Leighton Meester

Leighton Meester
Born	Leighton Marissa Claire Meester
Occupation(s)	Actress, Singer-Songwriter
Years active	1999–present

Leighton Marissa Claire Meester (born April 9, 1986) is an American actress and singer-songwriter, best known for her role as Blair Waldorf in the TV show Gossip Girl.

Early life

Leighton Meester was born in Texas to Connie and Doug Meester. Although her mother Connie was serving time in prison for her involvement in a drug ring that smuggled marijuana from Jamaica to the United States, Connie was able to give birth to Meester in a hospital and nurse her for three months in a halfway house before returning to prison to complete her sentence. Meester maintains that her parents gave her a normal upbringing and, despite their criminal past, are good people with experience that has only made Meester more open-minded and non-judgmental, "It made me realize that you can't judge anyone – especially your parents – for what they've done in their past, because people change." Meester also tells Cosmopolitan, "Look, I could've turned out a lot worse."

Meester grew up in Marco Island, Florida where she participated in productions at a local playhouse and choir at church. Meester decided early on that it was what she wanted to do with her life then. When she was 10 years old, Meester and her mother moved to New York in hopes of getting her career started. Meester attended the Professional Children's School and even began working as a model with Wilhemina, booking a Ralph Lauren campaign shot by Bruce Weber and working with then photographer (now film maker) Sofia Coppola. After deciding that modeling wasn't for her, Meester was keen on acting and made her debut on Law & Order.

At 14, Meester moved to Los Angeles, California wanting more staple work and attended Beverly Hills High School. She recalls her high school life as "me being a dork and studying. I only went there until my junior year - then I just dropped out and didn't go back for my last year. But I had already gotten my diploma."

Career

Meester at the 2009 CW Upfront presentation

Meester made 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. Meester also appeared in Tarzan, which only lasted for eight episodes. Meester started to land guest roles in other series such as, Crossing Jordan, 7th Heaven, a recurring role as the Britney Spears-like singer Justine Chapin on the hit series Entourage, 24 and Veronica Mars.

In 2005 Meester scored a regular role in the series Surface. She played Savannah Bennet, big sister of Miles Bennett. The show ran for 15 episodes. In 2006 Surface stopped airing and Meester appeared in two more movies, Flourish and Inside. She also guest appeared in Numb3rs and in two episodes of House M.D as Ali, an underage girl who has a crush on House.

After a guest role on CSI: Miami, a recurring role on the James Woods court drama Shark, and appearing as the female lead in the comedy/horror film Drive-Thru, Meester scored a regular role in the CW's hit show Gossip Girl, playing the rich and scheming Blair Waldorf. The show is based on the book series about the lives of New York's privileged Upper East Side high school students. Her performance has been met with critical acclaim and TV Guide also ranked Blair Waldorf among its "Best-Dressed TV Characters of 2007.

Meester appeared on the television film The Haunting of Sorority Row, and played a part in the ensemble comedy/drama Remember the Daze, released on April, 2008. She also appeared on the horror/thriller film Killer Movie, released in the United States also on April 2008 during the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.

In April 2009, it was announced Meester signed a recording contract with Universal Republic. The album is said to be electronic, dancey, and edgy; she will be working with JR Rotem, Kara Dioguardi and several other producers. The first single will be released around July, with the album dropping by fall. Recently, a song off her debut album, "Body Control" leaked, generating positive reviews from fans as she maintains the "electro-pop edge" that keeps her current with current musical trends. She has recently confirmed on her twitter page that she was not expecting anyone to hear "Body Control" yet but was pleased with the positive reviews. Meester is also featured in the Cobra Starship song "Good Girls Go Bad", the first single from their upcoming third studio album Hot Mess. The song was digitally released on May 11, 2009.

Meester will play Rebecca in the upcoming film The Roommate. It has also been announced that she will appear in the upcoming comedy, Date Night, alongside Steve Carell and Tina Fey.

Aside from acting and music, Meester has also endorsed several brands before and since she shot to fame in Gossip Girl. She appeared in commercials for Clearasil and in 2009, in ads for Reebok. More recently, she and Gossip Girl co-star Ed Westwick were named the new faces for the Korean clothing line ASK Enquired.

Personal life

Leighton Meester currently resides in New York City. In her free time, she enjoys writing, reading, dancing, and "doing nothing." She occasionally keeps fans updated with messages on Twitter and it is the only social networking service she personally uses that her representation has confirmed.

In June 2009, reports of an alleged sex tape featuring an 18-year old Meester is being shopped around by an old boyfriend with an asking price up to $1 million. An offer was made to Mr. Skin, a well-known website for celebrity nudity, but he denied it due to it apparently being sold against Meester's will. Meester has yet to comment on the reports.

Discography

Albums

• 2009 "TBA"

Singles

As featured performer

Year	Title	Peak chart positions		Album
		US	CAN
2009	"Good Girls Go Bad" (Cobra Starship feat. Leighton Meester)	24	54	Hot Mess

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
2003	Hangman's Curse	Elisha Springfield
2004	Hollywood Division	Michelle	Television film
2006	Flourish	Lucy Covner
	Inside	Josie
2007	Drive-Thru	Mackenzie Carpenter
	Remember the Daze	Tori
	The Haunting of Sorority Row	Samantha Willows	Television film
2008	Killer Movie	Jaynie Hansen
2010	The Roommate	Rebecca	Filming
	Date Night	Zoey	Filming
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	Law & Order	Alyssa Turner	Episode: "Disciple"
2001	Boston Public	Sarah Breen	Episode: "Chapter Twenty-Eight"
2002	Once and Again	Amanda	Episode: "Gardenia"
	Family Affair	Irene	Episode: "No Small Parts"
2003	Tarzan	Nicki Porter	5 episodes
2004	Crossing Jordan	Marie Strand	Episode: "Missing Pieces"
	7th Heaven	Kendall	Episode: "Little White Lies"
	24	Debbie Pendleton	4 episodes
	Entourage	Justine Chapin	2004-2008 (3 episodes)
2005	8 Simple Rules	Nikki	Episode: "The After Party"
	Veronica Mars	Carrie Bishop	Episodes: "A Trip to the Dentist" and "Mars vs. Mars"
	Surface	Savannah Barnett	2005-2006 (12 episodes)
2006	Numb3rs	Karen Camden	Episode: "Dark Matter"
	House MD	Ali	Episodes: "Informed Consent" and "Lines in the Sand"
2007	CSI: Miami	Heather Crowley	Episode: "Broken Home"
	Shark	Megan	Episodes: "Porn Free", "Trial by Fire" and "Blind Trust"
	Gossip Girl	Blair Waldorf	2007-present (43 episodes)

External links

• Official Site
• Leighton Meester at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com person
• Leighton Meester cast bio on The CW
• Leighton Meester tvguide bio

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