Leni Rico

Born in Linares (Jaen) Spain, Leni Rico used to be a professional basketball player for 11 years assisting her teammates to triumph in Spain’s 1st Division Championship. She first started performing when she was a child in small neighborhood performances.
After graduating in Tourism management from the Escuela de Turismo Alhamar in Granada, Spain, she quickly moved from the tourism industry and from the luxury cars sales to performing. Though she loved to play basketball professionally too she realized that her real passion was acting.
Once she made the choice to go into acting she, enrolled in the best acting, modeling and dancing schools in the south of Spain, at Escuela de Artes Escénicas de Malaga, ESAEM. Leni soon got her first movies, short films, and pilots in Spain. Leni had a great beginning on her performance of multiple leading roles in the award winning western musical, “La Debutante” in the 48 Hours Film Festival in Granada.
Leni also starred in the dramatic film “The Print” directed by Ibai Fernandez. The Print was selected from over 600 entrees to be screened at the Phillips Cinema Parallel Lines Contest and was judged by 3-time Academy Award nominee Sir Ridley Scott. Due to such a great feedback and Leni’s outstanding performance in “The Print” she was asked to star in Ibai Fernandez next movie “6:09” which was selected to be screened at the Los Baños del Carmen Film Festival in Malaga.
On a trip to Miami she got a spot in a soap opera and the idea of living in USA entered her mind. Soon she moved to LA. “I chose LA because it´s the best place for actors.”
Once in LA she performed one of the leading roles in the the highly acclaimed, 10 times Award Winning and 6 nominations film “For the Birds” which have been shown at more than 40 film festivals around the world. Ms. Rico played the pivotal role of The Guard seamlessly, giving the audience clear insight into the inner turmoil experience by the character who is forced to carry out an unjust public execution in Iran at the hands of an extremist religious regime. Her portrayal of The Guard has haunted audiences watching the film and has helped it earn numerous accolades and awards in the film industry, including prestigious jury and audience prizes at the Cleveland International Film Festival, the Directors Guild of America, the Montreal World Film Festival, and the Sedona International Film Festival.
There’s a big etcetera to describe her past projects done and the upcoming projects. Her talent and passion for what she loves is unstoppable.