Actress Leah Remini was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, on June 15, 1970 of a Jewish mother and Sicilian father.
In her own words about her childhood: “I was the kinda kid that wouldn’t even cut school when we had a half-day. But I was mouthy. Always had an answer. My mouth got me into trouble.” Even as a child she had a yen towards the acting profession, maybe not as strong as towards becoming a singer, but she realized she didn’t quite have the talent for that. She took ballet, tap and jazz dancing but decided that wasn’t for her either. At age 13 Leah moved to Los Angeles with her mother and sisters. At 14 she dropped out of school. Her mother warned her that was okay only if she was going to achieve some form of greatness in life. Leah worked at waitressing, selling car insurance, and as a telemarketer for a solar heating company and a continuous job of auditioning for acting roles.
A caustic wit pervades nearly everything she says; expletives pepper her sentences, reinforcing the stereotype of a tough-talking Brooklynite. But asked if she’d consider toning down her Brooklynese, Remini pounced: “No. Are you trying to give me a hint that I should drop it? I can lose the accent; I just have to really focus on what I’m saying. And I have to talk slowly.”
That distinctive Brooklynese talk helped land her first speaking part in an episode of TV’s “Head of the Class.” Then in 1989 she was cast as Charlie Brisco in the sit-com “Living Dolls,” a spin-off of the popular sit-com “Who’s the Boss?” that starred two other Brooklynites, Tony Danza and Alyssa Milano. They occasionally dropped in as guests on Remini’s show. It was a lightweight comedy about four beautiful teenagers aspiring to become models under the tutelage of Trish Carlin (played by Michael Learned) who ran a model agency. The girls were innocent Martha (Alison Elliott); serious Emily (Halle Berry) who wanted to use her earnings to become a doctor; self-centered Caroline (Deborah Tucker), and tough-talking Charlie (Leah), a former street kid with a chip on her shoulder.
In her role as Tina Favasso in the 1991 sit-com “Man In the Family” she was appropriately cast as a rebellious teen-age daughter in a Brooklyn family that owned and operated Carmine’s Deli.
She has also appeared in “First Time Out,” “Evening Shade,” “Cheers” and “Saved by the Bell.” But by far her most famous role was as Carrie Hefferman in “King of Queens,” which ran for 9 years, ending in 2007, and is still frequently seen in rerun. Remini also appeared in the Will Ferrell comedy Old School in 2003.
— Vernon Parker
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