Leighton Marissa Meester (born April 9, 1986)
is an
American actress and singer-songwriter, best known for her role as
Blair Waldorf in the TV show
Gossip Girl.
Early life
Meester was born while her mother was serving a federal prison sentence in
Fort Worth, Texas.
Although her mother, Constance, was serving time in prison for her involvement in a
drug ring that smuggled marijuana from
Jamaica to the United States, she was able to give birth to Meester in a hospital and nurse her for three months in a
halfway house before returning to prison to complete her sentence.
Meester maintained that her parents gave her a normal upbringing and, despite their criminal past, are good people with experience that has only made Meester more open-minded and non-judgmental, "It made me realize that you can't judge anyone—especially your parents—for what they've done in their past, because people change."
Meester jokes, "Look, I could've turned out a lot worse."
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.
Meester attended the
Professional Children's School and also began working as a model with
Wilhemina, booking a
Ralph Lauren campaign shot by
Bruce Weber and working with then photographer (now film maker)
Sofia Coppola.
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, California, 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.
Career
Acting
After her television debut in 1999 playing Alyssa Turner in
Law & Order, Meester appeared as a guest in two more series before landing her big role in the movie
Hangman's Curse, based on the best-selling book by
Frank Peretti. Meester also appeared in
Tarzan, which ran for only eight episodes. Meester started to land guest roles in other series such as
Crossing Jordan,
7th Heaven,
Veronica Mars,
24, and
Entourage.
In 2005, Meester began a regular role in the series
Surface as Savannah Bennet. Meester appeared in two more 2006 movies,
Flourish and
Inside. She also guest appeared in
Numb3rs and in two episodes of
House M.D. as Ali, an underage girl who has a crush on
House.
After guest roles on
CSI: Miami,
Shark, and playing the female lead in the horror film
Drive-Thru, Meester was cast in
CW's
Gossip Girl as
Blair Waldorf.
The show is based on the
book series about the lives of
New York's privileged
Upper East Side young adults. Her performance has been met with critical acclaim.
["Best-dressed TV Characters of 2007" tvguide.com. 2007-12-21. Retrieved on 2008-10-9]
In 2007 Meester appeared on the television film the
The Haunting of Sorority Row, and played a part in the ensemble comedy/drama
Remember the Daze. She also appeared in the horror/thriller film
Killer Movie in 2008.
Meester will play Rebecca in the upcoming film
The Roommate. She has a small role in the upcoming comedy,
Date Night, alongside
Steve Carell and
Tina Fey.
[‘Twilight’ Baddie Cam Gigandet Will Be Leighton Meester’s ‘Roommate’ » MTV Movies Blog] It was also announced that Meester will star in a pre-menopausal version of
Thelma & Louise called
Cowgirl Bandits, she will star next to
Pineapple Express and
Remember The Daze co-star actress
Amber Heard.
[Perez Hilton: Leighton Stretches Herself Thin & Books A Movie!][Leighton Meester at LeightonMeester.Us | One Of Your Largest Online Resource For Leighton Meester]
Music
In April 2009, Meester signed a recording contract with
Universal Republic.
['Gossip Girl' Star Leighton Meester Signs Record Deal | Billboard.com] The album will include electronic music, and will be produced by several producers such as
RedOne,
J.R. Rotem and
Kara Dioguardi. Her first single "
Somebody To Love" featuring R&B singer
Robin Thicke hit radio on October 13 and went available for digital download on October 14, 2009. The album is tentatively slated for late 2009 or early 2010.
[leightonmeester.us/2009/10/leighton-meester-shifts-from-gossip-girl-to-pop-woman.html]
Meester is featured in the
Cobra Starship song "
Good Girls Go Bad", which reached the Top 10 on
Billboard Hot 100 peaking at #7.
[Top 100 Music Hits, Top 100 Music Charts, Top 100 Songs & The Hot 100 | Billboard.com]
Endorsements
Meester previously appeared in
Clearasil commercials and in 2009 ads for
Reebok.
She has been a spokesperson for
Sunsilk's "Life Can't Wait" campaign.
[Leighton Meester, Kick-off of Sunsilk's Life Can't Wait campaign, New York City - Party Photos - Celebrity - In Style] In June 2009, she and
Ed Westwick were named the new faces for the Korean clothing line ASK Enquired.
She has also been a spokesperson for Safe Horizon to raise awareness about and prevent domestic violence.
[Leighton Meester Walks the Runway to Battle Domestic Violence - Style News – StyleWatch – People.com]
Personal life
Meester currently resides in New York City.
She occasionally keeps fans updated with messages on
Twitter.
[Leighton Meester || New Single - “Somebody To Love” ft. Robin Thicke || Available Now][twitter.com/Itsmeleighton]
In June 2009, there were reports accompanied by voyeuristic pictures allegedly from a
sex tape, featuring an 18-year old Meester, being shopped around by an old boyfriend for an asking price up to $1 million.
[EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Sex Tape Promoter: Alleged Leighton Meester Video Being Shopped For $1 Million | RadarOnline.com] Meester counters the allegations in an interview with the September 2009 issue of
Harpers Bazaar: "
tape is not real, so it makes me sort of sad. It's unfortunate that it got carried as far as it did. I definitely understand the nature of people better now and that the mere allegation of something like that could be headline news. People think it's real because somebody says it is."
She is also a supporter of English Premier League side
Everton FC
Meester has been dating
Sebastian Stan (the actor who plays Carter Baizen ) since they met on the
Gossip Girl set.
[How Leighton Meester’s Boyfriend Handles Her Kissing Scenes - PEOPLE TV Watch]
Meester was number 12 on the
Maxim Hot 100 list in 2009, alongside her co-star,
Blake Lively, who was number 33.
Filmography
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
| rowspan="2"| Year |
| rowspan="2"| Single |
| colspan="1"| Peak positions |
| rowspan="2"| Album |
| width="40"| US |
| 2009
| "Somebody to Love" (with Robin Thicke)
| 123
| Leighton Meester
|
Guest singles
Awards
