# Sharon Leal

Sharon Ann Leal is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles in movies such as Dreamgirls (2006), This Christmas (2007), Why Did I Get Married? (2007), Why Did I Get Married Too? (2010) and her roles on the television shows Legacy, Guiding Light and Boston Public.

## Early life

Leal was born in Tucson, Arizona. Her mother, Angelita, is Filipina. Her father was an African-American military policeman who broke up with her mother before Sharon was born. Shortly after, her mother married Jesse Leal, a Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force and a police officer at Clark Air Base, Philippines; he legally adopted Sharon.

## Career

Leal's career began with the role of Dahlia Crede in the CBS daytime serial Guiding Light. Later, she joined the Broadway company of Rent. Soon after, she was cast as Mimi for the San Francisco leg of the first national tour of Rent. Leal appeared on the 1999 original cast recording of the Off-Broadway musical Bright Lights, Big City alongside Patrick Wilson and Jesse L. Martin. She also appeared on the 2001 cast recording of Making Tracks.
From 2000 to 2004, Leal starred in the Fox prime time TV series Boston Public. She also had a role in the theatrical release Face the Music. She then appeared in a recurring role in the short-lived NBC series LAX, as the wife of airport co-director, Roger de Souza.
In 2006, she co-starred in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls as Michelle Morris, Effie White's replacement in the pop group The Dreams, with Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx. In 2007, Leal was cast in the Tyler Perry production Why Did I Get Married? and This Christmas. In 2010, she starred in Perry's sequel production Why Did I Get Married Too?. She also portrayed the character Vanessa Lodge in the series Hellcats, until it was cancelled in 2011. In 2013, Leal played the supporting role in the movie 1982, which tells a story of a drug addicted mother and a father's fight to protect his daughter.
In 2014, Leal released her album "Leal".
Leal appears in seasons 2, 3, 5 and 6 of Supergirl as M'gann M'orzz (Megan in human form).

## Personal life

In October 2001, Leal married Bev Land. Their son Kai Miles Land was born in September 2001. The couple divorced in 2009. Former Guiding Light co-star Yvonna Wright has said that she and Leal are close friends; the two starred together in a community production of Dreamgirls in their hometown.
In 2009, she posed nude for the May issue of Allure magazine.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2001 | Face the Music | Tracie | |
| 2004 | What Are the Odds | Nikki | Short |
| 2006 | Dreamgirls | Michelle Morris | |
| 2007 | Motives 2 | Nina | Video |
| 2007 | Why Did I Get Married? | Dianne Brock | |
| 2007 | This Christmas | Kelli Whitfield | |
| 2008 | Linewatch | Angela Dixon | |
| 2008 | Soul Men | Cleo Whitfield | |
| 2009 | Limelight | Nina | TV movie |
| 2010 | Why Did I Get Married Too? | Dianne Brock | |
| 2011 | Little Murder | Jennifer | |
| 2012 | Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day | Kari Ames | |
| 2013 | 1982 | Shenae Brown | |
| 2013 | The Last Letter | Cathrine Wright | |
| 2013 | Guilty | Sara Weston | TV movie |
| 2014 | Freedom | Vanessa | |
| 2014 | Addicted | Zoe Reynard | |
| 2015 | White Water | Annie | TV movie |
| 2016 | 36 Hour Layover | Sofia | |
| 2017 | Shot | Phoebe | |
| 2018 | Amateur | Nia | |
| 2018 | Bella's Story | Kim | |
| 2019 | Paper Friends | London | |
| 2020 | Blindfire | Nika Wilkins | |
| 2021 | A Holiday Chance | Naomi Chance | |
| 2021 | Traces | Claudia | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1996–99 | Guiding Light | Dahlia Crede | Regular Cast |
| 1998–99 | Legacy | Marita Peters | Main cast |
| 2000–04 | Boston Public | Marilyn Sudor | Main cast |
| 2004–05 | LAX | Monique DeSouza | Recurring cast |
| 2005 | Las Vegas | Nina | Episode: "Sperm Whales and Spearmint Rhinos" |
| 2007 | CSI: Miami | Lauren Sloan | Episode: "Internal Affairs" |
| 2009 | Private Practice | Dr. Sonya Nichols | Recurring cast: Season 2 |
| 2010–11 | Hellcats | Vanessa Lodge | Main cast |
| 2011 | Suits | Lisa Parker | Episode: "Dirty Little Secrets" |
| 2012 | Person of Interest | Dr. Madeleine Enright | Episode: "Critical" |
| 2014 | Perception | Inspector Liza Brahms | Episode: "Obsession" |
| 2014 | Suits | Lisa Parker | Episode: "Yesterday's Gone" |
| 2015 | The Good Wife | Nicole Rickter | Episode: "Wanna Partner?" |
| 2015 | Reed Between the Lines | Lori Samuels | Recurring cast: season 2 |
| 2014–16 | Grimm | Tyler "Zuri" Ellis | Recurring cast: Season 3 & 5 |
| 2016 | Recovery Road | Charlotte Graham | Main cast |
| 2016 | Dead of Summer | Renee Tyler | Episode: "The Devil Inside" & "She Talks to Angels" |
| 2016–21 | Supergirl | M'gann M'orzz/Miss Martian | Recurring cast: Season 2 & 6, guest: Season 3 & 5 |
| 2018–19 | Instinct | Lt. Jasmine Gooden | Main cast |
| 2018–19 | The Good Doctor | Breeze Browne | Guest: season 1-2, recurring cast: season 3 |
| 2020 | Council of Dads | Michelle | Recurring cast |
| 2022–24 | Pretty Little Liars | Sidney Haworthe | Main cast |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result |
| 2007 | Dreamgirls | Asian Excellence Awards | Asian Excellence Award for Outstanding Film Supporting Actress | Nominated |
| 2007 | Dreamgirls | Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast | Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Acting Ensemble | Nominated |
| 2007 | Dreamgirls | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Nominated |
| 2008 | This Christmas | Asian Excellence Awards | Asian Excellence Award for Outstanding Film Actress | Nominated |