Leighton Marissa Meester (; born April 9, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and model. She is best known for her starring role as the devious socialite
Blair Waldorf
Blair Cornelia Waldorf (married name Bass) is one of the main characters of ''Gossip Girl (novel series), Gossip Girl'', introduced in the original series of novels and also appearing as the lead in the Gossip Girl, television adaptation; she als ...
on ''
Gossip Girl
''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six ...
'' on
The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
(2007–2012). She has also appeared in films such as ''
Killer Movie
''Killer Movie'' is a 2008 American slasher film released in the United States in on April 24. The film premiered during the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. It stars Paul Wesley, Kaley Cuoco, Jason London, Torrey DeVitto and Leig ...
'' (2008), ''
Country Strong
''Country Strong'' is a 2010 American drama film starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund, and Leighton Meester. The film, about an emotionally unstable country music star who attempts to resurrect her career, was directed and writ ...
'' (2010), ''
The Roommate'' (2011), ''
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino i ...
'' (2011), ''
The Oranges'' (2011), ''
The Judge'' (2014) and ''
The Weekend Away'' (2022). She portrayed Angie D'Amato on the
ABC sitcom ''
Single Parents'' (2018–2020). Meester made her
Broadway debut in ''
Of Mice and Men
''Of Mice and Men'' is a novella written by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job ...
'' (2014).
In addition to acting, Meester has ventured into music. In 2009, she was featured on the
Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship was an American dance-pop band founded in 2005 by Gabe Saporta (ex- Midtown), and headquartered in New York City. He recorded the first album as a solo project, '' While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets''. Saporta later enlis ...
single "
Good Girls Go Bad", which charted in the top ten on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. She released solo singles "
Somebody to Love" (2009) and "Your Love's a Drug" (2010) on the
Universal Republic
Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...
label. Meester has also recorded songs for various soundtracks. Her debut album, ''
Heartstrings'', was independently released in 2014. She has also modeled, having been the face of the
,
Herbal Essences, and
Vera Wang
Vera Ellen Wang (; born June 27, 1949) is an American fashion designer.
Early life
Vera Ellen Wang was born June 27, 1949 in New York City to Chinese parents who emigrated to the United States in the mid-1940s. Her mother, Florence Wu (Wu ...
brands.
Early life
Meester was born in
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...
, to Douglas Jay Meester and Constance Lynn (née Haas).
Her father is a real estate broker; her mother is a writer. She has two brothers: an older brother, Douglas Logan Meester (born 1983), and a younger brother, Alexander "Lex" Meester (born 1994). At the time of her birth, Meester's parents were serving time in a federal prison for their involvement in a
drug ring
A drug cartel is any criminal organization with the intention of supplying drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises. The term was applied when the l ...
that smuggled
marijuana
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in variou ...
from
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...
to the United States. Constance was able to give birth to Leighton in a hospital and nurse her for three months in a
halfway house
A halfway house is an institute for people with criminal backgrounds or substance use disorder problems to learn (or relearn) the necessary skills to re-integrate into society and better support and care for themselves.
As well as serving as a ...
, before returning to prison to complete her sentence.
Her paternal grandparents cared for Meester during this period. She has maintained that her parents gave her a normal upbringing and, despite their criminal past, has stated, "It made me realize that you can't judge anyone—especially your parents—for what they've done in their past, because people change."
She grew up in
Marco Island, Florida
Marco Island is a small sea island, or barrier island, on the Gulf Coast of the United States located 20 miles (32 km) south of Naples in Collier County, Florida. Marco Island is an affluent beach and boating resort island with a small-to ...
, where she participated in productions at a local playhouse.
Her parents separated in 1992.
When she was 11 years old, Meester and her siblings moved with their mother to New York City. She attended the
Professional Children's School
Professional Children's School (PCS) is a not-for-profit, college preparatory school geared toward working and aspiring child actors and dancers in grades six through twelve. The school was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an academic ed ...
and began working as a model with
Wilhelmina, booking a
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren, ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his c ...
campaign shot by
Bruce Weber, and working with then-photographer
Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola (; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and actress. The youngest child and only daughter of filmmakers Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola, she made her film debut as an infant in her father's acclaimed crime drama film ...
.
Meester also booked commercials for
Tamagotchi
The is a handheld digital pet that was created in Japan by Akihiro Yokoi of WiZ and Aki Maita of Bandai. It was released by Bandai on November 23, 1996 in Japan and in the USA on May 1, 1997, quickly becoming one of the biggest toy fads o ...
and
Clearasil, and modeled for
Limited Too alongside
Amanda Seyfried. At age 14, she relocated to Los Angeles and attended
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywoo ...
and
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...
High Schools.
Meester then transferred to a small private school and graduated a year earlier than usual.
Career
1999–2007: Career beginnings
Meester made her acting debut in 1999 as a murder victim's friend, Alyssa Turner, on an episode of ''
Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering o ...
