Leighton Meester

Early life

Meester was born in Fort Worth, Texas, to Constance Lynn (née Haas) and Douglas Jay Meester, and has lived much of her life in New York City and Los Angeles. Her ancestry includes German, Dutch, English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh. Her father is a real estate broker and her mother is a writer. At the time of her birth, her mother was serving time in a federal prison for her involvement in a drug ring that smuggled marijuana from Jamaica to the United States. She was able to give birth to Leighton in a hospital and nurse her for three months in a halfway house, before returning to prison to complete her sentence, after which Leighton's grandmother cared for her. She has an older brother, Douglas Logan (born 1983), and a younger brother, Alexander (born 1994). Meester has maintained that her parents gave her a normal upbringing and, despite their criminal past, she has stated, "It made me realize that you can't judge anyone – especially your parents – for what they've done in their past, because people change." In 2009, Meester joked, "Look, I could've turned out a lot worse." In 2011, Meester sued her mother for alleged financial misconduct, and was countersued by her mother for alleged failure to pay debts. Meester grew up in Marco Island, Florida, where she participated in productions at a local playhouse.

When she was 11 years old, Meester and her mother moved to New York City. Meester attended the Professional Children's School and also began working as a model with Wilhelmina, booking a Ralph Lauren campaign shot by Bruce Weber and working with then photographer (now filmmaker) Sofia Coppola. She also booked commercials for Tamagotchi and Clearasil, and modelled for Limited Too alongside Amanda Seyfried. Meester made her television acting debut as a murder victim's friend on an episode of Law & Order. At 14, Meester moved to Los Angeles, wanting more stable work, and attended Hollywood High School and Beverly Hills High School. She then transferred to a small private school and graduated a year early.

Acting career

After her television debut in 1999 playing Alyssa Turner in an episode of Law & Order, Meester appeared as a guest in two more series before landing a big role in the film Hangman's Curse, based on the bestselling book by Frank Peretti. She then appeared in Tarzan, which ran for only eight episodes. Meester started to book guest roles in other series such as Crossing Jordan, 8 Simple Rules, 7th Heaven, Veronica Mars, 24, and Entourage. In 2005, she was cast in a regular role on the series Surface as Savannah Barnett. The following year, Meester appeared in two films, Flourish and Inside. She also guest starred in an episode of Numbers and recurred in two episodes of House as Ali Johnson, a teenager who has a crush on House. She then had guest roles in CSI: Miami and Shark, and portrayed the female lead in the horror film Drive-Thru.

In 2007, Meester was cast in The CW's teen drama series Gossip Girl as Blair Waldorf. She first auditioned for the role of Serena van der Woodsen but told the producers that she could better play Blair, dying her blonde hair to do so. The series is based on the book series of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar, and follows the lives of New York's privileged Upper East Side young adults. Meester performance was the most critically acclaimed of the show, with Blair being cited as the series' breakout character, and also garnering much media recognition due to her wardrobe. Meester subsequently appeared in the television film The Haunting of Sorority Row, and had a role in the ensemble comedy-drama film Remember the Daze. She also appeared in the horror-thriller film Killer Movie in 2008. Meester starred in three films in 2010, with small roles in the comedies Date Night and Going The Distance, and a larger role in the drama Country Strong, also starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Garrett Hedlund. The Boston Globe found the best thing about the film was Meester, writing, "She's just doing Reese Witherspoon's June Carter Cash in Walk the Line with dabs of Miley Cyrus and Kellie Pickler. But it's not an impersonation; it's a performance with its own comedy and sweetness." USA Today was also positive towards her performance, stating, "Meester shows she can do more than play one of Gossip Girl's privileged Manhattan socialites."

