Leigh Taylor-Young was born on January 25, 1945, in Washington, D.C., to a diplomat father and raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, as the older sister of future actress Dey Young and writer/director Lance Young. She studied classical ballet and attended Northwestern University, initially majoring in economics, but later switching to theater and studying under drama teacher Alvina Krause.
Leigh moved to New York with the intention of pursuing a professional acting career, studying under acting guru Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Her major break came when she was cast in the primetime TV soap Peyton Place, playing the mysterious Rachael Welles. She left the series after one season and married Ryan O'Neal in 1967, with whom she had a son, Patrick O'Neal.
Leigh began her film career in the late 1960s, earning a Golden Globe nomination for her role in the comedy I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! (1968). She appeared in several films throughout the 1970s, including The Big Bounce (1969),The Games (1970),and Soylent Green (1973).
After separating from O'Neal in 1971, Leigh took a hiatus from acting to focus on raising her son. She made a comeback in the 1980s, appearing in films such as Looker (1981) and Jagged Edge (1985). She also found success on television, earning an Emmy award for her role in the drama series Picket Fences (1992).
Leigh has continued to work in film and television throughout her career, appearing in a range of roles, including the daytime soap Passions (1999) and the films Slackers (2002),Klepto (2003),and The Wayshower (2011). She has also been involved in various charitable and spiritual pursuits, including becoming an ordained minister in the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness.
