Early life
Sobieski was born in New York City; her first name, "Liliane", was the name of her paternal grandmother. Sobieski's French father, Jean Sobieski, is a painter who appeared in French and Italian spaghetti Westerns during his youth, as well as dated actress Jean Seberg. Her mother, Elizabeth Salomon, is an American writer who also works as Sobieski's manager. She has a younger brother, Roby. Sobieski's late maternal grandfather, United States Navy captain Robert Salomon, was Jewish and Sobieski grew up exposed to the Jewish religion. She has noted that her "great, great, great, great uncle" was John III Sobieski, "the last [sic] king of Poland".[6] This is unlikely, however, as the Royal House of Sobieski has been extinct for centuries and genealogists have shown that it is mere coincidence that Leelee Sobieski should bear the same surname as the former King. Sobieski speaks fluent French, although she does not speak Polish.[6] Her father currently lives in France.[7]
Sobieski has described her upbringing as "bohemian", having often attended Shakespeare in the Park and art galleries in SoHo during her childhood. During this time, she spent her summers in her paternal grandfather's ranch in the Camargue.
Career
Sobieski rose to fame in her mid-teens with her appearance in the movie Deep Impact (1998) and went on to play a modern Lolita in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (Released in 1999, although she was not even fifteen when her nymphet-like scenes were shot), which led to the forming of a firm friendship with the director. The title role in the TV movie Joan of Arc (1999) earned her an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe nomination and a second nomination followed her portrayal of Tosia Altman in the TV movie Uprising (2001).
Sobieski's fluency in French landed her roles in the Merchant Ivory Film A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998), L'Idole (2002) and the miniseries Les Liaisons dangereuses (2003) with Catherine Deneuve and Rupert Everett, an adaptation of Laclos's classic novel of sexual intrigue.
Other movies she has starred in include Jungle 2 Jungle (1997), Never Been Kissed (1999), Here on Earth (2000), My First Mister (2001), The Glass House (2001), Uprising (2001), Joy Ride (2001), Max (2002), Hercules (NBC, 2005), and alongside Nicolas Cage in the remake of The Wicker Man directed by Neil LaBute.
One of her upcoming film roles is alongside Al Pacino in Jon Avnet's 88 Minutes.
Personal life
Sobieski attended Brown University but dropped out after two and a half years. She is an ardent fan of Nina Simone and has a half Yorkshire Terrier, half Pomeranian dog named after her. In an August 30, 2006 interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, she mentioned that she is currently single and has a younger brother (Roby) attending Princeton University.
Cultural references
Because of her resemblance to actress Helen Hunt, they were both pitted against each other on the 59th episode of the satirical claymation television series, Celebrity Deathmatch.
Nine Days released a song "Leelee" in tribute to Sobieski.[8]
In the song "Wonder (If She'll Get It)" by Superchic[k], Sobieski and one of her movies, "Here on Earth", was mentioned.
