Leighton Meester facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leighton Meester
Meester in 2017
Born	Leighton Marissa Meester (1986-04-09) April 9, 1986 (age 39) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Actress singer model
Years active	1999–present
Spouse(s)	Adam Brody ​ (m. 2014)​
Children	2
Musical career
Genres	Pop rock indie pop alternative rock
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Labels	Universal Republic Vagrant Hotly Wanting

Leighton Marissa Meester (born April 9, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and model. She is best known for her main role as Blair Waldorf in the TV show Gossip Girl, which aired from 2007 to 2012. She has also acted in movies like Country Strong (2010), Monte Carlo (2011), and The Judge (2014). From 2018 to 2020, she played Angie D'Amato in the sitcom Single Parents. Meester also performed on Broadway in the play Of Mice and Men in 2014. For her role in the comedy-drama series Good Cop/Bad Cop, she was nominated for an Australian Logie Award for Best Actress.

Besides acting, Meester is also a singer. In 2009, she sang on the Cobra Starship song "Good Girls Go Bad", which was a top ten hit. She released her own songs "Somebody to Love" (2009) and "Your Love's a Drug" (2010). Her first album, Heartstrings, came out in 2014. Meester has also worked as a model for brands like Jimmy Choo, Herbal Essences, and Vera Wang.

Early Life and Career Start

Leighton Meester was born on April 9, 1986, in Fort Worth, Texas. Her parents are Constance Lynn and Douglas Jay Meester. She has two brothers, Douglas Logan and Alexander. When Leighton was born, her parents were dealing with legal issues. Her paternal grandparents took care of her during this time. She has said that her parents gave her a normal childhood. She grew up in Marco Island, Florida, and enjoyed performing in local plays.

When she was 11, Meester and her brothers moved to New York City with their mother. She went to the Professional Children's School and started modeling. She worked for Ralph Lauren and appeared in commercials for Tamagotchi and Clearasil. She also modeled for Limited Too with Amanda Seyfried. At 14, she moved to Los Angeles and went to Hollywood and Beverly Hills High Schools. She then went to a smaller private school and finished high school early.

Acting Career Highlights

Meester at a movie premiere in 2008

First Roles (1999–2006)

Meester started acting in 1999 on an episode of Law & Order. Her first movie role was in Hangman's Curse (2003). She had a regular role in the TV show Tarzan. She also appeared in popular shows like Entourage, Veronica Mars, Crossing Jordan, 7th Heaven, and 24. In 2005, she was a regular on the show Surface.

In 2006, Meester was in two movies, Flourish and Inside. She also guest starred in Numbers and House. She then had roles in CSI: Miami and Shark.

Gossip Girl and Music (2007–2013)

Meester in 2009

In 2007, Meester got the role of Blair Waldorf in The CW's teen drama Gossip Girl. She first tried out for the role of Serena van der Woodsen, but she felt she could play Blair better. She dyed her hair brown for the part. Her acting as Blair was highly praised, and Blair became a very popular character. The show ran for six seasons. Meester also starred in the TV movie The Haunting of Sorority Row and the movie Remember the Daze. In 2008, she was in the movie Killer Movie.

In 2009, Meester worked with Reebok to model their sneakers. She also appeared in ads for Nikon Coolpix cameras and the clothing line ASK Enquired with her Gossip Girl co-star Ed Westwick. In April 2009, she released the song "Birthday". Later that month, she signed a music contract. Meester sang on Cobra Starship's song "Good Girls Go Bad", which was a big hit. Her first official song, "Somebody to Love", came out in October 2009. She also recorded a Christmas song for an album.

Her second song, "Your Love's a Drug", was released in March 2010. Meester also sang on Stephen Jerzak's song "She Said". She worked on an album, but it was never officially released.

Meester had small roles in the comedies Date Night and Going the Distance. She then starred with Gwyneth Paltrow in the country music movie Country Strong. Critics praised her performance. For the movie, Meester recorded songs like "Words I Couldn't Say" and "A Little Bit Stronger". She also learned to play the guitar. In 2010, she became a spokesperson for Herbal Essences and worked with Bulgari for the Save the Children charity. She also modeled for Vera Wang and Missoni.

