Leah Ayres

Leah Ayres is an American former actress who began with a dance degree from New York University after attending Tufts. In the early 1980s she landed her first major television role, playing Valerie Bryson on the soap opera The Edge of Night. She went on to star in the 1984 TV movie Velvet, then had regular parts on ABC's 9 to 5 as Linda Bowman and on HBO's 1st & Ten as Jill Schrader. In 1990 she took over the part of Marcia Brady for the short-lived series The Bradys, and she also made guest appearances on series such as Hotel, The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. Her film work included roles in The Burning (1981) and Eddie Macon's Run (1983) before she played Janice Kent opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in Bloodsport (1988). Ayres later completed a master's degree in human development at Pacific Oaks College and became a yoga teacher and children's book coauthor.