Biography

Veteran film and television actress Leslie Bega can now be seen co-starring as Valentina La Paz on the HBO Emmy Award winning television series The Sopranos (1999), Tony Soprano's girlfriend. In addition, Leslie also can be seen as a diametrically opposite character to Valentina named Leah on CBS's Emmy Award winning show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000). Leslie recently completed a starring role in the independent feature film Dating Games People Play (2005), a romantic comedy directed by Stefan Marc. The film is scheduled for release in late 2004. A Los Angeles native, Leslie spent a great deal of her childhood in New York. After graduating with honors as her high school class valedictorian from 11 years at the prestigious Los Angeles private French school Le Lycee Francais, she attended college at The University of Southern California majoring in cinema with a minor in drama. Making her acting debut at the age of six in the Broadway play "The Patriots," Leslie went on to star in countless television commercials and then moved into episodic and film. Throughout this time in her childhood, she was sharpening her skills and establishing a solid foundation to her successful career as an actor. In the late 1980s, Leslie landed a starring role in the long running top-ten ABC television sitcom Head of the Class (1986), portraying the brilliant yet socially awkward Maria Borges. Her follow-up television series was ABC's C-16: FBI (1997) alongside Eric Roberts, Angie Harmon, and 'DB Sweeney'. Leslie quickly went on to establish herself in the Motion Picture arena, sharing the screen with such Hollywood stars as John Travolta, Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, and Anthony Quinn. Leslie has been in 15 motion pictures including David Lynch's Lost Highway (1997), Get Shorty (1995), directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, and Rob Reiner's The American President (1995). After 19 years of vocal/singing training, in 2001, Leslie performed a solo singing performance at Lincoln Center. She recently completed producing Public Service Announcements for "Women At Risk" with actors Billy Zane and Phil Buckman; and "Outreach," educational programs designed for inner city kids. In her spare time, Leslie is an accomplished gourmet chef, and was the Master Chef at the restaurant "RAW" in Santa Monica before leaving to work on her own desert and food line.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: unknown

Film and television actress Leslie Rae Bega starred as "Valentina La Paz" on the HBO Emmy Award winning television series "The Soprano's" as Tony Soprano's girlfriend. In addition, Leslie also starred as a diametrically opposite character to Valentina, named Leah Banks on CBS's Emmy Award winning show "CSI". Leslie also completed a starring role in the independent feature film "Dating Games People Play", a romantic comedy directed by Stephen Marc and also shot a new Pilot called "Bird Dog" for TNT/Warner Brothers. A Los Angeles native, Leslie spent a great deal of her childhood living / acting bi-coastally between Los Angeles and New York. After graduating with honors as her high school class valedictorian from 12 years at the prestigious Los Angeles private French school Le Lycee Francais, she attended college at The University of Southern California majoring in cinema with a minor in drama and attended the USC Marshall School of Business.

Making her acting debut at the age of six in the Broadway play "The Patriots", she established a long term foundation in N.Y theatre, then went on to star in countless television commercials and into episodic and film. Throughout this time in her childhood, she was sharpening her skills and establishing a solid foundation to her successful career as an actor in television, films, singing, in voice overs and on stage. In the late eighties and into the nineties, Leslie landed a starring role in the long running top-ten ABC television sitcom "Head Of The Class", portraying the brilliant yet socially awkward Maria Borges. Her follow up television series was ABC's "C-16 FBI" along side Eric Roberts, Angie Harmon and DB Sweeney. Leslie quickly went on to establish herself in the Motion Picture arena, sharing the screen with such Hollywood stars as John Travolta in Barry Sonnenfeld's "Get Shorty", Michael Douglas, Annette Benning in Rob Reiner's "The American President", Anthony Quinn, F Murray Abraham, Patrick Dempsey & Christian Slater in "Mobsters" and Helen Mirren in "The Twilight Zone". Leslie has been in 15 motion pictures including David Lynch's "Lost Highway". Additional experience in the television industry; Leslie has worked with major studios and networks such as Paramount, Warner Brothers, Universal, 20th Century Fox, MGM/Sony, ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS and HBO and has an established rapport with all of them. She has been interviewed and featured in the L.A. Times, the New York Times, Maxim (A Hot 100), People, Star, Vanity Fair, T.V. Guide, Elle, Cosmopolitan, VH1, USA Today, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more. Copies of her press articles, resume, Bio, HeadShots and Acting & Voice Over Reels can all be accessed on her website: www.LeslieRaeBega.Com (Click on Theatrical.)

Leslie has has had the opportunity of traveling around the world three times and living abroad including Australia, Thailand and Hong Kong where she worked in Interior Design, studied the culinary arts at the Cordon Blu and also obtained her license in Natural-pathic and Homeopathic Medicine. Leslie is also a business entrepreneur and worked in finance with the company Peak Finance in Beverly Hills before establishing her career in Commercial and Residential Real Estate. At Peak, she became a Commercial Real Estate broker specializing in Land acquisitions development and investments. Several years later she was 'recruited' by Sotheby's International Realty and established a formidable international clientele in both Commercial and Residential Real Estate. Leslie's 19 years of vocal / singing training led to roles in numerous broadway musicals and in 2001 Leslie performed a solo singing performance at Lincoln Center. She recently completed producing Public Service Announcements for "Women At Risk" with actors Billy Zane and Phil Buckman and "Outreach"; educational programs designed for inner city kids.

Leslie recently starred as a Real Estate Broker on two #1 reality shows: Bravo's "Million Dollar Listing" (twice) representing the buyer and a featured star on HGTV's "Selling LA" where she featured one of her properties for sale, a $12Million Dollar estate in the West Hollywood Hills. With these shows, Leslie has finally decided to merge her two different careers: Real Estate and her Theatrical career, into one by writing and creating a new TV Show (in process). Her website features and reflects her established expertise in both arenas.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: LeslieRaeBega.Com