Leelee Sobieski | |
|---|---|
 Sobieski in 2012 | |
| Born | Liliane Rudabet Gloria Elsveta Sobieski (1983-06-10)June 10, 1983 (age 42) New York City, U.S. |
| Other names | Leelee Kimmel |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1994–present[a] |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Martin Kimmel (father-in-law) Donald Aronow (grandfather-in-law) |
Liliane Rudabet Gloria Elsveta "Leelee"Sobieski (born June 10, 1983)[1][2][3] is an American artist and retired actress. She achieved fame in her teens with roles in films such asDeep Impact (1998),Never Been Kissed,Eyes Wide Shut (both 1999),Here on Earth (2000),Joy Ride andThe Glass House (both 2001).
She receivedEmmy andGolden Globe Award nominations for her portrayal of thetitle character in the television filmJoan of Arc (1999), and a further Golden Globe nomination for her performance in theNBC miniseriesUprising (2001). Sobieski continued to work in films and on television until retiring from acting in 2012, after which she focused on her children and art career.[4][5]
Sobieski was born inNew York City, on June 10, 1983.[6] Her mother, Elizabeth Sobieski (née Salomon), is an American film producer and screenwriter who also worked as Sobieski's manager, and her father,Jean Sobieski, is a French-born painter and former actor of Polish and Swiss descent.[7][8][9] Her maternal grandfather,United States Navy Captain Robert Salomon, wasJewish. Her maternal grandmother was ofAshkenazi Jewish and one quarter Dutch descent. Sobieski grew up in a "pan-religious" family; she has said that she is "proud of [her] melting pot roots".[10][7] Her younger brother is Robert "Roby" Sobieski.[8]
Sobieski's first name, Liliane, was the name of her paternal grandmother. One of her middle names, Elsveta, is derived from her mother's name, Elizabeth.[11]
She graduated fromTrevor Day School in 2001[12] and studied literature and fine art atBrown University but did not graduate.[13]
Sobieski was first noticed by a talent scout in the cafeteria of a New York City private school.[citation needed] That encounter led to her audition for the role ofClaudia inInterview with the Vampire (1994), a role that ultimately went toKirsten Dunst. Sobieski portrayed the character of Anna Yates in the 1994 TV movieReunion starringMarlo Thomas. Next, she played a lead role inA Horse for Danny, a 1995made-for-television film. In 1997, she snagged her first role in a studio film playing the daughter ofMartin Short's character in theTim Allen comedyJungle 2 Jungle.
While still in her mid-teens, Sobieski rose to fame with her appearance in the movieDeep Impact (1998).[14] The film was a major financial success, grossing over $349 million worldwide on a $75 million production budget.Deep Impact brought her to the attention of many casting directors. That same year Sobieski appeared in theMerchant Ivory filmA Soldier's Daughter Never Cries. Sobieski's performance received praise from critics; Emanuel Levy ofVariety wrote that "the graceful Sobieski registers strongly as a potential star, combining physical charm with technical skill."[15] The film garnered her aYoung Artist Award nomination, as well as a nomination by theChicago Film Critics Association.
In 1999, Sobieski appeared inStanley Kubrick'sEyes Wide Shut. Recalling acting alongsideTom Cruise, Sobieski stated he was "very kind and considerate with me", and says her most vivid recollection of Kubrick, who died soon after filming finished, was that he "genuinely seemed to hold something magic".[16]
Also in 1999, Sobieski was cast in a supporting role in the teen comedy featureNever Been Kissed starringDrew Barrymore. Her next performance in the title role of the TV movieJoan of Arc (1999) earned her an Emmy nomination and aGolden Globe nomination, and she became the youngest actress ever to portrayJoan of Arc on screen.
In 2000, Sobieski played the female lead in the filmHere on Earth oppositeJosh Hartnett andChris Klein, for which she received aTeen Choice Award nomination. She received a second Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal ofTosia Altman in the 2001 TV filmUprising.
