Ione Skye Lee ( ; Ione Skye Leitch; born September 4, 1970) is a British-born American actress and the daughter of singer Donovan. She made her film debut in the thriller '' River's Edge'' (1986) before gaining mainstream exposure for her starring role in Cameron Crowe's '' Say Anything...'' (1989). She continued to appear in films throughout the 1990s, with notable roles in ''

Gas Food Lodging ''Gas Food Lodging'' is a 1992 American drama film written and directed by Allison Anders and starring Brooke Adams, Ione Skye, and Fairuza Balk. It tells the story of a waitress trying to find romance while raising two daughters in a trailer ...

'' (1992), ''

Wayne's World "Wayne's World" was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series ''Saturday Night Live''. It evolved from a segment titled "Wayne's Power Minute" (1987) on the CBC Television series '' It's Only Rock & Roll'', as the main charact ...

'' (1992) and '' One Night Stand'' (1997). Other film credits include the comedy '' Fever Pitch'' (2005) and an uncredited role in ''

Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The pa ...

'' (2007). Skye also guest-starred on several television series, including ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' (2002), '' Private Practice'', and a recurring role on '' Arrested Development''. She is also featured in the NBC series La Brea (2021). In addition to acting, Skye also works as a painter, and has authored several

children's books A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younge ...

. In 2006, VH1 ranked her number 84 on its list of the 100 Greatest Teen Stars.

Early life

Skye was born Ione Skye Leitch in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough o ...

, London, the daughter of folk singer-songwriter Donovan and model Enid Karl (née Stulberger). Her father is Scottish-born with some Irish ancestry and grew up in England. Her mother is an American who was raised in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

, New York City, and is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. Her second name comes from the Isle of Skye. She is the younger sister of

Camp Freddy Camp Freddy was an American hard rock supergroup consisting of established musicians who played rock covers at various shows around the United States from 2002 through 2014. The band consisted of core members Matt Sorum on drums, Dave Navarro a ...

singer Donovan Leitch. Skye's parents were separated at the time of her birth, and she was raised by her mother, having little to no contact with her father. Skye grew up primarily in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and also spent time in Connecticut. She attended Immaculate Heart High School and Hollywood High School in Los Angeles.

Career

Skye made her film debut with a supporting role in '' River's Edge'' in 1986, followed by a role as the title character in ''

The Rachel Papers ''The Rachel Papers'' is a 1989 British film written and directed by Damian Harris, and based on the 1973 novel of the same name by Martin Amis. It stars Dexter Fletcher and Ione Skye with Jonathan Pryce, James Spader, Bill Paterson, Jared Har ...

'' (1989). She played Diane Court, a withdrawn high school valedictorian, in the 1989 film '' Say Anything...'', the feature film debut of director Cameron Crowe; the film attained a

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

and lent Skye international recognition. In 1992, she played the role of Eleanor Grey on the short-lived television series '' Covington Cross'', starred in

Allison Anders Allison Anders (born November 16, 1954) is an American independent film director whose films include '' Gas Food Lodging'', ''Mi Vida Loca'' and ''Grace of My Heart''. Anders has collaborated with fellow UCLA School of Theater, Film and Televis ...

's debut feature film ''

'' (which also featured Skye's brother Donovan Leitch), and had a supporting role in the Stephen La Rocque film ''

Samantha Samantha (or the alternatively Samanta) is primarily used as a feminine given name. It was recorded in England in 1633 in Newton Regis, Warwickshire. It was also recorded in the 18th century in New England, but its etymology is uncertain. Spe ...

''. She subsequently had supporting roles as Elise in the comedy ''

'' (1992) and the Mike Figgis-directed drama '' One Night Stand'' (1997). She later appeared in the music video for the Harvey Danger song "Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo." In 2007, Skye had a small, well-received part in the David Fincher film ''

''. In an interview with ''mondo-video.com'' in December 2010, Skye said she had not paid perfect attention to her career arc over the years, saying she "never struck when the iron was hot" when it came to going after big Hollywood roles in her 20s. In 2013, she appeared in a supporting part in the independent horror film '' Haunt'', with Jacki Weaver. In 2016, Skye directed the music video for the Against Me! single "

333 __NOTOC__ Year 333 ( CCCXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Dalmatius and Zenophilus (or, less frequently, year 10 ...

". The same year, she appeared in the short film '' Kitty'', directed by

Chloë Sevigny Chloë Stevens Sevigny (, born November 18, 1974) is an American actress, model, filmmaker and fashion designer. Known for her work in independent films, often appearing in controversial or experimental features, Sevigny is the recipient of se ...

Other ventures

In addition to acting, Skye is also a painter, and sells her own works. She also wrote the children's book ''My Yiddish Vacation'', published by Henry Holt and Company in May 2014. Skye has cited comic book artist

Daniel Clowes Daniel Gillespie Clowes (; born April 14, 1961) is an American cartoonist, graphic novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter. Most of Clowes's work first appeared in '' Eightball'', a solo anthology comic book series. An ''Eightball'' issue typic ...

as an inspiration for her painting and writing.

Personal life

For several years in the 1980s, Skye had a relationship with Anthony Kiedis, singer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis's 2004 book '' Scar Tissue'' contains a nude photo of the couple. Skye married Adam Horovitz, a member of the Beastie Boys. The couple married in 1992, separated in 1995, and divorced in 1999. Skye then had a relationship with furniture designer David Netto. They had a daughter, Kate, born December 2001. Skye's home in Hollywood, and Netto's apartment in New York City were featured in the February 2003 issue of ''Vogue''. The two were engaged, but eventually separated. In 2008, Skye became engaged to Australian musician Ben Lee. On December 29, 2008, Skye and Lee were married in a Hindu wedding ceremony in India. They have one daughter, Goldie Priya Lee, born September 24, 2009. In an extensive 2015 interview, Skye discussed her struggle with addiction, including bouts with alcoholism and other drug use.

Filmography

Film

Television

Notes

References

External links

*
Ione Skye Paintings
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Skye, Ione 1970 births American film actresses American television actresses Jewish American actresses Living people Actresses from Hertfordshire Jewish English actresses English people of Scottish descent British emigrants to the United States 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Alumni of Immaculate Heart High School, Los Angeles Actresses from Los Angeles Actresses from San Francisco Actresses from Connecticut 20th-century English women 20th-century English people 21st-century English women 21st-century English people 21st-century American Jews LGBT actresses LGBT people from England LGBT Jews