Leslie Mann

Leslie Mann (born March 26, 1972) is an American actress and comedian best known for her roles in comedic films such as The Cable Guy (1996), George of the Jungle (1997), Big Daddy (1999), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), 17 Again (2009), Funny People (2009), Rio (2011), The Change-Up (2011), This Is 40 (2012) and The Other Woman (2014), many of which are collaborations with her husband, Judd Apatow. In 2012, Elle named her "Hollywood's queen of comedy".

Early life

Mann was born in San Francisco, California, and grew up in Newport Beach. She was raised by her mother, a real estate agent who had married three times. Mann has stated of her father, "My dad is...I don't really have one. I mean, he does exist, but I have zero relationship with him". She has two siblings and three older step-brothers. Her maternal grandmother, Sadie Viola Heljä Räsänen, was the daughter of Finnish immigrants.

Mann has said that she was "very shy, kind of pent-up" during her youth. She graduated from Corona del Mar High School, and studied acting at the Joanne Baron / D.W. Brown Studio and with comedy improv troupe The Groundlings. She attended college and studied communications, but dropped out before graduating.

Leslie Mann (athlete)

Leslie Mann (November 18, 1892 – January 14, 1962), was a college football player, professional baseball player and football and basketball coach. He played outfield in the Major Leagues from 1913 to 1928. He played for the Boston Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Giants, and Chicago Cubs. He was the head basketball coach at Rice Institute (1919–1920 season) Indiana University (1922–1923 through 1923–1924 seasons) and Springfield College (1924–1925 through 1925–1926 seasons). He compiled a career record of 43–30 in five seasons as a head basketball coach.

Early years

Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Mann attended the Y.M.C.A. College in Springfield, Massachusetts. He played both football and basketball at Springfield and was regarded as "one of the best football players the training school ever had."

Major League Baseball player

Mann later became a professional baseball player. From 1913 to 1928, he played for the Boston Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Giants, and Chicago Cubs. He was a member of the 1914 "Miracle" Braves team that went from last place to first place in two months, becoming the first team to win a pennant after being in last place on the Fourth of July. The team then went on to defeat Connie Mack's heavily favored Philadelphia Athletics in the 1914 World Series. Mann also had an RBI single off Babe Ruth in Game 4 of the 1918 World Series.