In 2001, Sobieski played the lead role in the road horror filmJoy Ride withPaul Walker andSteve Zahn. The film received generally favorable reviews.[17] Garth Franklin ofDark Horizons stated that Sobieski "does a better job than usual."[18] That same year, she starred in the thrillerThe Glass House, alongsideDiane Lane. The film was panned by critics[19] and, with little promotion, had a disappointing opening weekend gross of just under $6 million.[20] Sobieski's performance in the 2001 low-budget dramaMy First Mister was praised by critics, with Pete Croatto ofFilmcritic.com writing that, "As for Sobieski, who I've always liked, she does another fine job. This time it's with a shaky character – the troubledGoth chick... [but] Sobieski finds her character's human touch and runs with it."[21]
Sobieski landed a starring role in the independent filmL'Idole (2002), which opened at theToronto International Film Festival. She then starred alongsideJohn Cusack in the drama featureMax, as the mistress of a Jewish art dealer who mentors a youngAdolf Hitler. Next, she portrayed the character of Cecile in the miniseriesLes Liaisons dangereuses (2003) withCatherine Deneuve andRupert Everett, an adaptation ofLaclos'sclassic novel of sexual intrigue which made use of Sobieski's fluency in French. She portrayed the role of Deianira inHercules, a 2005 television miniseries.[22]
The experimental-indie filmLying, starring Sobieski alongsideChloë Sevigny andJena Malone, debuted at the 2006Cannes Film Festival, followed by a limited release in the United States in 2008.[23] She next starred in the American dramaHeavens Fall as one of several young women who accuse nine black youths of rape in the segregated South.[24] That same year, she appeared in the horror filmIn a Dark Place as well as the remake ofThe Wicker Man starringNicolas Cage.[25]
The independent comedy filmWalk All over Me, in which Sobieski plays a woman who becomes adominatrix, premiered at the2007 Toronto International Film Festival and was later screened at several other film festivals. Her next major motion picture, the thriller88 Minutes co-starringAl Pacino andAlicia Witt, opened on April 18, 2008, in the United States, after a release in various other countries the previous year. Though panned by critics,[26] the film was a minor success at the box office, earning more than $32 million worldwide.[27]
In January 2008, Sobieski appeared inIn the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, a fantasy film inspired by theDungeon Siege video game series. For her performances in both88 Minutes andA Dungeon Siege Tale, she received aRazzie Award nomination forWorst Supporting Actress. Sobieski next reteamed with herJoy Ride co-star Steve Zahn in thedirect-to-video filmNight Train. In the film, Sobieski plays Chloe, a potentially lethal medical student who has a fateful encounter with two other strangers aboard a Polar Express-like train.[28]
In 2009, Sobieski had a small role in the biographical crime dramaPublic Enemies. In June 2010, she starred alongsideDenise Richards andJamie Kennedy in the filmFinding Bliss, a romantic comedy about a straitlaced aspiring filmmaker who is forced to go to work for a producer of adult films.[29] She made a guest appearance in the television seriesDrop Dead Diva in the episode "A Mother's Secret".[30] Sobieski also played a lead role in the 2010 drama thrillerActs of Violence, the story of a man on a mission of vengeance after his wife is raped. Also in 2010, Sobieski filmed a supporting role in the indie comedy-dramaThe Last Film Festival, which was not released until 2016.
Sobieski guest-starred on a January 2011 episode ofThe Good Wife, playing the girlfriend of one of Lockhart/Gardner & Bond's most influential clients, who is accused of using prescription stimulants.[31]
From April 2012 to August 2012, Sobieski starred in the lead role of Officer Jennifer "White House" Perry, a rookie New York City police officer, on the CBS drama seriesNYC 22, which was created byRichard Price and produced byRobert De Niro.[32][33][34] She also played the lead role of Abby Gibbons in the movieBranded, which was released on September 7, 2012.
Sobieski retired from acting in 2012.
She began her art career using her married surnameLeelee Kimmel. She paints and sculpts abstract work,[13][35] and works in VR, usingGoogle Tilt Brush.[13] She uses bright colors, abstracted and textured shapes floating on either a large black or white background.
Her 2018 solo exhibit debut, "Channels", opened at the Journal Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and garnered positive reviews.[13][36]Vogue said the exhibit and her work "warrants serious merit".[36] She then debuted her first UK exhibit titled "Wormhole" at the Simon Lee Gallery in London. In this latest installment, she presents large-scale abstract paintings that are confrontational in both colour and dimension, exploring themes of creation and destruction.[37] "Kimmel's world is very much her own – a heady mix of daftness and profundity – and a space that's potentially fascinating, yet disorientating for those unfamiliar with it. Such are the worlds she builds in her paintings, too, and which expand beyond the canvas into gloriously gelatinous sculptures and a pioneering VR piece."[38] Interview Magazine says, "Leelee Kimmel has always been an artist."[39]
In January 2009, Sobieski began dating fashion designer Adam John Kimmel, the son of American real estate developerMartin Kimmel and grandson of American boat racer and designerDonald Aronow. They were engaged on May 28, 2009 and the couple officially announced their engagement on July 17, 2009.[40][41][42] Their daughter was born in December 2009, and the couple married in 2010. Four years later, in August of 2014, their son was born.[43][44] They live inRed Hook, Brooklyn.[45]
Sobieski speaks fluentFrench, which she learned from her French-born father.[46][47]
Sobieski, in a 2001 interview withIGN, expressed her thoughts about whether the movies she was making were escapist fare, or that they had a deeper message for society,
Joy Ride isn't a film you would make a statement with. It's a fun, jump out of life film. That's great. I love those films. Those films are great in times like these too. You can make a point with a film and help society or not. Take a film likeBulworth, a fantastic film. There are certain films like that, that can appeal to everybody and have a message in it and that's really great.[48]
In 2016, Sobieski confirmed "I don't do movie stuff anymore." Commenting on the reasons for her early retirement toUs Weekly, Sobieski said, "I am just focused on my kids. I think that's mainly why I stopped ... Also, ninety percent of acting roles involve so much sexual stuff with other people, and I don't want to do that."[5]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Charlie Grace | Jenny Grace | Main role |
| 1996 | Grace Under Fire | Lucy | Episode: "Positively Hateful" |
| NewsRadio | High School Girl | Episode: "Arcade" | |
| 1998 | F/X: The Series | Tanya | Episode: "Evil Eye" |
| 1999 | Joan of Arc | Joan of Arc | Miniseries Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film |
| 2003 | Les Liaisons dangereuses | Cécile de Volanges | Miniseries |
| 2005 | Hercules | Deianeira | |
| 2010 | Drop Dead Diva | Samantha "Sam" Colby | Episode: "A Mother's Secret" |
| 2011 | The Good Wife | Alexis Symanski | Episode: "Breaking Up" |
| 2012 | NYC 22 | Jennifer "White House" Perry | Main role |
| Year | Title | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | "We Are All Made of Stars" | Moby | Leelee Sobieski |
