Leelee Sobieski Biography / Pictures

Biography

Leelee Sobieski was born in New York City, New York of a French father and an American mother. She claims to be a member of the family of King Jan Sobieski of Poland.

Leelee Sobieski achieved fame with the movie Deep Impact and played a modern Lolita in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut and the title role in the TV movie Joan of Arc.

Leelee speaks fluent French which enabled her to land roles in L'Idole (2002), A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998), and the miniseries Les Liaisons dangereuses (2003), an adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's classic novel of s--ual intrigue. Other movies Leelee has starred in include Jungle 2 Jungle (1997), Never Been Kissed (1999), Here on Earth (2000), Roadkill (2001), My First Mister (2001), The Glass House (2001), Uprising (2001), Joy Ride (2001), Max (2002), Hercules (NBC, 2005).

Born and bred in New York City, Sobieski, the eldest of two children, was raised by her father, a French painter, and her mother, a freelance writer.

Leelee Sobieski was "discovered," rather unexpectedly, in her school's cafeteria by Woody Allen's casting director. With the encouragement of her parents, Sobieski began auditioning, trying out at one point for the part that went to Kirsten Dunst in Interview With the Vampire.

Leelee Sobieski landed her first screen role in the 1997 Tim Allen comedy Jungle 2 Jungle, and then was cast as Channe in Merchant/Ivory's A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998). Sobieski drew raves for the depth and intelligence of her performance and was further rewarded with another leading role, that of Joan of Arc in the 1999 TV miniseries Joan of Arc. Sobieski then turned her back on typical ingénue roles with her portrayal of a geek queen in the Drew Barrymore comedy Never Been Kissed. The film's producers had originally wanted Sobieski for the role of the most popular girl in school, but the actress had insisted on that of her antithesis, a choice that reflected her desire to take on more unconventional roles. This choice was made further apparent with her casting in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, in which Sobieski had a brief but memorable appearance as the silent, flirtatious daughter of a costume-shop owner.

In 2000 Leelee returned to more conventional fare with Here on Earth, a romantic drama in which she starred as a young woman coping with first love and terminal illness. That same year, she could be seen in the teen thriller Squelch and My First Mister, a romantic comedy that featured her as a recent high-school grad who develops a crush on her much older boss (Albert Brooks).

Gaining notice for her increasing ability to carry a movie, Leelee earned her first million-dollar salary that same year for her role in the thriller The Glass House, followed shortly thereafter by another prominent role in the throwback CB thriller Joy Ride.