Leal is of Filipino and African American descent. Her career began with the role of Dahlia Crede in the CBS daytime serial Guiding Light from 1996 to 1999. In 1999 she played Mimi for a short period in a San Fransisco production of Rent, with good reviews it lasted for two weeks. From 2000 to 2004, Leal starred in the Fox prime time TV series Boston Public. Leal also had a role in the theatrical release Face The Music. She also appeared in a recurring role in the short-lived NBC series LAX, as the wife of airport co-director, Roger de Souza. She co-starred in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls as Michelle Morris, Effie White's replacement in the pop group The Dreams.

--Wikipedia