Chyler Leigh began modeling when she was in the eighth grade, later appearing in local ads and the syndicated show Hall Pass. She didn't graduate from high school, ultimately deciding to pursue an acting career: she made her acting debut in the 1997 film Kickboxing Academy.
Leigh's big break came in 2001, when she nabbed the lead role in the parody flick Not Another Teen Movie. In 2002, she was part of the cast of two short-lived shows, That '80s Show and Girls Club. Upon the latter's cancellation, the show's creator, David E. Kelley, moved her to his other series The Practice: she was a regular for only one season.
She joined the cast of another short-lived series, Reunion, in 2005. Two years later she took a recurring role in ABC's Grey's Anatomy, as the half-sister of Ellen Pompeo's Meredith Grey; she became a series regular at the beginning of the fourth season.
Leigh is married to fellow actor Nathan West, with whom she has three children.
FILM:
- Kickboxing Academy (1997)
- Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
TELEVISION:
- Safe Harbor (recurring, 1999)
- 7th Heaven (recurring, 2000)
- That '80s Show (regular, 2002)
- Girls Club (regular, 2002)
- The Practice (recurring, 2003)
- Reunion (regular, 2005-2006)
- Grey's Anatomy (regular, 2007-present)