Leslie Louise Bibb (born November 17, 1973) is an American actress and model. She first received wider attention for playing Brooke McQueen on the WB teen series Popular (1999–2001). Bibb later portrayed journalist Christine Everhart in Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, including Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010). Her television work in the 2020s includes Grace Sampson on Netflix's Jupiter's Legacy (2021), Dinah Donahue on Apple TV's Palm Royale (2024), and Kate in season three of HBO’s The White Lotus (2025).
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Early life
Bibb was born in Bismarck, North Dakota, and raised in Lovingston, Virginia. Her father died three years after she was born. Bibb subsequently moved to Richmond, Virginia, with her mother and three older sisters, where she attended the all-girls Catholic private school Saint Gertrude High School.
Career
Modeling
In 1990, when Bibb was 16, The Oprah Winfrey Show and the Elite Agency held a nationwide modeling search. The celebrity judges – John Casablancas, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Iman – chose Bibb as the winner.
Acting
Bibb first appeared on television in 1996, playing in episodes of Pacific Blue and Home Improvement. Her first film role came in the Howard Stern comedy Private Parts. This was followed by her first television series, where she replaced the departed Susan Walters as the female lead in the second season of The Big Easy. It was canceled months later after low ratings. She appeared in the romantic drama Touch Me (1997) and had a supporting role in the film This Space Between Us (1999). In 1999, Bibb had her big break appearing as a lead character on the WB Network television series Popular. Her role was Brooke McQueen, the most popular girl at Kennedy High School who is beautiful, a straight-A student, and a cheerleader. The show garnered her a Teen Choice Award for Television Choice Actress and a Young Hollywood Award nomination for Exciting New Face – Female. During the series, she filmed the psychological thriller The Skulls (1999), as the classmate, friend and love interest of one of the main characters. The Skulls received a negative reception from critics but was a box-office success. She received a role in the 2001 comedy See Spot Run, playing a single mother who spends most of the film on her own Planes, Trains and Automobiles–style adventure.
Bibb was cast in a recurring role on the series ER and played the lead character on the television series Line of Fire. Bibb joined the cast of Crossing Jordan as Detective Lu Simmons until Season 6. She appeared as Desiree in the independent film Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006). Wristcutters revolved around two characters who fall in love in purgatory after committing suicide. The film was nominated for the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize, two Independent Spirit Awards and the Humanitas Prize. That year, she played Will Ferrell's character's wife Carley in the comedy feature film Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Recalling acting with Ferrell during an interview with TV Guide, she said he was "just funny. And he has no qualms about making something funnier for you, even at his expense."
Bibb also starred in the unaired sitcom Atlanta as Jessica. She was cast as Dr. Miranda Storm in Sex and Death 101, a black comedy, which was released direct-to-video in 2007. She appeared as a Vanity Fair reporter named Christine Everhart in the action film Iron Man (2008). In an interview, Bibb said about her character in the film: "she has a very strong sense of right and wrong, of good and evil, and I loved her passion." In 2008, Bibb starred as Maya Jones in the Ryuhei Kitamura–directed horror film The Midnight Meat Train (2008), based on Clive Barker's 1984 short story of the same name.
Philanthropy and advocacy
Bibb has supported Friends of El Faro, a grassroots group that raises funds for Casa Hogar Sion orphanage in Tijuana, appearing at multiple benefit events in the mid-2000s.
In 2008, Revlon announced that its Almay brand had signed Bibb as its ambassador. She has acted as a spokeswoman for Revlon's new and existing cosmetics collections and has appeared in global multi-media campaigns.
In 2010 she served as national spokesperson for Life Insurance Awareness Month, partnering with the nonprofit LIFE Foundation.
She posed nude for the May 2012 issue of Allure magazine – alongside Maria Menounos, Debra Messing, Taraji P. Henson, and Morena Baccarin.
Personal life
Bibb married investment banker Rob Born in 2003, and they divorced in 2004.
She has been in a relationship with actor Sam Rockwell since 2007, having met in Los Angeles while he was filming Frost/Nixon. They have both appeared in Iron Man 2, Don Verdean, and The White Lotus. Bibb and Rockwell have stated that they do not intend to get married. Bibb has also said that she does not want to have children.
