Leslie was born into a military family on May 30, 1987, in Augsburg, Germany. Her family moved to Maryland where she grew up in Upper Marlboro. She attended Hampton University where she appeared in productions of Seven Guitars, for colored girls, and Chicago.
Following her graduation, Leslie moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. She appeared in the BET series The Family Business and was in the 2019 film Always a Bridesmaid. She previously appeared as a series regular on God Friended Me from 2018 to 2020, where she portrayed the sister of Brandon Micheal Hall's character. In 2020, Leslie was cast in the title role of Batwoman following the departure of original lead Ruby Rose. She plays Ryan Wilder, an original character created for the show, who takes up the mantle of Batwoman in the second season.
Leslie is bisexual. She is a Christian and trained in Muay Thai.

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