Katie Leclerc currently stars as Daphne Vasquez on the hit ABC family series “Switched At Birth.” In its fourth season, “Switched At Birth,” and Leclerc specifically, continue to drive a strong fan following and are respected and are applauded worldwide for their positive portrayal of deaf characters on television.
Leclerc has been nominated for two Teen Choice Awards for her outstanding performance on the show. The first was in 2011 in the category of “Choice TV Break Out Star” and then again in 2013 in the category of “Summer TV Star.”
Originally from Lakewood, Colorado and the youngest of three siblings, Leclerc got the acting bug when she starred in a local production of Annie. When the family moved to San Diego, she continued to pursue her desire to perform and began appearing in national commercials for such brands as Pepsi, Cingular, Comcast and GE.
Leclerc got her big break at the age of 19 in 2004 when she was asked to guest star on “Veronica Mars,” starring Kristen Bell. She went on to have guest and recurring roles on such series as MTV’s “The Hard Times of RJ Berger,” CBS’s “CSI” and “The X List.” However, it is for portraying Raj Koothrappali’s gold-digging girlfriend Emily on the hit CBS series “The Big Bang Theory,” that brings her the most additional recognition. In film, she has starred in the Hallmark Channel Original Movie “The Confession,” as well as the independent features “The Inner Circle” and “Flying By,” with Billy Ray Cyrus. Leclerc will also guest star this year on an upcoming episode of “Community.”
Leclerc has Meniere’s disease, a disorder of the inner ear that can cause hearing loss and effect balance to a varying degree. She is fluent in American Sign Language to cope with her intermittent hearing loss, and has triumphed turning this into a positive by recently becoming the spokesperson for the Purple campaign. She is also heavily involved in the “Be Good To Each Other” bullying prevention campaign by custom designing a t-shirt to raise money to provide awareness and support. Leclerc also speaks publicly to the media about her own personal experience with the issue.
Katie Leclerc is an avid cook, and was excited to appear last year on “The Chew,” where she went head to head with Mario Batali. She loves to spend time with her dogs, and is also an active outdoorsman, hiking, running camping and mountain biking. Currently, she lives in Los Angeles.