Sharon Leal

Sharon Ann Leal was born on October 17, 1972, in Tucson, Arizona. Her early years included a period in the Philippines until she was six, where she attended prayer school. Her family then settled in Fresno, California, where Leal’s interest in performing began at a young age. At two years old, she was recorded singing into a microphone. This early exposure led her to community theater. She graduated from Roosevelt High School of the Arts in Fresno. In 1993, she earned a vocal scholarship at the Santa Cruz Jazz Festival, which allowed her to study with Seth Riggs, a renowned voice coach. Her early career also included appearances in various rap and R&B music videos and cabaret productions in New York City.

Leal’s professional acting career began in the mid-1990s with the role of Dahlia Crede on the daytime soap opera “Guiding Light.” Following this, her theater work expanded to include regional productions like “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Into the Woods.” A significant turning point in her stage career was playing Mimi in the Broadway production of “Rent.” Her move to television full-time saw her become a main cast member in the Fox prime-time series “Boston Public” from 2000 to 2004, where she played Marilyn Sudor. During this period, she also took on a recurring role in the NBC series “LAX” as the wife of an airport co-director.

Her film career gained prominence in 2006 with her role as Michelle Morris in the musical drama film “Dreamgirls,” alongside Beyoncé Knowles and Jennifer Hudson. This was followed by notable roles in several Tyler Perry productions, including “Why Did I Get Married?” (2007) and its sequel “Why Did I Get Married Too?” (2010), as well as “This Christmas” (2007). Leal continued to build a diverse filmography, appearing in “Soul Men” (2008), “Addicted” (2014) and “Freedom” (2014). In television, she was part of the main cast of “Hellcats” (2010–2011) and had recurring roles in “Supergirl” (2016–2021) as M’gann M’orzz, “Instinct” (2018–2019) as Lt. Jasmine Gooden, and “The Good Doctor” (2018–2019) as Breeze Browne. She currently stars as Sidney Haworthe in “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin” (2022–2024).