Leah Remini

Leah Marie Remini (born June 15, 1970) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Carrie Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens.

Early life
Leah Remini was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York City, the daughter of Vicki Marshall, a private school teacher, and George Remini, who owned an asbestos removal company. Her mother was of Austrian Jewish background and her father was Sicilian. Remini has an older sister, Nicole Remini (born 1969), who was her assistant on The King of Queens. She also has four half-sisters, including Christina (born 1969).

Remini moved to Los Angeles at the age of 13 with her mother. When Remini was 14, she left school and worked as a hostess at a restaurant while auditioning for acting jobs.

Television career
After appearing in short-lived series, First Time Out and Fired Up, Remini landed the role of Carrie Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens. During her time on the show, she had a supporting role in the comedy film, Old School (2003). The King of Queens ran for nine seasons, from September 21, 1998 to May 14, 2007. Since The King of Queens ended, Remini has starred in nine-episode webisodes of In the Motherhood, along with Chelsea Handler and Jenny McCarthy. On December 15, 2009 Leah Remini appeared as Carrie Heffernan on Lopez Tonight with George Lopez as Doug Heffernan as "The Finale" to The George Lopez Show.

Remini will co-host The Talk, which is a talk show scheduled to premiere October 18, 2010. Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Holly Robinson Peete, Sharon Osbourne and Marissa Jaret Winokur will be the other co-hosts on this show similar to The View and seeks to address motherhood and other contemporary issues.

Personal life
On July 19, 2003, Remini married actor Angelo Pagán who also appeared on The King of Queens as Rico and other various characters. Leah and her husband welcomed a baby girl Sofia Bella into the world in 2006.

Remini is a member of The Church of Scientology. In December 2005, she helped promote the gala opening of Church of Scientology's "Psychiatry: An Industry of Death" Museum. Responding to criticism of Scientology during an interview on CNN, Remini stated: If somebody is going to get turned off about something because of what they read or heard, then that person's not smart enough to even enter a church. If you're really against something, then know what you're against.