Born in San Francisco, CA on March 26, 1972, Leslie Mann began her showbiz career by appearing in commercials at age 17. Her first real major credit – a semi-regular role on the hospital drama “Birdland” – barely lasted two weeks before it was cancelled. Undaunted, however, Mann continued to plug away, taking on whatever role she could land. After appearing in a string of underwhelming duds, including writer-director Isabel Coixet's 1996 indie romantic comedy, “Cosas que nunca te dije” (a.k.a. “Things I Never Told You”), Mann’s luck finally started to turn for the better.
In 1996, Mann finally caught a huge break, beating out 500 other aspiring actresses to win the role of Matthew Broderick’s girlfriend in “The Cable Guy” – a dark buddy comedy starring Jim Carrey at his peak. It was there, on the set of that film, that Mann caught the eye of her future husband, producer Judd Apatow. Blown away by Mann at her audition, Apatow reportedly marveled to a friend after she left the room, "There goes the future Mrs. Apatow." Little did he know, at the time, just how prophetic his prediction would be. After a year long courtship, the two eventually married in 1997.
Moviegoers got to see more of Mann than they had bargained for, when she starred as the bodacious Ursula Stanhope, the lovely American heiress smitten by Brendan Fraser, in “George of the Jungle” (1997) – a live-action adaptation of the eponymous 1960s cartoon. Eager to start a family with her new husband, “George of the Jungle” would be Mann’s last film for two years. Eventually, however, Mann did return from her hiatus in 1999, to play a deliciously rich bitch role in the Adam Sandler comedy, “Big Daddy.”
Entering the new millennium, Leslie appeared in Michael Rymer and Hunter Carson's drama/comedy film set in the world of fashion, “Perfume” (2001), alongside Paul Sorvino, Jeff Goldblum and Carmen Electra. She followed this up by starring opposite Jason Lee, playing his longtime girlfriend in Bruce McCulloch's crime comedy, “Stealing Harvard” (2002).
But it was her turn as the drunken floozy who falls into an alcohol-induced slumber while behind the wheel in her husband’s feature directorial debut, “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” that truly set her apart. Audiences and critics collectively wondered just who the girl was with seemingly no shame – throwing up on her horrified date with gusto – but impeccable comic timing, stealing scenes from someone of Steve Carell’s caliber. “Virgin” became the surprise comedy hit of the season, raking in over $109 million at the box office.
The following summer, Mann was once again enlisted by husband Apatow to play Katherine Heigl’s big sister in his latest project, the pregnancy-themed laffer “Knocked Up.” Released in June of 2007, the film proved to be a comedic bundle of joy for critics and audiences alike – the majority of whom anointed Apatow the new King of Comedy, making Mann his Queen and perfect go-to girl for an almost guaranteed laugh. Keeping it in the family, Apatow cast his and Mann’s two daughters, Maude and Iris, in the film as well.