Leverage Special Guest Star - Elisabetta Canalis

TNT's hit series Leverage will get a dose of exotic mystery in its third season this summer with the appearance of a character known only as "The Italian." To play this intriguing woman with an unknown agenda, executive producer Dean Devlin has tapped Italian actress Elisabetta Canalis.

Leverage follows a gang of con artists who exact revenge against those who use power and wealth to victimize people. Academy Award(R) winner Timothy Hutton stars as team leader Nate Ford, with Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Aldis Hodge and Beth Riesgraf co-starring.

Elisabetta's character will appear in five episodes of Leverage this summer. In her native Italy, she is a popular TV presenter and actress in romantic comedies and several television series, including this year's Fratelli Benvenuti.

Leverage scored big in its first season, ranking as ad-supported cable's #1 show in its timeslot with an average of 3.9 million viewers. The second season grew that audience to 4.4 million viewers.