What is Leighton Meester's Net Worth and Salary?
Leighton Meester is an American actress and singer who has a net worth of $14 million. That is a combined net worth with her husband, actor Adam Brody. Leighton Meester is best known for her starring role as Blair Waldorf on the CW series, "Gossip Girl." Since that role, she has also appeared in a number of other films and television series and made her debut on Broadway.
Early Life
Meester was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 9, 1986. Her father, Douglas, works as a real estate broker, while her mother is a writer. At the time of her birth, her parents were serving time in federal prison for their involvement in a drug ring that smuggled marijuana from Jamaica to the United States. Meester was born in a halfway house before her mother had to return to prison. Her paternal grandparents cared for her during this period.
Once her parents got out of prison, the family moved to Marco Island, Florida. She grew up with her two brothers – Douglas and Alexander – and started participating in local theater productions. After her parents separated in 1992, Meester's mother moved the children to New York City. Meester began attending the Professional Children's School and worked as a model with Wilhelmina. She booked work with Ralph Lauren, Tamagotchi, Clearasil, and Limited Too. When she was 14, she relocated to Los Angeles to pursue more work. She attended both Hollywood and Los Angeles High Schools before transferring to a much smaller private school, from where she graduated.
Career
In 1999, Meester made her acting debut in an episode of "Law & Order." She made a few more appearances on television shows over the next couple of years before booking her first film in 2003, "Hangman's Curse." She then booked a recurring role in the series, "Tarzan," though the show only ran for eight episodes. She also appeared in multiple episodes of "Entourage" and in "Veronica Mars." In 2006, she appeared in the films, "Flourish" and Inside." She also appeared in episodes of "House," CSI: Miami," and "Shark."
Success
Meester caught her big break in 2007 when she was cast in the teen drama series, "Gossip Girl," as one of the lead roles – Blair Waldorf. The series was based on the book series of the same name by author Cecily von Ziegesar. Her performance as Blair was the most critically acclaimed of the show, and she was considered the series' breakout character. The show was very popular, garnering numerous awards and nominations. Meester won the 2009 and 2010 Teen Choice Award in the Choice TV Actress Drama category. After six seasons and 120 episodes, "Gossip Girl" came to an end in 2012.
While on "Gossip Girl," Meester booked a number of other roles. She starred in the television film, "The Haunting of Sorority Row" in 2007 and in "Killer Movie" in 2008. She appeared in several films in 2010, including "Date Night," "Going the Distance," and "Country Strong." She starred in the 2011 film, "The Roommate," as the character Rebecca Evans. Though the film itself was not very positively reviewed, for her performance, she was nominated for a Teen Choice Award and an MTV Movie Award, both in the Best Villain category.
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She appeared in the film, "Monte Carlo" in 2011, followed by "The Oranges," which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was met with positive reviews. She then starred in the comedy, "That's My Boy," alongside Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, and Milo Ventimiglia.
In 2014, Meester made her Broadway debut in the stage adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel, "Of Mice and Men." The production was filmed and broadcast in cinemas for one night through National Theatre Live. She then appeared with Robert Downey, Jr. and Robert Duvall in the film, "The Judge," which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. She then won the Best Actress Award for her role in "Like Sunday, Like Rain" at the 2014 Williamsburg Independent Film Festival. In 2018, she was cast in a main role in the series, "Single Parents," and appeared in 45 episodes.
In addition to her acting career, Meester also is a singer. She was featured on a Cobra Starship song in 2009 and on a track by Stephen Jerzak in 2010. She also released her own single, "Somebody to Love, in 2009, followed by "Your Love's a Drug" in 2011. In 2014, she released her debut album, "Heartstrings." Her style has been compared to that of singer-songwriters like Tori Amos and Joni Mitchell. In 2015, she embarked on a tour to support the album.
Additionally, she has appeared on the cover of numerous international fashion magazines like "Allure," Harper's Bazaar," "Elle," and "Marie Claire." She continued modeling throughout her career, booking shoots with brands like Vera Wang, Jimmy Choo, and Missoni, among others.
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Personal Life
In 2011, Leighton made headlines when she and her mother filed lawsuits against each other related to Meester's financial support of her younger brother, who has multiple health problems. Leighton's suit cited that the money she sent, intended for the care of her brother, was being used by her mother for cosmetic procedures. Her mother counter-sued, claiming an alleged breach of contract and physical abuse. Meester prevailed over her mother in the court proceedings.
In November of 2013, Meester got engaged to actor Adam Brody. The two had met while filming "The Oranges" in March of 2010. They were married in 2014 and had their first daughter, Arlo, in 2015. In September 2020, they had their second child, a son. Meester has a large social media following on Instagram, with over six million followers.
Meester is involved in a number of philanthropic causes. She has been volunteering with Feeding America since 2017. She has also participated in auctions to raise money for the charity organization Many Hopes, which builds schools and homes for children in Kenya.
She has been awarded several 'celebrity' honors, such as being named one of People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People, along with the cast of Gossip Girl, in 2008 and being ranked #5 by Glamour as being among the Most Glamorous Celebrities of 2011.
Real Estate
In 2014, soon after marrying, the Brody-Meesters spent $2.4 million for a three-acre property in the mountains above Malibu. Technically located in the town of Topanga, they listed this home for sale in February 2020 for $3.25 million. In December 2019, Adam and Leighton spent $6.5 million on a nearly 6,000-square-foot home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
