} Leerhsen starred in the low-budget horror The Message, which premiered at the 2012 Cape Fear Independent Film Festival and revolved around a young woman who is forced to come to terms with her personality flaws.
Leerhseen starred in the independent thriller Phobia, as Lesley Parker, a female doctor in the 19th century dedicated to help a group of people with their phobias who becomes embroiled in a murder mystery surrounding a patient that may be a vampire.{{cite web|url=https://www.joblo.com/horror-movies/news/erica-leerhsen-joins-horror-period-piece-phobia|title=Erica Leerhsen joins horror period piece Phobia|date=September 20, 2011 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/47358/erica-leerhsen-face-her-phobia#axzz3BLgHQJGO|title=Three More Actresses Join The Following - Dread Central|website=www.dreadcentral.com|date=August 20, 2013 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.horror-movies.ca/2011/10/erica-leerhsen-has-a-phobia/|title=Erica Leerhsen Has A Phobia - HorrorMovies.ca|date=October 2, 2011}} The film was released on September 1, 2013.{{cite web|url=http://influxmagazine.com/phobia/|title=Phobia (Review)|website=influxmagazine.com}} She played a supporting role in Mischief Night, a small-scale slasher released on October 30, 2013, for DVD and a limited theatrical run.
Leerhsen appeared in Woody Allen romantic comedy Magic in the Moonlight (2014) portraying the role of Caroline, a member of a rich American family in the 1920s French Riviera. The film, starring Emma Stone, Jacki Weaver, Colin Firth, and Marcia Gay Harden, received mixed reviews from critics,{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/magic_in_the_moonlight/|title=Magic in the Moonlight|website=Rotten Tomatoes }} but was an arthouse success.{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/specialty-box-office-magic-in-the-moonlight-and-a-most-wanted-man-open-strong-in-packed-weekend-20140727|title=Specialty Box Office: 'Magic In The Moonlight' and 'A Most Wanted Man' Open Strong In Packed Weekend|first=Peter|last=Knegt|date=July 27, 2014}} Her work in the movie marked the fourth time Leerhsen has worked with Allen, who praised her for her acting abilities; "Every time I cast her, she comes through without fail. She shows up, she asks no questions, she does the character — I have no idea how she has worked it out — and it’s always effective".{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/movies/meet-woody-allens-less-well-known-muse-92855014277.html|title=Meet Woody Allen's Secret Movie Muse|date=July 25, 2014|publisher=Yahoo!|access-date=January 25, 2021}}
Personal life
In February 2007, she married professional cyclist Antony Galvan, but the couple divorced in 2008. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California"United States Public Records, 1970–2009", database, FamilySearch (May 23, 2014), Erica A Leerhsen, Residence, Los Angeles, California, United States; a third party aggregator of publicly available information. with husband Davis Wilson, whom she married on June 29, 2012. Besides acting, Leerhsen enjoys yoga, running, and playing basketball.
Filmography
= Film =
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2000
| Junior Creative | Sarah | Short film |
| 2000
| Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 | Erica Geerson | |
| 2002
| Actress | |
| 2003
| Connie | |
| 2003
| Pepper Harrington | |
| 2005
| Heather | |
| 2005
| Bronwin | |
| 2007
| Annie Sullivan | |
| 2007
| Nina Papas | |
| 2009
| Lonely Joe / Haunted Traxxs | Michele Connelly | |
| 2010
| First Dates | Clara | |
| 2012
| Claudia | |
| 2012
| The Message | Anna | |
| 2013
| Phobia | Dr. Lesley Parker | |
| 2013
| Kim | |
| 2014
| Pacific Standard | Carla | Short film |
| 2014
| Caroline | |
| 2015
| Dominion | {{n/a}} | Co-executive producer |
= Television =
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2001
| Birgit Olafsdottir | Episode: "Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood" |
| 2001–2002
| Amanda Bowles | 13 episodes |
| 2003
| Alias | Kaya | Episode: "Conscious" |
| 2005
| Hope Paulson | Episode: "Hope and Mercy" |
| 2006
| Brenda Sanders | Episode: "The Score" |
| 2008
| Carrie Freeborn | Television film |
| 2011
| Dana Briglio | Episode: "Getting Off" |
| 2012
| Amy | Episode: "Critical" |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons}}
- {{IMDb name|0498713}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090706131405/http://www.erica-leerhsen.com/ Erica-Leerhsen.com]
- [https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1802953390/bio/ Erica Leerhsen at Yahoo! Movies]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leerhsen, Erica}}
Category:21st-century American actresses
Category:Actresses from New York (state)
Category:American film actresses
Category:American television actresses