In 2011, she played the role of Rebecca Evans, an obsessive, bipolar woman, in the thriller film The Roommate. Though the film mainly received negative reviews, Meester's portrayal was praised by critics. Entertainment Weekly found she was the only one to bring "the slightest trace of something fascinating to her role," while Los Angeles Times wrote, "[Meester's] performance often has the feeling of a sports car in neutral. When she punches it for quick changes of tone from manic to wounded or around the bend, she shows how much more she is capable of." Meester's next film was the teen comedy film Monte Carlo, loosely based on Jules Bass' young-adult book Headhunters, in which she portrayed Selena Gomez's sister and Katie Cassidy's friend. Movieline noted, "As in Country Strong, Meester's crack timing and irresistible poignancy illuminate a part that would leave other actresses simpering themselves off the screen." Her last film project of 2011 was the independent comedy-drama The Oranges, opposite Hugh Laurie and Adam Brody, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Meester's performance was again met with positive reviews, with the San Francisco Chronicle writing that she "succeeds in embodying all that is alluring and alarming about a 24-year-old woman."

She next starred in the comedy film That's My Boy, alongside Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, and Milo Ventimiglia, which was released in June 2012. The film received mainly negative reviews, and was nominated for eight Golden Raspberry Awards. The film was also a box office failure, grossing over $57 million, failing to recoup its production budget of $70 million. In August 2012, Meester appeared alongside Wilmer Valderrama and Vanessa Curry in house music group The Nomads' music video for "Addicted to Love". She was originally in talks to reprise her role as Carrie Bishop in the film version of Veronica Mars, but due to scheduling issues, she was replaced by singer Andrea Estella of the band Twin Sister.

In April 2014, her comedy film Life Partners premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film follows the friendship between a lesbian (Meester) and a straight woman (Gillian Jacobs) who start a new relationship. She then appeared opposite Robert Downey, Jr., Robert Duvall, and Vera Farmiga in the David Dobkin-directed comedy-drama film The Judge, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was released in October 2014. Her next project was Like Sunday, Like Rain directed by Frank Whaley, where she played the girlfriend of Green Day's singer Billie Joe Armstrong. Meester's final film of 2014 was By the Gun, alongside Ben Barnes. That same year, Meester made her Broadway debut in the stage adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, starring opposite James Franco and Chris O'Dowd. In March 2016, she was cast in Fox's comedy series Making History as Deborah Revere, a colonial woman from 1775 and the daughter of American artisan Paul Revere.

Music career

In 2007, Meester recorded the song "Inside the Black" for the soundtrack of Drive-Thru. In 2008, Meester sang with Tony Bennett in an episode Entourage. In April 2009, she released the song "Birthday" featuring duo Awesome New Republic. A version without her vocals was included on their Rational Geographic Vol. I album. Later that month, Meester signed a recording contract with Universal Republic. The album, produced by Polow Da Don, Harvey Mason Jr., and Spencer Nezey, which Meester began working on in March 2009, was initially projected to be released in fall 2009, but was later delayed to early 2010. It was again pushed back to late 2010, and was ultimately shelved. Despite this, Meester was able to release two singles and two other songs were leaked.

In July 2009, "Body Control" surfaced on the internet. Meester's first official single, "Somebody to Love", featuring R&B singer Robin Thicke, was released for airplay on October 13, 2009, and became available for digital download on October 14, 2009. Her second single, "Your Love's a Drug", was digitally released on March 30, 2010. Meester did a duet with DJ Clinton Sparks on "Front Cut", which appeared on the internet in February 2011. Lil Wayne worked with her on an unreleased song titled "Make It Rain". Jesse McCartney also wrote a song for the album.

Meester provided vocals on Cobra Starship's song "Good Girls Go Bad", which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, and she is also featured on Stephen Jerzak's song "She Said". She recorded a cover of the song "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" for the compilation album A Very Special Christmas 7. For her 2010 country drama film Country Strong, she recorded a cover of the song "Words I Couldn't Say" by Rascal Flatts as well as "A Little Bit Stronger" by Sara Evans featured on the film's soundtrack; a promotional single titled "Summer Girl"; and a duet with Garrett Hedlund titled "Give In To Me". After wrapping the film, she received a guitar from Tim McGraw and decided to learn how to play it.

