# Leslie Grossman

Leslie Erin Grossman (born October 25, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Lauren on The WB sitcom What I Like About You, and for her frequent collaborations with Ryan Murphy, appearing as Mary Cherry on The WB's comedy-drama series Popular (1999–2001), and as various characters on the FX anthology series American Horror Story since 2017. Grossman also had a recurring role on the television series 10 Things I Hate About You, a reboot of the original cult classic movie of the same name.

## Early life and education

Grossman was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She attended Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences, where she directed plays. She started acting in her senior year at Sarah Lawrence College.

## Career

In 1999, Grossman was cast in her first major role, playing supporting character Mary Cherry in The WB high school drama series Popular. She had auditioned for the roles of Sam McPherson and Nicole Julian on Popular before having the part of Mary Cherry written for her. After Popular, Grossman joined the cast of The WB sitcom What I Like About You with Amanda Bynes and Jennie Garth. She had a recurring role in the first season before being added to the main cast in the second season. She played Lauren, the co-worker and best friend of Val Tyler (Garth).
On television, Grossman has appeared on Nip/Tuck, Charmed and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, amongst other television series. In 2011 she guest starred on ABC Family's Melissa and Joey, and in 2012 she appeared on The New Normal and Ben and Kate. On film, Grossman appeared in Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous in 2005. She appeared in two movies in 2006, Running with Scissors in an uncredited role and in Itty Bitty Titty Committee as Maude.
In 2017, she joined the cast of the seventh season of American Horror Story as Meadow Wilton and a flashback version of the infamous serial killer and Manson Family gang member Patricia Krenwinkel. In 2018, she was promoted to series regular for its eighth season portraying witch Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt. She later appeared in the ninth season as Camp Redwood's owner Margaret Booth. She returned for the tenth season as a strong-willed literary agent named Ursula & an Area 51 researcher named Dr. Calico in the same season, for the eleventh season as Barbara, a New York City citizen that is going through a harrowing divorce process, and in the twelfth season she plays Ashleigh, a seemingly supernatural PR campaigner. Her appearances on the show mark the fourth collaboration between Grossman and Ryan Murphy, having appeared on Popular, Nip/Tuck, The New Normal, and American Horror Story. In 2024, she appeared in the Netflix biographical crime drama series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story as Judalon Smyth, the mistress of the Menendez brothers' therapist Jerome Oziel.

## Personal life

Grossman has a daughter, Goldie. Grossman is Jewish. She is engaged to Sascha Penn.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1998 | The Opposite of Sex | Girl Student | |
| 1998 | Can't Hardly Wait | Ready to Have Sex's Friend | |
| 2005 | Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous | Pam | |
| 2006 | Running with Scissors | Sue | Uncredited |
| 2007 | Itty Bitty Titty Committee | Maude | |
| 2007 | What We Do Is Secret | | Uncredited |
| 2009 | Spring Breakdown | Hooker | |
| 2022 | Studio 666 | Barb Weems | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1998 | Guys Like Us | Amy | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1999–2001 | Popular | Mary Cherry | 43 episodes |
| 2000 | Girl Band | Mindy | Television film |
| 2002 | Any Day Now | Mildred Harrison | Episode: "Let the Games Begin" |
| 2002 | Charmed | Phoebe's Assistant | Episode: "Witch Way Now?" |
| 2003–2008 | Nip/Tuck | Bliss Berger | 3 episodes |
| 2003 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Wendy Orr | Episode: "One Hit Wonder" |
| 2003–2006 | What I Like About You | Lauren | 66 episodes |
| 2006 | The Jake Effect | Kimmy Ponder | 6 episodes |
| 2006 | Help Me Help You | Kendra | Episode: "The Sheriff" |
| 2007 | What News? | Misti Lake | Television film |
| 2007 | Up All Night | Erika | Television film |
| 2007 | Notes from the Underbelly | Deena | Episode: "Not Without My Noodles" |
| 2008 | Grey's Anatomy | Lauren Hammer | Episode: "In the Midnight Hour" |
| 2009 | Trust Me | Julie Finn | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | In the Motherhood | Maggie | 2 episodes |
| 2009–2010 | 10 Things I Hate About You | Darlene Tharp | 6 episodes |
| 2010 | The Gentlemen's League | Leslie | Unsold television pilot |
| 2010 | Dexter | Laurel Mendell | Episode: "Hop a Freighter" |
| 2011 | Hot in Cleveland | Elise | Episode: "I Love Lucci: Part One" |
| 2011 | Outsourced | Marcy Donovan | Episode: "Charlie Curries a Favor from Todd" |
| 2011 | Better with You | Francine | Episode: "Better Without a Job" |
| 2011 | Melissa & Joey | Emily | Episode: "The Mel Word" |
| 2011 | Drop Dead Diva | Kristin Mulraney | Episode: "You Bet Your Life" |
| 2012 | The New Normal | Melissa | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2012 | Scandal | Lisa | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Ben and Kate | Nan | Episode: "Guitar Face" |
| 2013 | Whitney | Michelle | Episode: "Snapped" |
| 2013 | Major Crimes | Claire Hunter | Episode: "Poster Boy" |
| 2014 | Sean Saves the World | Susan | Episode: "Sean The Fabulous" |
| 2014 | Modern Family | Katie | Episode: "Three Dinners" |
| 2015 | Barely Famous | Herself | Episode: "Not a Booty Call" |
| 2015 | 2 Broke Girls | Amy | Episode: "And the Gym and Juice" |
| 2015 | Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn | Robin | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | The Soul Man | Megan | Episode: "Hangin' with Mr. Cupper" |
| 2017 | Speechless | Mother in supermarket | Episode: "D-I Ding" |
| 2017 | Love | Liz | Episode: "Friends Night Out" |
| 2017–2018 | The Good Place | Donna Shellstrop | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | American Horror Story: Cult | Meadow Wilton | 6 episodes |
| 2017 | American Horror Story: Cult | Patricia Krenwinkel | Episode: "Charles (Manson) in Charge" |
| 2018 | Black-ish | Gwen | Episode: "North Star" |
| 2018 | American Horror Story: Apocalypse | Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt | 8 episodes |
| 2018 | Fuller House | Dr. Lesley Miller | Episode: "Opening Night" |
| 2019 | American Horror Story: 1984 | Margaret Booth | 8 episodes |
| 2019 | Goliath | Rochelle Purple | 4 episodes |
| 2019–2020 | Shrill | Cindy | 2 episodes |
| 2019–2020 | The Goldbergs | Jane Bales | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Santa Inc. | Cookie | 8 episodes |
| 2020–2022 | Love, Victor | Georgina Meriwether | 6 episodes |
| 2021 | American Horror Story: Double Feature | Ursula Khan | 5 episodes |
| 2021 | American Horror Story: Double Feature | Calico | 3 episodes |
| 2022 | American Horror Story: NYC | Barbara Read | 7 episodes |
| 2023 | American Horror Story: Delicate | Ashleigh | 3 episodes |
| 2024 | Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story | Judalon Smyth | 5 episodes |
| 2024 | Nobody Wants This | Rabbi Shira | 1 episode |