''. Following this, she made her film debut in ''
Hangman's Curse
''Hangman's Curse'' is a 2001 novel by Frank E. Peretti. It is the first book in the Veritas Project series for teenagers.
Plot overview
The story centers around an apparently supernatural case taken by a family of investigators who make up th ...
'' (2003), based on the bestselling book by
Frank Peretti. She had a series regular role in ''
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
'', which aired for only eight episodes. A recurring role in ''
Entourage'' as Justine Chapin and ''
Veronica Mars
''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character. The series prem ...
'' as Carrie Bishop followed in 2004 and 2005. Meester booked guest roles in the series ''
Crossing Jordan
''Crossing Jordan'' is an American crime drama television series created by Tim Kring, that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001, to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed i ...
'', ''
8 Simple Rules
''8 Simple Rules'' (originally ''8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter'') is an American sitcom television series originally starring John Ritter and Katey Sagal as middle-class parents Paul and Cate Hennessy, raising their three ch ...
'', ''
7th Heaven'' and ''
24''.
She was cast as series regular in ''
Surface'' as Savannah Barnett.
In 2006, Meester appeared in two films, ''
Flourish'' and ''Inside''. She also guest starred in an episode of ''
Numbers
A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The original examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers ca ...
'' and appeared in two episodes of ''
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...
'' as Ali Johnson, a teenager who has a crush on
Gregory House.
She then had guest roles on ''
CSI: Miami'' and ''
Shark
Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...
'', and portrayed the female lead in the horror film ''
Drive-Thru'', for which she recorded the song "Inside the Black". Meester was cast as identical twin sisters Kayla and Kelly Rhodes in the
ABC crime-drama series ''Secrets of a Small Town'', but the network decided not to forward the series.
2007–2012: ''Gossip Girl'' and music ventures

In 2007, Meester was cast in
The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
's teen drama series ''
Gossip Girl
''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six ...
'' as
Blair Waldorf
Blair Cornelia Waldorf (married name Bass) is one of the main characters of ''Gossip Girl (novel series), Gossip Girl'', introduced in the original series of novels and also appearing as the lead in the Gossip Girl, television adaptation; she als ...
, based on the
book series of the same name by
Cecily von Ziegesar. She first auditioned for the role of
Serena van der Woodsen
Serena Celia van der Woodsen is the fictional character and the protagonist in the ''Gossip Girl'' novel series and in its TV adaptation, in which she is portrayed by Blake Lively. Serena is featured on the blog of the series' mysterious narrato ...
, but told the producers that she could better play Blair. However, it was important that Serena was blonde and Blair was brunette, so Meester dyed her hair brown for the role.
Her performance was the most critically acclaimed of the show, with Blair being cited as the series' breakout character. She also garnered media attention for her wardrobe on the show.
The series ended after six seasons and 120 episodes. Meester later starred in the television film ''
The Haunting of Sorority Row'', and had a role in the ensemble comedy-drama film ''
Remember the Daze''. In 2008, she appeared in the horror-thriller film ''
Killer Movie
''Killer Movie'' is a 2008 American slasher film released in the United States in on April 24. The film premiered during the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. It stars Paul Wesley, Kaley Cuoco, Jason London, Torrey DeVitto and Leig ...
'' and reprised her role in ''Entourage'' singing with
Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his bir ...
in the episode.
Early in 2009, Meester partnered with
Reebok
Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...
to model their new Top Down sneakers. Apart from ''Gossip Girl'', Meester worked with co-star
Ed Westwick
Edward Jack Peter Westwick (born 27 June 1987) is an English actor and musician best known for his role as Chuck Bass on The CW's ''Gossip Girl'' as well as Vincent Swan in the TV series ''White Gold''. He made his feature film debut in ''Child ...
in a
Nikon Coolpix series camera advertisement, and both were the faces of the Korean clothing line ASK Enquired. In April 2009, she released the song "Birthday" featuring duo
Awesome New Republic. A version without her vocals was included on their ''Rational Geographic Vol. I'' album. Later that month, Meester signed a recording contract with
Universal Republic
Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...
.
Meester provided vocals on
Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship was an American dance-pop band founded in 2005 by Gabe Saporta (ex- Midtown), and headquartered in New York City. He recorded the first album as a solo project, '' While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets''. Saporta later enlis ...
's song "
Good Girls Go Bad", which peaked at number seven on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
In July, "Body Control"
surfaced on the internet. Meester's first official single, "
Somebody to Love", featuring
R&B singer
Robin Thicke
Robin Alan Thicke (born March 10, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 2013 hit single " Blurred Lines", which is one of the best-selling singles of all time. At the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, h ...
, was released for airplay on October 13, 2009, and became available for digital download the following day. She recorded a cover of the song "
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" is a pop song originally sung by Darlene Love and included on the 1963 seasonal compilation album, '' A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector''. The song was written by Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, and Phi ...
" for the compilation album ''
A Very Special Christmas 7''.
