# Cherami Leigh
**Cherami Leigh** (full name Cherami Leigh Kuehn) is an American actress and voice artist who has provided voices for English-language versions of Japanese anime series and video games, working with the dubbing studios [Funimation](https://www.edgepedia.org/funimation), Bang Zoom! Entertainment, and Studiopolis.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/) Born in Dallas, Texas, in 1988, she began working as a child actor on screen before building a large dubbing and video game career; her best-known roles include Lucy Heartfilia in *Fairy Tail*, Asuna Yuuki in *Sword Art Online*, and the female V in *Cyberpunk 2077*, a performance that earned her a BAFTA Award nomination.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/) • [2](https://imginn.com/p/DbeXvkLveZs/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / birth | Cherami Leigh Kuehn, born 1988 in Dallas, Texas[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/cherami-leigh/bio/3030219944/) |
| Dubbing studios | Funimation, Bang Zoom! Entertainment, and Studiopolis[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/) |
| Signature anime roles | Lucy Heartfilia (*Fairy Tail*), Asuna Yuuki (*Sword Art Online*), Patty Thompson (*Soul Eater*), Sae Kashiwagi (*Peach Girl*), Cecily Campbell (*The Sacred Blacksmith*), Tamaki Kawazoe (*Bamboo Blade*)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/) |
| Signature game roles | Female V (*Cyberpunk 2077*, BAFTA-nominated), Gaige (*Borderlands 2*), Makoto Niijima (*Persona 5*), A2 (*NieR: Automata*), Manon (*Street Fighter 6*)[2](https://imginn.com/p/DbeXvkLveZs/) • [4](https://www.mobygames.com/person/542009/cherami-leigh/credits/sort%3Amoby_score/) |
| Awards | Best Actress in a Leading Role in Anime, 2011 Behind the Voice Actors awards, for Lucy in *Fairy Tail*; 1 BAFTA nomination among 7 wins and 22 nominations total[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/cherami-leigh/bio/3030219944/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/) |
| Live-action work | Child roles in *Holiday in Your Heart* (1997) and *The President's Man* (2000); Kim in *Fast Food Nation* (2006); lead role Tori in *Not Cool* (2014); guest roles on *Shameless*, *Bones*, *NCIS: LA*, *9-1-1*, and *Friday Night Lights*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/) • [5](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/cheramileigh) |
| Radio work | DJ for Radio Disney and voice-over promotions and commercials for ABC Radio for 10 years[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/) |
## Early life and on-screen career
Leigh began acting at the age of six and studied Meisner-based film acting technique with Nancy Chartier from the age of nine.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/) In an interview she said her childhood goal was simply to appear on *Barney*; she did not get that role but instead moved into radio commercials, animated projects, and work for [Radio Disney](https://www.edgepedia.org/radio-disney), which she continued into her adult career.[6](https://www.otakustudy.com/anime/2017/05/interview-cherami-leigh-voice-actor-anime-video-games/)
Her child and young-adult screen credits include Gretchen in *Finding North*, Marcia in *Temple Grandin*, the young [LeAnn Rimes](https://www.edgepedia.org/leann-rimes) in *Holiday in Your Heart* (1997), and Stacy Anderson in *The President's Man* (2000), along with multiple appearances on *Walker, Texas Ranger*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/) As an adult she played Kim in *Fast Food Nation* (2006) and the lead role of Tori in [Shane Dawson](https://www.edgepedia.org/shane-dawson)'s *Not Cool* (2014).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/) Her television guest and co-star work includes *Shameless*, *Bones*, *NCIS: LA*, *[Longmire](https://www.edgepedia.org/longmire-tv-series)*, *New Girl*, *The Deep End*, *Friday Night Lights*, and a series-regular role on Starz's *The Chair*.[5](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/cheramileigh)
She attended Hebron High School in [Carrollton, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/carrollton-texas), and studied theater at Collin College in Plano.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/) Her stage credits in the Dallas area include Kate Keller in *The Miracle Worker* and *All My Sons*, Meg March in *The Little Women*, and Lady Macduff in *Macbeth*.[5](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/cheramileigh)
## Anime dubbing
Leigh's dubbing career spans both Texas-based and California-based studios. Her first anime role was Sae Kashiwagi in *Peach Girl*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/) Among her most recognized characters are Lucy Heartfilia in *Fairy Tail*, Asuna Yuuki in *Sword Art Online*, Patty Thompson in *Soul Eater*, Cecily Campbell in *The Sacred Blacksmith*, Tamaki Kawazoe in *Bamboo Blade*, Sailor Venus in the Viz dub of *Sailor Moon*, Suzuha Amane in *Steins;Gate*, and Shana in *Shakugan no Shana*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/) • [7](https://english-dubbed.com/voice-actors/cherami-leigh/) • [8](https://s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/guidebook.otafest.com/pdf/2014-Aurora-Guidebook.pdf) A fan-maintained role comparison database also lists her as Minako Aino in *Sailor Moon Crystal*, Kudelia Bernstein in *Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans*, Iris Cannary in *Violet Evergarden*, Clare in *Claymore*, and Mary Beriam in *Baccano!*, among many others.[9](https://avac.moe/seiyuu.php?id=1650)
