Leslie Stefanson Wiki
A former model and actress, Leslie Stefanson, is perhaps still known best for her role as Elisabeth Campbell in the 1999 crime drama “The General’s Daughter”, also starring John Travolta, James Cromwell and Madeline Stowe. The movie was based on the novel of the same title by Nelson DeMille, and followed the story of an undercover detective called in to investigate the murder of the daughter of a well-known and respected base commander, where he discovers a slew of cover-ups.
If you would like to learn more interesting info about Leslie, we’d like to introduce you to this talented performer and artist.
Early life, family, and education
Born Leslie Ann Stefanson on 10 May 1971, in Fargo, North Dakota USA, she holds American nationality although she comes from a family of Icelandic heritage – her paternal grandparents emigrated from Iceland. She’s 51 years old as of 2022.
Leslie was raised in Moorhead, Minnesota USA by her parents Randy, a lawyer, and Corrine, an owner of a clothing store – she has two older sisters whose names she hasn’t revealed.
Speaking of her educational background, she attended a local high school, and upon matriculating in 1989, she enrolled at Drew University, in New Jersey, and eventually transferred to Barnard College of Columbia University, in New York, from which she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English literature, in 1993.
Leslie was an athlete when she was a young girl, and didn’t dream of an acting career until her college days.
Acting and modeling career
Leslie began acting with a New York theatre group, and concurrently she began modeling to provide for herself, represented by Wilhelmina Models, in Manhattan, New York. Her biggest modeling success was the 1997 Lee Jeans commercial which was aired during the Super Bowl. ‘A blondie with cobalt-blue eyes and a beautiful smile’ are the words people used to describe this young model.
Leslie made her big-screen debut playing the small part of Girl at Party in the 1994 action comedy “The Cowboy Way” starring Woody Harrelson, Kiefer Sutherland and Dylan McDermott. She followed with her role as Sara Myers in the 1996 two-times Oscar-nominated romantic drama “The Mirror Has Two Faces”. Stars of the movie were Jeff Bridges and Barbra Streisand, who also directed the film which had 11 award nominations, including two for Oscars for Best Music, Original Song, and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Lauren Bacall), and won four.
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In the year following her appearance in Lee Jeans commercial, Leslie was cast to play in four movies. First, she was seen as Michelle Rafferty in “An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn”, also starring Coolio, Ryan O’Neal, and Chuck D, but which was nominated for Razzie Award –Worst Picture of the Decade.
Next, she was Sylvia in the comedy “Flubber”, starring Robin Williams, followed by a small part as a Café 24 Waitress in the two-times Oscar-awarded movie “As Good as It Gets”, starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt, who both won Oscars for their performance in this romantic drama.
Leslie was then seen as Liz in the comedy “Fool’s Paradise”, followed by her role as Shelly in the 1998 thriller “Break Up”. In the same year, she was cast to play Claire in “Delivered” – this was her first lead role, starring opposite David Strickland and Ron Eldard in this thriller drama about a pizza delivery boy, Will, who witnesses the murder of a guy who ordered pizza, and when the murderer realizes he’s been seen, he begins to pursue Will.
Leslie was then seen in “The General’s Daughter” in 1999, followed by her role as Joyce Parkins in the 2000 comedy-drama “Beautiful”, directed by Sally Field who was nominated for The Stinkers Bad Movie Award – Worst Sense of Direction (Stop them before they direct again!).
The early 2000s saw Leslie in “Unbreakable” (2000), “Desert Saints” and “The Stick Up” both in 2002.
Leslie next made her first television appearance, as Shelly Pangborn in the 2002 series “MDs”, and she starred opposite John Hannah and William Fichtner in this drama which won the American Society of Cinematographers, USA (ASC) Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series.
Next, Leslie was seen as Nyla Olson in the 2003 science-fiction action “Alien Hunter”, starring James Spader. Her next role came 16 years later, when she had a small part as a Woman on Train in the science-fiction horror drama “Glass”, starring Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, and James McAvoy.
Love life and relationships
Leslie has never discussed her previous relationships before meeting her future husband, James Spader. As mentioned, the two were co-starring in “Alien Hunter” and this is how they met. Leslie and James began dating in 2002, while they were filming the movie, and in 2008 the couple became engaged, and on 31 August of that year, they welcomed their son, Nathaneal.
James Spader is perhaps known best for his role as Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington in the series “The Blacklist”, which began airing in 2013 and is still going. Fans of the crime drama “Boston Legal” also know him as Alan Shore, while to movie lovers, he’s remembered for his roles in “Wall Street”, “Shadow of Fear” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron”.
James was previously married – his wife was his former long-term girlfriend Victoria (nee Kheel) Spader. They were dating for 11 years before marrying in 1987, and have two sons together, namely Elijah and Sebastian. Their divorce was finalized in 2004, and many people speculated that the reason for their divorce was James’ relationship with Leslie, however, they haven’t commented on these assumptions.
As of November 2022, Leslie and James are still in a relationship, and are raising their son together, living in New York City.
Where is she today? What is she doing?
When Leslie retired from acting and withdrew from public life, people wanted to know what happened. Well, in 2003, Leslie discovered her love for sculptures. She began taking courses in life drawing and sculpture at The Arts Students League of New York.
In 2011, she had her first show held in her hometown’s Art Gallery Museum; the gallery exhibited her bronze sculpture made in 2004, which Leslie named “I Myself Alone”. Today, she is devoted to her work, and creates terracotta and bronze sculptures in New York City and Los Angeles, California.
For her piece “La Bestia”, Leslie was awarded The National Sculpture Society Charlotte Geffken Prize.
You can see her work on her website ‘lesliestefanson.com’, and her Instagram.
Net worth
If you’re wondering about her net worth, it’s estimated to be over $1 million, and it’s believed that the majority of her income comes from her good looks which helped in her modeling career, and her acting talent. Perhaps you’d be interested to know that her partner, James Spader, has a net worth of more than $10 million, as of 2022.
