Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni—yeah, you probably know her as Téa Leoni—showed up in New York City on February 25, 1966. Her dad, Anthony, was all about that corporate lawyer life, while her mom, Emily Ann, kept things healthy as a dietitian. If you’re into ancestry, she’s got a wild mix: Italian from way back, plus Polish, English, Irish, Scottish, and German thrown in for good measure. She did a stint at Sarah Lawrence College but bailed before wrapping up. Her acting career kicked off with a soap—playing Lisa DiNapoli on Santa Barbara in '89—then she popped up in flicks like Switch and A League of Their Own in the early ‘90s. She landed a lead in the sitcom Flying Blind but, y’know, it didn’t stick around long. Jump to 1994, she’s sharing scenes with Kevin Costner in Wyatt Earp and with D.W. Moffett in The Counterfeit Contessa. ’95 was wild for her—she’s side by side with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys and even drops in on Frasier. Honestly, she kept the momentum going: Flirting with Disaster in '96, she’s bracing for Deep Impact in '98, then The Family Man in 2000. Spanglish rolls around in 2004, You Kill Me in 2007, and she’s most recently haunting Greg Kinnear in Ghost Town (2008). Personal life? She was married to Neil Joseph Tardio Jr., then tied the knot with David Duchovny and had two kids—West and Kyd. Wild ride, right?
So, here’s a fun tidbit: Téa Leoni and Tim Daly, both starring in Madam Secretary, actually started dating in the summer of 2014 while working together on the show. Fans totally picked up on the chemistry between them, and honestly, it wasn’t just great acting—they were actually into each other behind the scenes. Kind of wild how life imitates art, huh? You’d see them together at events, looking like the real deal, and the media had a field day with it. Their romance kicked off right around when the show was getting buzzy, which just added another layer to all the gossip and excitement swirling around Madam Secretary at the time. People love a good co-star romance, and these two became a bit of a power couple in the TV world. It’s not every day that the on-screen spark turns into something real, but hey, it definitely happened with Téa and Tim.
You know, this flick’s got a main character who’s got zero chill about her own looks—she’s basically roasting herself for not having the classic Hollywood “goods.” She’s not your typical bombshell, and honestly, she couldn’t care less about fitting into the whole T&A stereotype. Instead, she’s got that dry, biting humor that just cuts through the nonsense. The story’s a bit of a wild ride, packed with snappy dialogue and a good dose of self-awareness. There’s no sugar-coating or pretending here; the lead owns her quirks and insecurities, poking fun at herself while dodging the usual expectations people throw at women in movies. The film leans into her realness—awkward moments, self-doubt, all of it. Somehow, all that honesty ends up making her even more likable. So if you’re after a movie that flips the script on the typical “sexy lead” trope and serves up some sharp wit, this one’s your jam.
February 25, 1966
5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
New York City, New York, USA
Yes, West Duchovny
Anthony Pantaleoni and Surekha
59 years old