Katie Leclerc's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Switched at Birth Daphne Palo…

Main Movie Roles

BIOGRAPHY:

Katie Lynn Leclerc (born November 6, 1986) is an American actress. She has appeared on several television series, including Veronica Mars, Fashion House and The Big Bang Theory. In 2011, she received a lead role on the show Switched at Birth, starring as Daphne Vasquez.

Born in San Antonio, Texas, and grew up in Lakewood, Colorado. She is the youngest of three siblings. She started learning American Sign Language at 17, before she found out she had a disorder which includes hearing loss. Her older sister also teaches ASL. At age 20, Leclerc was diagnosed with Ménière's disease, a degenerative inner ear disorder, the symptoms of which include fluctuating hearing loss and vertigo; both her father and older sister have Ménière's disease as well. Her symptoms were not present during childhood, so her speech has not been affected. She uses an accent on Switched at Birth to emphasize Daphne's hearing loss.

Leclerc discovered her passion for acting in grade school when she got the lead role in a production of Annie. When she moved to San Diego, Leclerc continued to pursue theatre at Valley Center High School with VC Drama's International Thespian Society Troupe 6199 under the direction of John Ward. She took part in commercials for Pepsi, Cingular, Comcast, and GE. In 2006, she was in the Rascal Flatts video "What Hurts the Most" as a student in the classroom.

Leclerc started her television career when she guest-starred on Veronica Mars. Since, she has acted in many other television shows. Her first main actress role was in the show Switched at Birth, where she plays Daphne Vasquez, a girl who is deaf and was given to the wrong family at the hospital after she was born. On playing the character Daphne, she has commented:
"My agent submitted me for a nationwide casting call for the roles of Emma and Daphne. I ended up getting a call back, and that’s when I was asked to try a “deaf accent.” It’s something we discussed in depth. We wanted to make sure my portrayal was respectful and done correctly. At the same time, we felt that using a deaf accent would be a really strong choice for the character".

She is currently engaged to long-time boyfriend Brian Habecost, a real estate salesman.


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