Leslie Browne

Leslie Browne, born June 29, 1957, in New York City, is an American prima ballerina and actress whose career has spanned ballet, film, television, and Broadway. She is the daughter of dancers Isabel Mirrow (1928–2014) and Kelly Kingman Brown (1928–1981), and her godparents were choreographer and producer Nora Kaye and director Herbert Ross. Browne has two brothers and one sister; her brother Kevin works as a film producer. She added an "e" to her surname as a stage name, finding it more feminine after being listed as male in a playbill.

Browne began dancing at age seven, training at her father's studio in Arizona alongside her siblings Ethan and Elizabeth. She later earned a scholarship to the School of American Ballet and subsequently joined the New York City Ballet. She also pursued acting studies at HB Studio in Greenwich Village. In 1976 she joined American Ballet Theatre as a soloist, advancing to principal dancer in 1986 and remaining with the company until her retirement in 1993.

Her film debut came in 1977 with The Turning Point, a project developed by Nora Kaye and Herbert Ross. Originally cast for the role of Emilia was Gelsey Kirkland, who departed the production due to substance abuse issues and dissatisfaction with the script. Ross then cast Browne, believing she could portray a fictionalized version of herself as a young dancer invited to join a major New York ballet company. The performance earned Browne both an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe nomination, both at age twenty. She subsequently appeared in two additional Herbert Ross dance films: Nijinsky in 1980 and Dancers in 1987. She also made a guest appearance on the television series Happy Days, playing a dancer-girlfriend of Fonzie's.

Following her retirement from American Ballet Theatre, Browne made her Broadway debut in The Red Shoes in 1993. She has since made guest appearances as a dancer, continued acting studies for three years, choreographed, and taught dance. In 1997 the New York City Dance Alliance presented her with its Distinguished Achievement Award.