Leelee Sobieski is an American-born former film and television actress whose career spanned from 1995 to 2012. As a young star, she captured the hearts of moviegoers with brilliant performances in films from the late 1990s. like Deep Impact, Eyes Wide Shut, and Never Been Kissed. She got the biggest role of her career when she played the lead role in the 1999 TV movie Joan of Arc for which she received nominations for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
The talented actress received a second Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of the title character in the 2001 television miniseries Uprising. She continued to work in film and television for several years thereafter and indeed she had all the trappings of a leading Hollywood lady. However, her career came to an end in 2012 when she voluntarily quit acting.
Leelee Sobieski – Bio, Age
Leelee Sobieski was born Liliane Rudabet GloriaElsveta Sobieski on June 10, 1983. She is of Jewish and Dutch descent on her mother’s side of the family and on her father’s side she is of Polish and Swiss descent. Her parents were both involved in show business at some point in their lives. His father, born in France, Jean Sobieski is a former actor and painter while his mother Elizabeth Sobieski (née Salomon) worked as a screenwriter and film producer.
She grew up alongside a sibling, a younger sibling named Robert. She was born and raised in New York and attended Trevor Day School in Manhattan. For her college education, she attended Brown University where she studied literature and fine arts, but did not graduate.
His acting career
At the age of 10, Sobieski caught the eye of a scout in his school cafeteria. The scout led her to audition for the role of Claudia in the horror film Interview with the Vampire (1994) but the role eventually went to Kirsten Dunst. She finally made her screen debut in the TV movie Reunion (1994) followed by another role in another TV movie A Horse for Danny (1995). She also had a starring role in a short-lived crime series Charlie Grace (1995).
Leelee Sobieski got her first feature film role in the comedy film Jungle 2 Jungle (1997) starring Tim Allen and Martin Short. The following year, she caught the eye of Hollywood casting directors with her performance in the science fiction film Deep Impact (1998). She also starred in A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries (1998) for which she received critical acclaim. She appeared alongside Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler in Never Been Kissed (1999) and also appeared alongside Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut (1999).
Sobieski’s portrayal of the titular character in the made-for-TV film Joan of Arc (1999) earned her the highest accolades of her career, including an Emmy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. She played the female lead in the romance film Here on Earth (2000) for which she was nominated for the TeenChoice Award for Choice Breakout Performance. Continuing in her sublime form, the talented actress played lead character Tosia Altman in the miniseries Uprising (2001), which earned a second Golden Globe nomination.
She recorded further acting credits throughout the 2000s and early 2010s. She appeared in films like Joy Ride (2001), The Glass House (2001), In a Dark Place (2006 ), In the Name of the King (2007) and Finding Happiness (2009). She was also on the main cast of the season-long crime drama series NYC 22 (2012).
Net value
Leelee Sobieski’s net worth is pegged at an enviable sum of $6 million. It’s no surprise to see that she had quite a busy career in her prime as an actress. Unlike a few unfortunate teenage Hollywood stars we’ve known in the past, Sobieski had an efficient management of her wealth and she didn’t make any big financial mistakes.
Where is she now?
Leelee Sobieski officially quit acting in 2012. According to her, she needed to focus on her family, hence the decision to end her acting career. In a 2016 interview, she revealed that her decision was also influenced by the fact that the majority of acting roles involved performing some form of sexual acts that she didn’t find too favorable.
The former actress has since started a career in the visual arts as a painter and sculptor, she is named after her wife ‘Leelee Kimmel’. She had her first solo exhibition in 2018 at the Journal Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She also had her UK debut at the Simon Lee Gallery in London.
Husband
Leelee Sobieski is in a happy marital union with menswear designer Adam Kimmel. The duo started dating in early 2009 and later that year they got engaged. They finally tied the knot on August 31, 2010.
She has two children with her husband. Their first child was born in December 2009, a girl named Louisanna Ray. In 2014, they welcomed their second child, a son named Martin.