Leslie Silva

Born in Schenectady, New York, Leslie Silva was raised primarily in Saratoga, New York, but also lived in Connecticut, Iowa and Georgia, moving frequently because her father worked as a nuclear engineer. She attended the University of Connecticut at Storrs, and received a BFA from the School of Drama there, and an MFA from the Juilliard School in New York. She made her professional stage debut in a 1995 Shakespeare Theater production of "Macbeth" in Washington, DC, and starred in Sam Shepard's one-act play "Chicago", for New York's Signature Theater, in 1996. She appeared Off-Broadway in "Edmond" and starred as Helena in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. She has also worked in theater with Anna Deavere Smith, Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory and made her feature-film debut with a brief role as a process server in the romantic comedy Fools Rush In (1997). Her wide eyes, expressive features and commanding presence make for an enviable appeal, and helped