Lea Thompson, born Lea Katherine Thompson on May 31, 1961, in Rochester, Minnesota, is an American actress, singer, dancer, and director. She is best known for her role as Lorraine Baines-McFly in the Back to the Future film trilogy (1985-1990), Beverly Switzler in Howard the Duck (1986), and Amanda Jones in Some Kind of Wonderful (1987).

Lea Thompson began her career as a professional ballet dancer at the age of 14, winning scholarships to prestigious institutions like the San Francisco Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre. However, after being told by Mikhail Baryshnikov that she was too stocky to continue as a ballet dancer, she decided to switch her focus to acting.

Her acting career took off in the early 1980s with roles in films like All the Right Moves (1983), Red Dawn (1984), and The Wild Life (1984). Her big break came with the first Back to the Future film in 1985, which became a massive hit and established her as a sought-after actress.

Throughout the 1990s, she starred in the sitcom Caroline in the City and later co-starred in the ABC Family-turned-Freeform series Switched at Birth from 2011 to 2017.

Lea Thompson has been married to film and television director Howard Deutch since 1989. The couple has two daughters, Madelyn and Zoey Deutch, both of whom have pursued acting careers.

Her career has been marked by a diverse range of roles in both film and television, showcasing her versatility as an actress. Some of her notable movies include Dennis the Menace (1993), The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), and her recent project, The Chicken Sisters.