Leah Ayres


Leah Ayres is an American actress, best known for her role as Janice Kent in the sports thriller Bloodsport and as Valerie Bryson on the daytime serial The Edge of Night.

Early years

Ayres was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She attended both Tufts University and New York University, earning a degree in dance from the latter. Ayers also earned an M.A. degree from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California in 1996.

Television

Ayres' 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, 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 for 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 alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme and played Michelle in the 1981 film The Burning. She also appeared in Eddie Macon's Run.

Later years

She is now known as Leah Kalish and was the Program Director for Yoga Ed. in Los Angeles. She is also the co-creator of the Yoga Kit for Kids and Games for Life, a book of games and visualizations for children. She also wrote and stars in Living Arts/Gaiam’s Yoga Fitness for Kids videos. She is now the creator of Yoga Playgrounds and developing children's television programs.

Personal life

Ayres and her husband, TV screenwriter and producer Bruce Kalish, have a son, Mackenzie Austin Kalish, who was born on June 21, 1993.

Filmography