bollywood and hollywood: leighton meester american actress and singer

Leighton Marissa Meester born April 9, 1986 is an American actress and singer. Meester gained fame for playing the role as Blair Waldorf in the hit CW young-adult television series Gossip Girl. She subsequently ventured into motion pictures and has many successful films to her credit, including Flourish, Remember the Daze, Drive-Thru, and Killer Movie. She most recently appeared in the 2010 country drama film, Country Strong. As of January 2011, she is set to appear in three big screen movies: The Roommate, Monte Carlo and The Oranges.
Contents
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 Acting
2.2 Music
2.3 Endorsements
3 Filmography
4 Discography
4.1 Singles
4.2 Featured singles
4.3 Other charted songs
5 Awards
6 References
7 External links
Early life
Meester was born to parents Constance and Doug while her mother was serving a federal prison sentence in Fort Worth, Texas. Although her mother was serving time in prison for her involvement in a drug ring that smuggled marijuana from Jamaica to the United States, she was able to give birth to Leighton in a hospital and nurse her for three months in a halfway house before returning to prison to complete her sentence. At this time Leighton's grandmother cared for her.
Meester maintained that her parents gave her a normal upbringing and, despite their criminal past, are good people with experience that has only made Meester more open-minded and non-judgmental, "It made me realize that you can't judge anyone—especially your parents—for what they've done in their past, because people change." Meester jokes, "Look, I could've turned out a lot worse and has even cited her mother as her style icon.
Meester grew up in Marco Island, Florida, where she participated in productions at a local playhouse. When she was 11 years old, Meester and her mother moved to New York. Meester attended the Professional Children's School and also began working as a model with Wilhemina, booking a Ralph Lauren campaign shot by Bruce Weber and working with then photographer (now film maker) Sofia Coppola. Meester made her television acting debut as a murder victim's friend on an episode of Law & Order. At 14, Meester moved to Los Angeles, California, wanting more stable work and attended Hollywood High School and Beverly Hills High School. She then transferred to a small private school and graduated a year early. Meester's last name is Dutch, which means "master" or "teacher

leighton meester

Saturday, January 22, 2011

leighton meester american actress and singer