Leighton Meester Biography

Birth Name: Leighton Marissa Meester

Birth Place: Marco Island, FL

Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: 04/09/1986, Aries

Profession: Actor

Height : 5' 5" (1.65 m)

Leighton Meester Biography

Leighton Marissa Claire Meester (born April 9, 1986 in Marco Island, Florida) is an American actress, best known for her role in the book-based TV show Gossip Girl.

Meester became interested in acting when she appeared in a local production of The Wizard of Oz. When she was 11, she moved with her family to New York City and soon after began working as a model with Wilhemina, booking a Ralph Lauren campaign shot by Bruce Webber and working with then-photographer Sofia Coppola.

Meester is best known as Savannah in the former NBC drama Surface. Other roles include guest starring as "Debbie Pendleton" on Season 4 of the FOX drama 24, as "Ali" in episode 3 and 4 of Season 3 of the FOX drama House, as "Carrie Bishop" on Season 1 of the UPN drama Veronica Mars, not Chandler's new girlfriend Kendall in Season 8 of the WB drama 7th Heaven, as well as the role of "Justine Chapin" in Season 1 of the HBO comedy Entourage.

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. She appeared in Tarzan, which ran for only eight episodes. Meester then started to land guest roles in other series such as Crossing Jordan, 8 Simple Rules, 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 three episodes of House M.D. as Ali, a young girl who has a crush on House.[9] She had guest roles on CSI: Miami and Shark, and played 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.[9] The show is based on the book series by Cecily von Ziegesar about the lives of New York's privileged Upper East Side young adults. Her performance is 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.[15][16] She dated Gossip Girl co-star Sebastian Stan.

Meester appeared on the television film 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 had small roles in the 2010 comedies Date Night and Going The Distance.[18] She starred in Screen Gems' 2010 country drama Country Strong and the 2011 thriller The Roommate. [19] In 2011 she starred alongside Selena Gomez and Katie Cassidy in the young femme comedy Monte Carlo, loosely based on Jules Bass's young-adult book Headhunters. [20] She is set to star in The Uncatchable Cowgirl Bandits of Nottingham, Texas alongside Amber Heard; in the indie dramatic comedy The Oranges opposite Hugh Laurie; and she also joined the cast of the comedy I Hate You, Dad, alongside Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, and Milo Ventimiglia.

Leighton moved to New York to live with her aunt and begin a modeling career when she was just eleven years old. She modeled for Ralph Lauren and was photographed by Sofia Coppola, who’s since gone on to become a major director of movies like Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette. Two years later, Leighton landed her first acting gig on Law & Order then scored a starring role in her first movie, Hangman’s Curse, but her big break came in 2005 when she starred as an annoying teen named Savannah Bennet in the tv series, Surface. The show only lasted one season, but it scored her enough experience to land the role of a lifetime as Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl.