She was born in 1982 to Jean Sobieski, a French painter and writer, and Elizabeth, a writer as well. Jean is somewhere in the line to the throne of the Polish crown, but he does not use his title. I guess unlike other royalty, he's quite humble. She was discovered by an agent while eating at her school cafeteria in New York City. The agent had heard about a part in the then-upcoming Brad Pitt/Tom Cruise "Interview With a Vampire," and thought that Leelee would be perfect for the role. He got Leelee to audition, but she didn't get the part; it instead went to Kirsten Dunst. Her biggest role came with "Deep Impact," the film that costarred Tea Leoni, and made a huge dent in the box office. The publicity from that film brought her many other roles, including "Joan of Arc," but the film was lost in the midst of the seemingly large increase in the number of Joan of Arc films. Milla Jovovich starred in "The Messenger,' also based on Joan of Arc as well. The film did give Leelee an Emmy nomination.

She also nailed down a highly coveted role in "Eyes Wide Shut," the then incredibly anticipated Stanley Kubrick film, as well as roles in the Drew Barrymore vehicle "Never Been Kissed," "The Glass House," and the teen film "Here On Earth," costarring Josh Hartnett and Chris Klein. Off the screen, Leelee is quite a well-rounded young lady. She enjoys painting and ceramics, is a writer and reader of poetry. She also is an active girl, an expert in martial arts and an avid horse rider. She shares her home in New York with Picasso, a "bright yellow Indian Ringneck parakeet." And, to top it all off, she speaks fluent French.

Sobieski rose to fame in her mid-teens with her appearance in the movie Deep Impact (1998) and played a modern Lolita in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (released in 1999, she was not even fifteen when her nymphet-like scenes were shot). She was playing alongside Tom Cruise: she recalls he was "very kind and considerate with me", and says her most vivid recollection of Stanley Kubrick was that he "genuinely seemed to hold something magic". 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.

• Public Enemies (2009) (post-production) .... Polly Hamilton
• The Last Film Festival (2009) (post-production) (unconfirmed) .... Stalker
• Night Train (2009/I) (completed) .... Chloe
  
• Finding Bliss (2008) .... Jody Balaban
• Acts of Violence (2008) .... Olivia Flyn
• Walk All Over Me (2007) .... Alberta
• 88 Minutes (2007) .... Lauren Douglas
  ... aka 88 Minutes (International: English title) (USA: promotional title)
  ... aka 88 (USA: closing credits title)
  ... aka 88: 88 Minutes (USA: complete title)
• In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007) .... Muriella
  ... aka Schwerter des Königs - Dungeon Siege (Germany)
• The Elder Son (2006) .... Lolita
• Coven (2006) (voice) .... Narrator
• The Wicker Man (2006) .... Sister Honey
• In a Dark Place (2006) .... Anna Veigh
• Heavens Fall (2006) .... Victoria Price
• Lying (2006) .... Sarah
• Hercules (2005/I) (TV) .... Deianeira
• "Liaisons dangereuses, Les" (2003) TV mini-series .... Cécile de Volanges
  ... aka Dangerous Liaisons (USA)
• "Frasier" .... Sheila (1 episode, 2002)
       - Enemy at the Gate (2002) TV episode (voice) .... Sheila
• Max (2002/I) .... Liselore von Peltz
• Idole, L' (2002) .... Sarah Silver
  ... aka Das Idol (Germany)
  ... aka The Idol (International: English title)
• Uprising (2001) (TV) .... Tosia Altman
• The Glass House (2001) .... Ruby Baker
• Joy Ride (2001/I) .... Venna
  ... aka Road Kill (Australia) (New Zealand: English title) (UK)
• My First Mister (2001) .... Jennifer - 'J'
  ... aka Mein erster richtiger Freund (Germany: TV title)
• Here on Earth (2000) .... Samantha 'Sam' Cavanaugh