Leslie Louise Bibb was born in Bismark, North Dakota on November 17, 1974 and raised in rural Nelson County, Virginia, the youngest of four sisters. After her father's death when she was three, she grew up in a single-parent home. The family later relocated to Richmond, Virginia, where Leslie excelled at St. Gertrude's, an all-girls school.
When Leslie was 16, her sister entered her photo on the spur of the moment in a nationally televised model search sponsored by Oprah Winfrey. Out of a field of 6,000 applicants, she was one of 20 chosen to appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" before a panel of judges including Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Iman. Leslie walked away the winner.

After gaining such major recognition, Bibb's modeling career was launched. She briefly attended the University of Virginia, but by the age of 18 was working full time in New York, appearing in numerous magazines such as YM and Seventeen. While modeling brought Leslie to New York, it was acting that kept her there. After studying in a three-year drama program in New York and traveling through Europe for six months, she then set her sights on Los Angeles.

Bibb soon started accumulating film and television credits. Among her feature film roles are "Private Parts," "The Space Between Us" and "Touch Me." She stars opposite Joshua Jackson ("Dawson's Creek") in the upcoming thriller "The Skulls" from Universal, and recently completed an independent feature, "The Young Unknowns," with Devon Gummersall. For television, she has guest starred on "Just Shoot Me," "Home Improvement," "Fired Up" and "Early Edition."

Bibb reflected on her character, Brooke, as someone who "is flailing on the inside. She's stuck with maintaining this image because that's how she thinks she'll be loved and fit in. But it's stifling. After all," Leslie pointed out, "what 16-year-old knows herself well enough to understand all the contradictions?"

Leslie currently resides in Los Angeles with her dog, Jack, whom she rescued from a shelter while living in New York City. A voracious reader, she also enjoys biking, hiking, and scouring flea markets for antiques.