Her film dubbing work includes Lucy Heartfilia in *Fairy Tail: The Phoenix Priestess* (2012) and *[Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry](https://www.edgepedia.org/fairy-tail-dragon-cry)* (2017), Asuna in *[Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale](https://www.edgepedia.org/sword-art-online-the-movie-ordinal-scale)* (2017), Elizabeth Midford in *Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic* (2017), Biyomon and Maki Himekawa in the *Digimon Adventure tri.* films, and Yoshika Miyafuji in *Strike Witches: The Movie* (2012).[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/cherami_leigh) She won the 2011 Behind the Voice Actors award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in Anime for voicing Lucy in *Fairy Tail*.[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/cherami-leigh/bio/3030219944/)
She has also performed English dubbing leads for live-action Netflix series, including *[The Gift](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-gift-turkish-tv-series)*, *Money Heist*, *Undercover*, and *Cable Girls*.[5](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/cheramileigh)
## Video games
Leigh's video game credits are extensive. MobyGames lists 153 credits on 108 games.[4](https://www.mobygames.com/person/542009/cherami-leigh/credits/sort%3Amoby_score/) Her roles include Gaige in *Borderlands 2* and *Borderlands 3*, [Makoto Niijima](https://www.edgepedia.org/makoto-niijima) in *Persona 5* and *Persona 5: Royal*, A2 in *NieR: Automata*, Komaru Naegi in *Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls*, Peko Pekoyama in *[Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair](https://www.edgepedia.org/danganronpa-2-goodbye-despair)*, and Manon in *Street Fighter 6*.[4](https://www.mobygames.com/person/542009/cherami-leigh/credits/sort%3Amoby_score/) • [2](https://imginn.com/p/DbeXvkLveZs/) • [11](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/games/credit/76520-cherami-leigh)
Her most prominent role is the female V, the player character of *Cyberpunk 2077* (2020) and its expansion *Phantom Liberty* (2023), a performance for which she received a BAFTA Award nomination.[2](https://imginn.com/p/DbeXvkLveZs/) • [4](https://www.mobygames.com/person/542009/cherami-leigh/credits/sort%3Amoby_score/) Other credits include Queen Sonia in *The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom* (2023), Minerva in *The Walking Dead: The Final Season*, Irelia in *League of Legends*, the [Quartermaster](https://www.edgepedia.org/quartermaster) in *Call of Duty: WWII*, and the Imagined in *Fortnite*.[2](https://imginn.com/p/DbeXvkLveZs/)
## Personal life
Leigh worked for Radio Disney as a DJ and provided voice-over promotions and commercials for ABC Radio for 10 years.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/) In 2013 she moved to Los Angeles, where she continued voice acting for video games and anime while taking live-action roles.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/) She married fellow actor Jon Christie on April 13, 2014, after dating him since 2010.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/)
## References
1. [Cherami Leigh, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0473873/)
2. [Matsuricon guest announcement for Cherami Leigh, Instagram post](https://imginn.com/p/DbeXvkLveZs/)
3. [Cherami Leigh Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/cherami-leigh/bio/3030219944/)
4. [Cherami Leigh Video Game Credits, MobyGames](https://www.mobygames.com/person/542009/cherami-leigh/credits/sort%3Amoby_score/)
5. [Cherami Leigh Resume, Actors Access](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/cheramileigh)
6. [Conversation With Cherami Leigh, Otaku Study (May 17, 2017)](https://www.otakustudy.com/anime/2017/05/interview-cherami-leigh-voice-actor-anime-video-games/)
7. [Cherami Leigh English Dub Voice Actor, english-dubbed.com](https://english-dubbed.com/voice-actors/cherami-leigh/)
8. [Otafest 2014 Special Guests guidebook](https://s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/guidebook.otafest.com/pdf/2014-Aurora-Guidebook.pdf)
9. [Leigh, Cherami, Anime Voice Actor / Seiyuu Comparisons](https://avac.moe/seiyuu.php?id=1650)
10. [Cherami Leigh Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/cherami_leigh)
11. [Game Credits, Cherami Leigh, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/games/credit/76520-cherami-leigh)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Voice performers › American voice performers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license