A proud Brooklynite through and through, Leah Remini was born in the New York City borough on June 15, 1970. Her Sicilian father and Jewish mother, who hails from Monaco, encouraged Leah to stick to academics, but she dropped out of high school at the age of 14.

Lured by the Hollywood opportunities of Los Angeles -- her home since her teenage years -- Remini saw acting as her salvation. Her mother, a guiding force in her life to this day, encouraged this pursuit, knowing that it would lead to great achievements despite her daughter's lack of proper education. Before Hollywood really lured her in, Remini worked as a car insurance salesman, waitress and telemarketer.

This tough, stubborn beauty (she was advised to drop her Brooklyn accent, but refused) finally got her first role in a 1988 episode of Head of the Class . Now closer to adulthood, she was able to take more control of her career's direction and doggedly went to every audition possible. Her persistence paid off when she landed the role of Samantha Micelli's ( Alyssa Milano ) friend in two episodes of Who's the Boss? and landed a recurring role as part of the cast of Living Dolls , a spin-off of Who's the Boss? , in 1989.

More small-time work molded Remini into the comedian she is today: she played Carla's (Rhea Perlman) daughter in Cheers and starred in the short-lived sitcom, First Time Out . Though a big opportunity seemingly passed her by after Remini didn't get the role of Monica in the soon-to-be huge show Friends (of course, Courteney Cox Arquette landed the gig), she continued to work hard in episodes of The Commish, Diagnosis Murder and the 1996 film Glory Daze , with Ben Affleck . And even though the casting directors of Friends overlooked her, she was called in to make a guest appearance in the first season of the "Must-See TV " sitcom.

After doing a spot on NYPD Blue , Remini felt it was about time a consistent role came her way. Her wishes came true when, in 1997, she got a lead role alongside Sharon Lawrence in NBC's Fired Up . Unfortunately, the string of unsuccessful programs that Remini was involved with continued after the sitcom was canceled in 1998.

Her career finally showed promise later that year, when she was cast to play Carrie Heffernan opposite accomplished and rotund comedian Kevin James in the then-new CBS sitcom, The King of Queens . With a great supporting cast, including Jerry Stiller, the show flourished and so did Remini. She was recognized as much for her comedy as her beauty, and remains one of the reasons The King of Queens continues to thrive.

In addition to this success, Remini has captured many men's attention in FHM and Stuff spreads and cracked people up in the 2003 film Old School . Though it took a while for her to get established in television , she is finally reveling in the limelight of success. And by the looks of it, Remini will be TV royalty for a long time.

We love a woman who can turn up the heat in a bikini and still fix a bicycle chain. Embodying this fantasy is Remini, a tight little package with an attitude that must be attributed to her hometown of Brooklyn, New York. Despite an aura of sheer beauty and femininity, she has proved that it is possible to shed stereotypes about beautiful women -- instead of being a smiling, agreeable model , Remini always tells it like it is.

This makes her a blast of fresh air in an industry where women are often portrayed in the same, boring mold. Not only is Remini too hot to be wasted in one of these forgettable roles, she is too stubborn and dedicated to let it happen. Thank goodness for this, or else we would have to live a life completely Remini-less, which is quite a depressing thought.

Though Leah Remini has admitted that she has the worst sailor's mouth, she is not rough around all the edges. Driven and intelligent, hard work is what has gotten her to the plateau she's at today. You'll rarely catch her being anything but brutally honest -- the woman pulls no punches and will never give a fan, co-worker or executive any BS.

At first, comedian Kevin James overshadowed Remini on The King of Queens , but thanks to a great command of sarcasm and good timing, she has emerged as an outstanding comic. This has ensured the recognition of more than simply the hottie-loving male demographic, and she has been able to show off the acting talents that carried her before she was adored for being so damn sexy.

Though only 5'3", Remini stands head and shoulders above any other TV wife. She is pure magic, with deep, dark eyes, and full lips. Without even addressing her now renowned body, breasts and butt that won't quit, it's obvious that Remini deserves a good old-fashioned chant of "we're not worthy!!!"

From the very start of her career, Leah Remini has always been able to find work, unlike other young actors. She bounced around several television shows at first, earning guest appearances on Head of the Class, Who's the Boss?, Cheers , and Blossom in the late '80s and early '90s. Remini continued to test the waters in sitcoms, and was rewarded with a regular spot on the 1989 show, Living Dolls , a spin-off of Who's the Boss? .

After several years of doing more comedies with minimal success (like The Man in the Family and First Time Out ), Remini finally found a home on the show Fired Up , where she starred during its one-year tenure on NBC. The work she put in was enough to catch the eyes of the casting directors for The King of Queens , a show featuring the comedy of Kevin James that debuted in 1998 on CBS.

The sitcom saw immediate success and continues to be a top draw on the nation's most watched network. Remini is one of the reasons the show has survived in a competitive market and now, thanks to her appearance in 2003's Old School and torrid pictorials in Stuff and FHM magazine, even larger audiences are sure to tune in every week.

Even before Remini decided to bare almost everything in a couple of popular lad mags, we worshipped her. Though she is "covered up" on The King of Queens , there is no hiding that beautiful face and tanned skin, both great features carried over from her Italian father and Monegasque mother. After letting your eyes gaze below her bust line, there is no argument that she is smokin' .

When the time is right, Remini is able to shed her Brooklyn 'tude and really blow us away with revealing silk blouses and tight capri pants. She can even go all-out in a sparkling evening gown, but it's obvious that this beauty would rather be in casual yet form-fitting slacks and tops. With her body, she can pull off both looks without ever alerting the fashion police.

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