Meester starred in the movie The Roommate as Rebecca Evans. Even though the movie got mixed reviews, her acting was praised. In the movie Monte Carlo, she played Meg Kelly, Selena Gomez's stepsister. Her performance was again well-received. Her last movie of 2011 was The Oranges, where she acted alongside Hugh Laurie and Adam Brody.

In April 2012, Meester announced a tour with her band, Check in the Dark. She said that folk music was "a lot closer to [her] heart" than pop music. She also supported the clothing brand Penshoppe.

She starred in the comedy movie That's My Boy with Adam Sandler in June 2012. In August 2012, Meester appeared in a music video for "Addicted to Love". In October 2013, she became a global ambassador for the skincare company Biotherm.

Broadway Debut and Heartstrings (2014–2017)

In April 2014, her comedy movie Life Partners premiered. Meester made her Broadway debut in the play Of Mice and Men, acting with James Franco. This play was even shown in cinemas for one night. She then appeared in the movie The Judge with Robert Downey, Jr. and Robert Duvall. Meester also starred in Like Sunday, Like Rain and By the Gun. She won the Best Actress Award for Like Sunday, Like Rain at a film festival. She was also the face of the French brand Naf Naf's collection.

On September 9, 2014, Meester announced that her first album, Heartstrings, would be released on October 28. The album had nine songs written by Meester. The music video for the song "Heartstrings" was released on October 29.

In 2015, Meester went on a tour to support her album. She also appeared in ads for the Malaysian fashion brand Jimmy Choo. Meester was one of the 100 famous people who narrated the documentary Unity. In March 2016, she was cast in Fox's comedy series Making History as Deborah Revere. The show ran for one season.

Recent Roles (2018–Present)

In January 2018, Meester joined the cast of Semper Fi, which was released in October 2019. Meester starred in ABC's Single Parents from September 2018 to 2020. In 2018, Meester had a guest role on The Last Man on Earth. In 2019 and 2022, she was a guest star in episodes of The Orville.

In 2022, she had a recurring role as Meredith in How I Met Your Father. She also starred in the thriller movie The Weekend Away and voiced a character in the animated movie My Father's Dragon. She then starred in the holiday movie EXmas (2023). In October 2024, it was announced that she would join the cast of The Buccaneers for its second season.

Charity Work

Meester for DKMS in 2013

Meester has been involved in many charity campaigns. In 2008, she was a spokesperson for Sunsilk's "Life Can't Wait" campaign, which encouraged women to follow their dreams. In 2009, she worked with Safe Horizon to raise awareness about domestic violence. In 2015, Meester sold some of her fashion items for charity. The money went to Many Hopes, an organization that builds schools and homes for children in Kenya.

Since 2017, Meester has volunteered with Feeding America, a non-profit organization. She has helped at the Downtown Women's Center in Los Angeles and assisted with relief efforts in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017. Meester and Adam Brody also helped serve lunches to children at Para Los Niños Charter School in Los Angeles. In January 2019, she participated in Feeding America's campaign with Subway.

In May 2019, Meester worked with Feeding America and the Los Angeles Food Bank to help families in need. She shared on Instagram that they helped provide groceries to families. In 2021, Meester promoted meetings to encourage donations for people with a rare health condition called congenital central hypoventilation syndrome.

Personal Life

Leighton Meester lives in Los Angeles. In November 2013, she got engaged to actor Adam Brody. They had worked together on the movie The Oranges. The couple got married on February 15, 2014. Their daughter, Arlo, was born on August 4, 2015. In April 2020, it was announced they were expecting their second child. In September 2020, Brody confirmed their son was born. In January 2025, their home was affected by a fire.

Film and Television Roles

Film

Television

Stage Performances

Music Releases

Studio Albums

Singles

Songs with Meester as a Featured Artist

Promotional Singles

Other Charted Songs

Guest Appearances on Recordings

Music Videos

Concert Tours

• Leighton Meester + Check in the Dark Summer Tour (2012)
• Heartstrings Tour (2015)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Leighton Meester para niños