Leah Ayres

Leah Ayres Kalish (born Leah Simpson; May 28, 1957) is an American former actress, best known for her role as Janice Kent in the martial arts sports action film Bloodsport and as Valerie Bryson on the daytime serial The Edge of Night.^[1] Kalish is a Master Yoga Teacher, Family Constellations practitioner,^[2] and coauthor of children's books.^[3][4]

Leah Ayres Kalish
Kalish in 2017
Born	Leah Simpson (1957-05-28) May 28, 1957 (age 67)
Alma mater	Tufts University New York University (BA) Pacific Oaks College (MA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1979–1998
Known for	The Bradys The Edge of Night Bloodsport
Spouse	Bruce Kalish ​ (m. 1990)​
Children	1
Website	leahkalish.com

Education

Kalish attended both Tufts University and New York University, earning a degree in dance from NYU.^[5] Ayres also earned an M.A. in human development from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California in 1996.^[6]

Certifications

Kalish is a certified family constellations facilitator, embodied language processing (embodiment process) practitioner, and Yoga Alliance Registered Master Yoga Teacher. She is a proponent of socio-emotional education and teaching integrated yoga and mindfulness in schools.^[7][8][9] She and her husband Bruce Kalish are founders of a family constellations and inherited family trauma facilitation practice based in Los Angeles.^[10]

Television

Her first major role was as Valerie Bryson on the daytime serial The Edge of Night in the early 1980s. In 1984, she starred in Velvet,^[11] an ABC/Aaron Spelling television movie opposite Sheree J. Wilson, Shari Belafonte, and Mary Margaret Humes. In primetime, she co-starred as Linda Bowman on the abbreviated third season of ABC's 9 to 5. She also played Jill Schrader on the HBO original comedy 1st & Ten in 1986-87.

In 1990, she replaced Maureen McCormick in the role of Marcia Brady on the short-lived series The Bradys. She also made guest appearances on such series as Hotel, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Married... with Children, and Who's the Boss?. In 1995, she had a recurring role as Tara Flynn on three episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger.

Film

Ayres starred in Bloodsport (1988) alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme^[12] and played Michelle in the 1981 film The Burning. She appeared in Eddie Macon's Run (1983).^[5] She played the diner waitress in the Meatloaf video for "More Than You Deserve".

Filmography

Film and Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1979	Love of Life	Christy Bringham	Daytime drama
1979	Mother and Me, M.D.	Barrie Tucker	Television pilot episode
1979	All That Jazz	Nurse Capobianco	Feature film
1981	The Burning	Michelle	Feature film
1981–83	The Edge of Night	Valerie Bryson	Daytime drama
1983	9 to 5	Linda Bowman	Main role (7 episodes)
1983	Eddie Macon's Run	Chris	Feature film
1984	Fantasy Island	Lauren Spenser	Episode: "Sing Melancholy Baby/The Last Dogfight"
1984	Velvet	Cass Dayton	Television film
1984	The A-Team	Jenny Olsen	Episode: "Double Heat"
1984	The Love Boat	Nancy Sidon	Episode: "The Buck Stops Here/For Bettor or Worse/Bet on It"
1984	The Love Boat	Arlene Cort	Episode: "Country Blues/A Matter of Taste/Frat Brothers Forever"
1985	Finder of Lost Loves	Stacey Barnes	Episode: "Deadly Silence"
1985	Hotel	Jill	Episode: "Identities"
1985	Crazy Like a Fox	Elaine	Episode: "If the Shoe Fits"
1985–86	St. Elsewhere	Mona Polito	Recurring role (5 episodes)
1986	We're Puttin' on the Ritz	Micki Cline	Television film
1986	Too Close for Comfort	Jennifer	Episode: "Ya Gotta Have Heart"
1987	1st & Ten	Jill Schrader	Main role (11 episodes)
1987	21 Jump Street	Susan Chadwick	Episode: "Don't Pet the Teacher"
1987	The Oldest Rookie	Nina Zaga	Episode: "An Internal Affairs Affair"
1987	Hot Child in the City	Rachel Wagner	Feature film
1988	Bloodsport	Janice Kent	Feature film
1988	Police Story: The Watch Commander	Nancy Morgan	Television film
1989	Who's the Boss?	Pam	Episode: "Heather Can Wait"
1989	Freddy's Nightmares	Roxanne Wodehouse	Episode: "Welcome to Springwood"
1990	The Bradys	Marcia Brady-Logan	Main role (6 episodes)
1990	Capital News	Stephanie Sellars	Episode: "Finished? Not Dunne"
1991	Who's the Boss?	Pam Harper	Episode: "Party Politics"
1991	P.S. I Luv U	Nicole Benton	Episode: "The Honeymooners"
1992	Baby Talk	Lois Herman	Episode: "Broadway Baby"
1992	Baby Talk	Lois Herman	Episode: "The Prince and the Pooper"
1992	The Player	Sandy	Feature film
1992	Married... with Children	Betty	Episode: "The Gas Station Show"
1992	Raven	Ellen	Episode: "Is Someone Crazy in Here or Is It Me"
1995	Walker, Texas Ranger	Tara Flynn	Episode: "Case Closed"
1995	Walker, Texas Ranger	Tara Flynn	Episode: "Point After"
1995	Walker, Texas Ranger	Tara Flynn	Episode: "Evil in the Night"
1998	The Journey of Allen Strange	Ms. Symonds	Episode: "Battle"
1998	Sliders	Darla	Episode: "Slidecage"

References

1. "What is Leah Ayres doing now? Husband, Net Worth, Family". July 10, 2022.
2. "Family Constellations in Los Angeles".
3. "Yoga Pretzels: 50 Fun Yoga Activities for Kids and Grownups|Hardcover".
4. "Yoga Planet".
5. Buck, Jerry (April 30, 2000). "Sassy free spirit joins '9 to 5' secretarial pool". Indiana Gazette. Pennsylvania, Indiana. The Indiana Gazette. p. 16. Retrieved February 21, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Personal Statement | Los Angeles, CA | [phone]".
7. "Personal Statement | Los Angeles, CA | [phone]".
8. "Leah Kalish, Author at Movement and Self regulation skills for early childhood education".
9. "Leah Kalish".
10. "Personal Statement | Los Angeles, CA | [phone]".
11. "(TV listing)". The San Bernardino County Sun. California, San Bernardino. The San Bernardino County Sun. December 15, 1994. p. 57. Retrieved February 21, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "(TV listing)". The Index-Journal. South Carolina, Greenwood. The Index-Journal. September 16, 1990. p. 58. Retrieved February 21, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• Leah Ayres at IMDb
• Leah Ayres at AllMovie