Born in Modena, Italy, Elisa Leonelli graduated summa cum laude from the University of Bologna with a thesis on French novelist and filmmaker Alain Robbe-Grillet in 1970. She began her career in 1974 as a photo-journalist on assignments from such prestigious media outlets as Time, Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, Westways, Intro, Zoom, Panorama, Espresso, Grazia, and Vogue. In 1984, Leonelli published a photographic book about the Los Angeles Olympics.

She went on to become Film Editor for Venice, Los Angeles Arts and Entertainment magazine. In 1997 she earned an MA in Critical Studies from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and in 2007 published the essay “Robert Redford and the American West.” In her role as LA correspondent for Italian magazines Europeo, Epoca, Marie Claire, Ciak, Donna Moderna, Gioia, Myself, Glamour, Best Movie, Voilà, and the Spanish Cinemanía, she wrote numerous cover stories on Hollywood actors and filmmakers. Currently, Leonelli contributes stories and photography on movies and television for the online publication, Cultural Daily.

A member of HFPA since 1979, Leonelli built the HFPA digital archives of transcripts, Golden Globe photos, and press conference headshots. She also contributes to the Golden Globes website submitting profiles on movie stars, the history of the HFPA, historic quotes from HFPA interviews, foreign film reviews, festival reports, as well as one-on-ones with diverse talent.