Leslie grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma with a creek full of crawdads and thistles in the backyard. She is of Scott-Irish & Norwegian descent. Her mother was an English teacher - passionate about Women's Rights. Her father was a southpaw baseball pitcher and businessman. She was an athlete competing in a Junior Olympic Gymnastics program in Oklahoma till age 11. When the family moved, Leslie transitioned to dance, acting and choir. She made her Broadway debut at 17 as the ingenue lead in La Cage Aux Folles and joined NBC's daytime drama Search For Tomorrow as a contract player at 18.