British actress and socialite Catherine Oxenberg was born in New York City on September 22, 1961. She came from a family who is distantly related to the British royal family. She studied at St. Paul's School and Columbia University, and during college, she decided to pay for her own schooling by modeling. She soon landed a role as Princess Diana in Royal Romance of Charles and Diana, and was personally chosen by producer Aaron Spelling to star in the hit series Dynasty. Oxenberg is married to actor Casper Van Dien. Leandra Thames is played by Catherine Oxenberg on MyNetworkTV's American telenovela, Watch Over Me. Leandra is the cold and efficient personal assistant and chief aide of Michael Krieger.