Chyler Leigh Biography / Pictures

Chyler Leigh (pronounced /ˈkaɪlɚ/; born April 10, 1982) is an American actress, perhaps best known for her portrayal of Dr. Lexie Grey on the television show Grey's Anatomy.

Biography

Chyler was born Chyler Leigh Potts in Charlotte, North Carolina, the daughter of Yvonne Norton and Robert Potts. She was raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia, until the age of twelve when she moved with her mother and brother Christopher Khayman Lee to Miami, Florida. During eighth grade she started modeling. She soon moved on to acting by appearing in local television commercials and a syndicated teen news show called Hall Pass. Leigh did not graduate from high school and she took the California High School Proficiency Exam.

Chyler started acting at an early age and debuted in the film world at age 15 in 1997's Kickboxing Academy. In the movie, Leigh and her brother Christopher Khayman Leigh had several make out scenes although Chyler was just 15. In 2001, Leigh had the lead role in the film Not Another Teen Movie as Janey Briggs. She also appeared in Marilyn Manson's music video "Tainted Love", a song which appeared in the film. She was ranked #65 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2002.

In 2002, Chyler was cast in two short-lived TV series: Girls Club, in which she played lawyer Sarah Mickle, and That '80s Show, in which she played punk rocker June Tuesday. She then became a series regular on the ABC legal drama The Practice, but was let go at the end of the season due to budget cuts. Following that, she joined the cast of Reunion in September, 2005. In ABC's Grey's Anatomy, Leigh first appeared as a woman in Joe's bar who tried to pick up Derek Shepherd. In the third season finale, it was revealed that she was Lexie Grey, Meredith's half-sister. She was made an official series regular for season four.

On July 20, 2002, she married actor Nathan West. The couple worked together in 2000 on the television series 7th Heaven playing Mary Camden's troubled friends Frankie and Johnnie.

They have two children. Their son, Noah Wilde, was born in December 2003. Their second child, a daughter named Taelyn Leigh, was born in September 2006. On December 28, 2008 it was announced that Chyler and her husband were expecting their third child.

Leigh said that she and West have a pact in which the person who guesses the baby's gender correctly gets to choose the name. When pregnant with Noah, she guessed she was having a boy so she chose the first name and Nathan gave him his middle name. For Taelyn, Nathan correctly guessed it was a girl, so he named her. Their third child, also a girl, was guessed correctly by West; he will choose the name, which will be Aniston Kay. The baby is due May 15, 2009.