Born Leah Simpson in 1957, she built a respectable acting career throughout the 80s and 90s, even replacing Maureen McCormick as Marcia Brady and starring opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme. With her classic good looks, dramatic range, and dance background, she could have ridden the wave of her success for much longer than she did…but she had other plans.
You may recognize Leah Ayres for her roles in:
- All That Jazz (1979) – Cast by Bob Fosse
- The Burning (1981) – Her first and only horror feature lead
- Eddie Macon’s Run (1983) – Starred alongside Kirk Douglas
- Bloodsport (1988) – Acted opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme (48% on Rotten Tomatoes)
- The Bradys (1990) – Replaced Maureen McCormick as Marcia Brady
- The Player (1992) – 97% on Rotten Tomatoes
Despite this impressive lineup, no major award nominations or wins appear on her record.
Leah Ayres’ Early Career: From Dance to Darci Dolls Commercials
Ayres didn’t dream of becoming an actress; her first love was dancing. She grew up idolizing choreographers like Merce Cunningham and Martha Graham, studying dance all through college, and earned a dance degree from NYU.
In her early 20s, she began booking television commercials. Her eloquence and ability to speak naturally in front of the camera helped her land bigger jobs — most notably, she was the face of Kenner’s Darci Cover Girl Doll in the late 1970s. She also did beauty-product commercials for brands like Clairol, she says.
Leah Ayres in All That Jazz: Cast by Bob Fosse as Nurse Capobianco
Even though her role as Nurse Capobianco was a minor one, Ayres was handpicked by Bob Fosse himself — giving her instant industry credibility (which was backed up by her memorable performance).
Ayres, then in her early 20s, held her own as she acted alongside Hollywood heavyweight Roy Scheider in what she says was her only scene: a hospital-bed moment where the crew secretly set off a loud bang to see if she would break character. She didn’t, the set applauded, and Fosse had everyone pay off their bets.
Leah Ayres in Bloodsport: Fighting for a Dressing Room in Hong Kong
In 1988, Ayres was the female lead in Bloodsport, playing journalist Janice Kent, shooting on location in Hong Kong for Cannon Films. While she says Van Damme had a full trailer with a kitchen and bathroom, Ayres initially didn’t have a space of her own.
She pushed back, insisting it was in her contract, and even threatened to leave the set. The solution Cannon came up with: a gutted VW camper van with most of the seats removed and curtains hung over the windows.
She recalls in an interview with Jim Conlan: “I had my own little dressing room in my VW van.” She says it worked fine, but that she had to fight for it.
The film is back in the conversation. A24 is developing a Bloodsport remake with I May Destroy You creator Michaela Coel writing and directing, Variety reports.
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Leah Ayres’ Harvey Weinstein Story From the Set of The Burning
Although she says she didn’t pursue anything, like many actresses of her generation, Leah Ayres has a creepy Weinstein story.
In a 2017 interview with Johnny Caps from PopGeeks, Ayres remembers an experience with Weinstein: he took her to dinner, then tried to push his way into her room, which she says she blocked. She was “shocked, and more angry than anything else.” He apologized the next day, she says.
This took place during The Burning shoot in 1980, long before Weinstein became a powerful Hollywood mogul and decades before his downfall.
She went on to add that he was scary and inappropriate even then, and that, in 2017, she was glad it was all coming out.
Leah Ayres in the 90s: The Bradys, The Player and a Master’s Degree
Ayres’ final scripted film credit came in 1992 with The Player, a star-studded satire that featured her as a character named Sandy.
She continued picking up TV roles throughout the 90s, including a main role as Marcia Brady in The Bradys (1990), the short-lived revival of The Brady Bunch in which she replaced Maureen McCormick, and guest spots on Walker, Texas Ranger, and Sliders among others. She has said she never watched the original Brady Bunch growing up. But behind the scenes, she was quietly working toward a master’s degree in human development from Pacific Oaks College, which she earned in 1996.
What Is Leah Ayres Doing Now? Children’s Yoga and Family Constellations
Before earning that degree, Ayres co-founded Imaginazium, a company that created audio stories and educational content for young children. She says the project showed her she needed more training, which sent her back to graduate school.
Despite citing a lack of control and low compensation as her reasons for stepping away from Hollywood, she didn’t close the chapter on acting entirely. She popped up as herself in the 2008 documentary Y Yoga Movie, an 88-minute look at yoga.
These days, she also co-leads a therapeutic practice with her husband, Bruce Kalish, focused on how unresolved family trauma gets carried across generations. She’s also stayed active in children’s yoga education, developing programs centered on mindfulness and self-regulation for young kids, and co-authoring the activity deck Yoga Pretzels with Tara Guber.
Leah Ayres (who now goes by her married name Leah Kalish) is so much more than a bygone actress. She’s a vibrant 69-year-old woman with a master’s degree under her belt, a passion for helping children, and a treasure chest of Hollywood tales.
RELATED: Michaela Coel Reimagines A24’s Bloodsport for a New Generation
Where to watch: Bloodsport (1988) is listed to stream on Fandango at Home, according to its Rotten Tomatoes page (48% Tomatometer).
