Leighton Meester

Leighton Marissa Meester, born April 9, 1986, in Fort Worth, Texas, is an American actress, singer, and model. Her father, Douglas Jay Meester, worked as a real estate broker, and her mother, Constance Lynn, née Haas, is a writer of Irish descent, while her father carries Dutch ancestry. At the time of Meester's birth, both parents were incarcerated in a federal prison for their roles in a marijuana smuggling operation running from Jamaica to the United States. Constance gave birth to Leighton in a hospital and spent three months nursing her in a halfway house before returning to serve the remainder of her sentence, during which Meester's paternal grandparents provided care. Meester has spoken about the experience, noting that it taught her not to judge others, particularly her parents, for past actions. She grew up in Marco Island, Florida, where she took part in productions at a local playhouse, and her parents separated in 1992. At age eleven, she relocated to New York City with her mother and siblings, attending the Professional Children's School and signing with the Wilhelmina modeling agency. Her early modeling work included a Ralph Lauren campaign photographed by Bruce Weber, commercials for Tamagotchi and Clearasil, and catalog work for Limited Too alongside Amanda Seyfried. At fourteen, she moved to Los Angeles, attending Hollywood and Beverly Hills High Schools before transferring to a private school from which she graduated ahead of schedule.

Meester's acting career began in 1999 with a guest appearance on Law and Order, followed by her film debut in Hangman's Curse in 2003. She held a series regular role in Tarzan, which ran for eight episodes, and accumulated recurring roles on Entourage as Justine Chapin and Veronica Mars as Carrie Bishop in 2004 and 2005. Guest appearances on Crossing Jordan, 8 Simple Rules, 7th Heaven, 24, Numbers, CSI: Miami, and Shark followed, along with two episodes of House in which she played Ali Johnson. She was also cast as a series regular in Surface as Savannah Barnett. In 2006, she appeared in the films Flourish and Inside and portrayed the female lead in the horror film Drive-Thru, for which she recorded the song "Inside the Black."

In 2007, Meester was cast as Blair Waldorf in the CW teen drama series Gossip Girl, a role she initially pursued after first auditioning for the part of Serena van der Woodsen. She dyed her hair brown to meet the production's requirement that Blair be brunette. The series ran for six seasons and 120 episodes, concluding in 2012, and Blair became widely cited as the show's breakout character. Meester later starred in The Haunting of Sorority Row and appeared in the ensemble film Remember the Daze. Her film credits during this period include Killer Movie (2008), Country Strong (2010), in which she starred alongside Gwyneth Paltrow and Garrett Hedlund, The Roommate (2011), Monte Carlo (2011), The Oranges (2011), and The Judge (2014). For Country Strong, she recorded a cover of "Words I Couldn't Say" by Rascal Flatts, a cover of "A Little Bit Stronger" by Sara Evans, a promotional single titled "Summer Girl," and a duet with Garrett Hedlund titled "Give In To Me." She also had small roles in the comedies Date Night and Going the Distance. More recent film work includes The Weekend Away (2022) and EXmas (2023).

On television, Meester portrayed Angie D'Amato on the ABC sitcom Single Parents from 2018 to 2020. She stars in the CW and Stan comedy drama series Good Cop/Bad Cop, which began in 2025, and received a nomination for the Australian Logie Award for Best Actress for that role.

Meester made her Broadway debut in Of Mice and Men in 2014. The production marked her first appearance on the New York stage.

Alongside her acting work, Meester has pursued a music career. In April 2009, she signed a recording contract with Universal Republic. She appeared as a guest vocalist on Cobra Starship's single "Good Girls Go Bad," which reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. Her first official solo single, "Somebody to Love," featuring Robin Thicke, was released for airplay on October 13, 2009. A second single, "Your Love's a Drug," followed on March 30, 2010. She also recorded a cover of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" for the compilation A Very Special Christmas 7. Her debut studio album, Heartstrings, was independently released in 2014. As a model, she has served as the face of the Jimmy Choo, Herbal Essences, and Vera Wang brands.