- Born
- Birth nameLeslie Elizabeth Harter
- Leslie Zemeckis is a best-selling author, actress, and award-winning documentarian. Critically acclaimed films include "Behind the Burly Q," the true story of old-time burlesque in America which ran on Showtime. The award-winning "Bound by Flesh" about conjoined twin Daisy and Violet Hilton, and the award-winning "Mabel, Mabel, Tiger Trainer" chronicling the extraordinary world of the first female tiger trainer, Mabel Stark, in the early part of the 20th century and her award-winning film "Grandes Horizontales" about the lives and loves of the 19th Century courtesans in Paris has won numerous Best Documentary awards at festivals throughout the world and will soon be streaming.
Zemeckis is the author of three best-sellers, "Behind the Burly Q," the definitive oral history of burlesque, "Goddess of Love Incarnate; the Life of Stripteuse Lili St. Cyr" and "Feuding Fan Dancers" (an SCIBA finalist for best bio of the year), about Sally Rand, Faith Bacon and the golden age of the showgirl. She is currently at work writing about the January 2018 debris flow tragedy in Montecito.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Leslie Zemeckis - She writes a monthly book column in the Montecito Journal and has contributed to Huffington Post, Medium, Talkhouse, W Magazine and Stork Magazine. She is also the founder of the program "Stories Matter," sponsored by Santa Barbara International Film Festival and ENTITY Magazine, with professional female authors mentoring the next generation of female storytellers.
Zemeckis has spoken at panels and universities including Santa Barbara City College, Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, The Chicago Club, Chicago History Museum, and MoMa.
She will be honored for her work inspiring women, in 2023 with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in part for "sharing and preserving stories of women who were once marginalized and stigmatized . . ." but due to her work "these women are now celebrated for their independence and personal agency." The Medal is officially recognized by both Houses of Congress and is one of our nation's most prestigious awards. Past recipients include Presidents Clinton and Reagan, Elie Wiesel, Sen. John McCain and HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Leslie Zemeckis
- SpouseRobert Zemeckis(December 4, 2001 - present) (2 children)
- Children
- Lives in Santa Barbara, California with her husband, Robert Zemeckis, and their two children.
- Stepmother of Alexander Zemeckis.
- Married in Italy. Have a vacation home, a villa, in Tuscany, Italy.
- Mother of two children.
- [performing nude] I've done nudity in film, it's not tough but it's not the most pleasant thing.
- [filming first nude scene] It was kind of shocking. The panic is not about anybody touching you. What you really think about is what your body looks like. It's like you're thinking, "Are they seeing fat"? "What are they seeing"? You think about sucking in your gut and positioning yourself to look good.
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