Leelee Sobieski is a former film and TV actress of American origin whose career lasted from 1995 to 2012. As a teen star, she captured the hearts of movie lovers with brilliant performances in films of 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 titular role in the 1999 telefilm 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 lead character in the 2001 TV miniseries Uprising. She continued to work in film and television for several years afterward and indeed, she had all the makings of a Hollywood leading 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 Gloria Elsveta Sobieski on the 10th of June 1983. She has Jewish and Dutch ancestry from her mother’s side of the family and on her father’s side, she has Polish and Swiss ancestry. Her parents have both been involved in show business at some point in their lives. Her French-born father Jean Sobieski is a former actor and painter while her mother Elizabeth Sobieski (née Salomon) worked as a screenwriter and movie producer.
She grew up alongside one sibling, a younger brother named Robert. She was born and raised in New York City and there she attended Trevor Day School in Manhattan. For her college education, she attended Brown University where she studied literature and fine art but she did not graduate.
Her Acting Career
At the age of 10, Sobieski caught the eye of a talent scout in her school cafeteria. The scout got her to audition for the role of Claudia in the horror movie Interview with the Vampire (1994) but the role was ultimately given to Kirsten Dunst. She eventually marked her screen debut in the telefilm Reunion (1994) followed by another role in another telefilm A Horse for Danny (1995). She also had a main role in a short-lived crime series Charlie Grace (1995).
Leelee Sobieski got her first feature film role in the comedy flick Jungle 2 Jungle (1997) starring alongside Tim Allen and Martin Short. The following year, she earned the attention of Hollywood casting directors with her performance in the Sci-Fi movie Deep Impact (1998). She also starred in A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries (1998) for which she received critical recognition. 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 movie Joan of Arc (1999) earned her the biggest plaudits of her career including an Emmy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. She played the female lead role in the romance film Here on Earth (2000) for which she was nominated for the Teen Choice Award for Choice Breakout Performance. Continuing in her sublime form, the talented actress portrayed the lead character, Tosia Altman, in the miniseries Uprising (2001) and this fetched a second Golden Globe nomination.
She recorded further acting credits all through 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 Bliss (2009). She was also on the main cast of the one-season-long police drama series NYC 22 (2012).
Leelee Sobieski Net Worth
Leelee Sobieski’s net worth is pegged at an enviable sum of $6 million. This comes as no surprise seeing that she had quite a busy career in her heydays as an actress. Unlike a few unfortunate Hollywood teen stars we have known in the past, Sobieski had efficient management of her wealth and she did not make any major financial blunders.
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 career as an actress. 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 which she did not find too favorable.
The former actress has since commenced a career in visual arts as a painter and sculptor and she goes by her married name “Leelee Kimmel”. She had her first solo exhibit in 2018 at the Journal Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She also had her UK exhibit debut at the Simon Lee Gallery in London.
Husband
Leelee Sobieski is in a blissful marital union with menswear designer Adam Kimmel. The duo began dating in early 2009 and later in the year they got engaged. They eventually tied the knot on August 31, 2010.
She has two children with her husband. Their first child was born in December 2009, a daughter named Louisanna Ray. In 2014, they welcomed their second child, a son named Martin.