In October 2010, Meester said she had been working with a band called Check in the Dark and had been writing for the last six months after being inspired by Country Strong. She revealed her influences, "I love Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, that style of music, and as far as songwriting I think that's where my heart is." In April 2012, Meester announced via Twitter a five-city tour with Check in the Dark, which started on May 29 and ended on June 4, 2012. Reflecting on her past pop collaborations, she said she "loved" them but that folk music was "a lot closer to [her] heart". In June 2012, Meester said she and the band had recorded all the songs for an album that served as a demo.

On September 9, 2014, it was announced her debut LP Heartstrings would be released independently through her own label, Hotly Wanting, on October 28, 2014. With its style compared to ethereal singer-songwriters such as Tori Amos and Joni Mitchell, the nine-song LP was written by Meester and produced by Jeff Trott. The music video for the eponymous title track "Heartstrings" was released on October 29, 2014.

Endorsements

Meester has been actively involved in various charitable causes and advertising initiatives. In 2008, she served as a spokesperson for Sunsilk's "Life Can't Wait" campaign, which aimed to encourage women to follow their dreams. She also worked with Safe Horizon to promote awareness about domestic violence. In early 2009, Meester collaborated with Reebok to promote their new Top Down sneakers. Beyond her role in "Gossip Girl," she participated in advertising endeavors with co-star Ed Westwick, including a Nikon Coolpix series camera campaign and as brand ambassadors for the Korean clothing line ASK Enquired. In 2010, Meester became the spokesperson for Herbal Essences hair products. That same year, she was involved in Bulgari's humanitarian projects for the Save the Children organization alongside Isabella Rossellini and Maribel Verdú.

She next fronted another Korean brand, this time a beauty campaign for eSpoir. Vera Wang selected her to be the face of the fragrance "Lovestruck" in 2011, stating that Meester's "beauty, talent and spirit will inspire all the young women that I hope will enjoy this passionate, new young fragrance." In 2011, Italian fashion house Missoni revealed they had chosen Meester to be the face of their spring/summer 2011 campaign. In May 2012, she endorsed the Philippine clothing brand Penshoppe's campaign "All Stars". She is the face of French brand Naf Naf's autumn/winter 2014 collection. In October 2013, Biotherm, a French luxury skincare company, announced Meester as its new global ambassador. In 2015, she appeared in advertisements for the Malaysian fashion brand Jimmy Choo.

Personal life

In July 2011, Meester and her mother, Constance, filed lawsuits against each other regarding Meester's financial support of her younger brother, Alexander, who has multiple health problems. Meester's suit claimed that the money she sent was used by her mother for "cosmetic procedures", such as botox and hair extensions. Her mother's suit made a counterclaim alleging breach of contract and physical abuse. Constance claimed that a verbal contract was in place where Meester had promised $10,000 a month, instead of the $7,500 she received. Her mother also claimed that she was due a larger sum in return for "sacrificing her own happiness" when she moved Meester to Los Angeles as a child to pursue acting. When taken to court, the judge disregarded this illegitimate claim. Constance accused her daughter of calling social services on her by fabricating claims, which investigators promptly dropped after an interview with Meester. In November 2011, Constance dropped the $3 million claim for damages against her daughter. Meester claimed that she would be willing to pay for her brother's medical expenses as well as his school tuition, but denied that she agreed to pay $10,000 every month, which she stated was a ridiculous claim. As a result, Meester obtained a default judgment on December 7, 2011. In June 2012, Meester subsequently won the lawsuit, with the judge rejecting her mother's claims from her previous counter-suit.

Meester resides in Los Angeles. In November 2013, she became engaged to actor Adam Brody, whom she met while filming The Oranges in March 2010. The couple were married in a private ceremony on February 15, 2014. They welcomed their first child, daughter Arlo Day Brody, on August 4, 2015 in Whittier, California.

Singles

Tours