Biography
Leni Rico was born in Linares, Spain, and spent 11 years as a professional basketball player, becoming a two-time Champion of Spain while competing in the country's prestigious 1st Division Championship. After earning her degree in Tourism Management, she explored careers in tourism and luxury automotive sales before fully embracing her lifelong passion for acting.
Leni began performing as a child, creating and starring in her own neighborhood productions, demonstrating early creativity and leadership. Once she committed to the craft, she trained intensively at the Escuela de Artes Escénicas de Málaga (ESAEM), studying acting, modeling, and dance. After moving to Los Angeles, she continued her professional training at the renowned Ivana Chubbuck Studio, and at Studio 24/7 with Mark McPherson, along with many other respected coaches who helped shape her craft.
She built her early screen career in Spain with short films, pilots, and independent features, gaining recognition for her leading role in the award-winning western musical La Debutante, and for her acclaimed performance in The Print, which was selected for the Phillips Cinema Parallel Lines Contest judged by Sir Ridley Scott. She later reunited with director Ibai Fernández for 6:09, screened at the Los Baños del Carmen Film Festival in Málaga.
Leni's performances in Adiós, Susana (2020) and Muérete, mi amor earned her two wins at the South Film and Arts Academy Festival (SFAAF), receiving Honorable Mention for Best Supporting Actress - further establishing her as a powerful dramatic performer.
A role in a Miami soap opera inspired her move to Los Angeles, where her career expanded internationally.
Leni has worked in major productions including The Poison Rose, sharing scenes with Morgan Freeman and John Travolta, and in Terrence Malick's Knight of Cups, where she worked alongside Antonio Banderas.
Her additional film work includes Heavy Duty Lovers, There Can Be Light, Matty (actor and co-producer), and Adiós, Susana (actor and co-executive producer). On television, she portrayed Brenda in the true-crime series Accident, Suicide or Murder.
Today, Leni Rico continues to grow her career as an actress, producer, and storyteller, with a dynamic presence in both American and European film and television.