Her second single, "Your Love's a Drug", was digitally released on March 30, 2010, and she is also featured on
Stephen Jerzak
Stephen Lewis Jerzak (born May 5, 1992) is an American alternative-pop musician, singer, and songwriter from La Crosse, Wisconsin. Some of his notable singles include "Cute" which gained popularity on social media networks in his early career, a ...
's song "She Said". Meester did a duet with DJ
Clinton Sparks on "Front Cut", which appeared on the internet in February 2011.
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...
worked with her on an unreleased song titled "Make It Rain" and
Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney (born April 9, 1987) is an American actor and singer. He achieved fame in the late 1990s on the daytime drama ''All My Children'' as JR Chandler. He later joined boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a solo mus ...
wrote another song. The album was produced by
Polow Da Don,
Harvey Mason Jr., and Spencer Nezey. Meester began working on it in March 2009 and the album was initially projected to be released in the fall of 2009,
but was later delayed to early 2010. It was pushed back again to late 2010, and was ultimately shelved.
Meester had small roles in the comedies ''
Date Night'' and ''
Going the Distance''. She then starred with
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (; born ) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films ...
and
Garrett Hedlund in the
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...
drama ''
Country Strong
''Country Strong'' is a 2010 American drama film starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund, and Leighton Meester. The film, about an emotionally unstable country music star who attempts to resurrect her career, was directed and writ ...
''. Wesley Morris of ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' described Meester as the best part of the film, writing, "She's just doing
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, she ...
's June Carter Cash in ''
Walk the Line
''Walk the Line'' is a 2005 American biographical musical romantic drama film directed by James Mangold. The screenplay, written by Mangold and Gill Dennis, is based on two autobiographies authored by singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, 1975's '' Ma ...
'' with dabs of
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...
and
Kellie Pickler
Kellie Dawn Pickler (born June 28, 1986) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television personality. Pickler gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of ''American Idol'' and finished in sixth place. In 2006, she signed ...
. But it's not an impersonation; it's a performance with its own comedy and sweetness." Claudia Puig of ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virg ...
'' was also positive, stating "Meester shows she can do more than play one of ''Gossip Girl'' privileged Manhattan socialites." For the film, Meester recorded a cover of the song "Words I Couldn't Say" by
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999. The band members were Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second co ...
as well as "
A Little Bit Stronger
"A Little Bit Stronger" is a song written by Luke Laird, Hillary Lindsey, and Hillary Scott and recorded by American country music artist Sara Evans. It was released in September 2010 and as the first single from Evans' 2011 album '' Stronger''. ...
" by
Sara Evans
Sara Lynn Evans (; born February 5, 1971) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is also credited as a record producer, actress, and author. She had five songs reach the number one spot on the '' Billboard'' country songs cha ...
featured on the film's
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
; a promotional single titled "Summer Girl"; and a duet with
Garrett Hedlund titled "Give In To Me". After wrapping, she received a guitar from
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has released 16 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, four for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those albu ...
and decided to learn how to play it. In October 2010, Meester said she had been working with a band called Check in the Dark and had been writing for the last six months after being inspired by ''Country Strong''. She revealed her influences, "I love
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...
and
Joni Mitchell, that style of music, and as far as songwriting I think that's where my heart is."

In 2010, Meester signed on to be the spokesperson for
Herbal Essences hair products. In the same year, she took part in
Bulgari
Bulgari (, ; stylized as BVLGARI) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1884 and known for its jewellery, watches, fragrances, accessories, and leather goods.
While the majority of design, production and marketing is overseen and exec ...
's humanitarian efforts for the
Save the Children
The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...
organization with
Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (born 18 June 1952) is an Italian-American actress, author, philanthropist, and model. The daughter of the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and the Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, she is note ...
and
Maribel Verdú. She next fronted a beauty campaign for Korean brand eSpoir.
Vera Wang
Vera Ellen Wang (; born June 27, 1949) is an American fashion designer.
Early life
Vera Ellen Wang was born June 27, 1949 in New York City to Chinese parents who emigrated to the United States in the mid-1940s. Her mother, Florence Wu (Wu ...
selected her to be the face of the fragrance Lovestruck in 2011, stating that Meester's "beauty, talent and spirit will inspire all the young women that I hope will enjoy this passionate, new young fragrance." The next year, Meester shot a campaign for the follow-up fragrance, Lovestruck Floral Rush. Italian fashion house
Missoni
Missoni is an Italian luxury fashion house based in Varese, and known for its colorful knitwear designs. The company was founded by Ottavio ("Tai") and Rosita Missoni in 1953.
History Early beginnings
The business was founded in 1953, when Ot ...
named Meester the face of their spring/summer 2011 campaign.
Meester next starred in the thriller film ''
The Roommate'' as Rebecca Evans, an obsessive, bipolar woman. Though the film received mainly negative reviews, Meester's portrayal was praised. ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cult ...
'' found she was the only one to bring "the slightest trace of something fascinating to her role," while ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' wrote, "
eester'sperformance often has the feeling of a sports car in neutral. When she punches it for quick changes of tone from manic to wounded or around the bend, she shows how much more she is capable of." In the teen comedy film ''