Sofia Vassilieva

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Sofia Vassilieva
SofiaVassilievaJune09.jpg
Vassilieva in June 2009
Born
Sofia Vladimirovna Vassilieva

(1992-10-22) October 22, 1992 (age 31)
Other namesSonya, Sonechka
Education Columbia University (BA)
OccupationActress
Years active2000–present
Known for Medium
Eloise at the Plaza
Eloise at Christmastime
My Sister's Keeper

Sofia Vladimirovna Vassilieva (born October 22, 1992) is an American actress. Notable roles include portraying the children's book character Eloise in Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime , Ariel DuBois in the Emmy-winning TV series Medium , and teenage cancer patient Kate Fitzgerald in the 2009 film adaptation of My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

Contents

Early life

Vassilieva was born on October 22, 1992, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in Hennepin County Medical Center, [1] the only child of Russian immigrants. [2] [3] She attended and graduated from Barbizon Modeling and Acting School in Arizona. [4]

Career

At the age of seven, Vassilieva was discovered at the International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA) in New York, where she won the title of Child Actress and first runner-up Child Model Of The Year 2000. [5]

Less than a year later, Vassilieva received her first role, playing the granddaughter of a retired Russian general in an episode of the CBS television series The Agency .

Vassilieva played Cindy Brady in The Brady Bunch in the White House , opposite Shelley Long and Gary Cole in 2002. That same year, she was cast as a little girl named Gina in Inhabited (2003), starring Malcolm McDowell and Patty McCormack.

In 2003, she played Eloise in two made-for-television movies: Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime , directed by Kevin Lima and featuring Julie Andrews as Nanny. [6] [7] For her role as Eloise, Vassilieva was nominated for the Best Leading Young Actress in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special at the 2004 Young Artist Awards.

In May 2004, at the age of eleven, Vassilieva was cast as Ariel DuBois in Medium , a series about mother-of-three and consultant to the Phoenix District Attorney's office Allison DuBois (Patricia Arquette), whose psychic visions help solve crimes. The series premiered on January 3, 2005. Vassilieva played the daughter of Arquette's character for seven seasons, until the series' finale on January 21, 2011. [5] [8]

She was a presenter of Family Feature Film on the Humane Society's 19th Genesis Awards in 2005. She won a Young Artist Award in 2006 for Best Supporting Actress in a TV Drama for her role as Ariel DuBois in Medium.

With Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin at 2009 MTV Movie Awards Cameron Diaz, Sofia Vassilieva and Abigail Breslin.jpg
With Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin at 2009 MTV Movie Awards

Vassilieva played a terminally ill teenager, Kate Fitzgerald, in the 2009 adaptation of Jodi Picoult's novel My Sister's Keeper , directed by Nick Cassavetes. She starred alongside Cameron Diaz, Jason Patric, and Abigail Breslin. Vassilieva shaved her head and eyebrows for her role as a teenage cancer patient. In the same year, she became an honorary ambassador for Stand Up to Cancer. For her performance as Kate, Vassilieva won a Young Artist Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Feature Film in 2010. It was her third nomination and second win. [9]

In 2011, she guest-starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the episode "True Believers" as Sarah Walsh, a piano BFA candidate who is raped in her New York City apartment. She reprised her role as Sarah in the 2013 episode "Wonderland Story".

On May 21, 2014, Vassilieva graduated from Columbia College, Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree. She has also completed a Linguistics major with honors, and a special concentration in Business Management. Vassilieva is a member of Alpha Omicron Pi, an international women's fraternity. [10]

In 2018 and 2021, Vassilieva worked on Black Lightning as Looker.

In 2023, she won the Best Actress in a Feature Film award at the First Glance Film Festival in Los Angeles for her role as Lissa in Lissa's Trip.

Filmography

YearFilm/ShowRoleNotes
2001 The Agency Elena1 episode
The Brady Bunch in the White House Cindy Brady TV movie
2003 Eloise at the Plaza Eloise
Eloise at Christmastime
InhabitedGina RussellMain role
2005–2011 Medium Ariel Dubois
2007 Day Zero MaraSupporting role
2008 Hurt Sarah ParsonsMain role
2009 My Sister's Keeper Kate Fitzgerald
2010 Stand Up to Cancer HerselfTelethon
2011 & 2013 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Sarah Walsh2 episodes
2013 Call Me Crazy: A Five Film AllisonTV movie
2015 Stalker Dierdre1 episode
2016 Lucifer Debra
Notorious Jenna
2017 Training Day Chelsea Brown
Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders Roxy Bental
MaxBessTV movie
2017 & 2018 Supergirl Olivia2 episodes
2018Bad StepmotherVerityMain role
Timeless Abiah Franklin1 episode
S.W.A.T. Lauren
2018 & 2021 Black Lightning Looker 4 episodes
2019 Looking for Alaska Lara ButerskayaLimited series
2020Brighton BeachDashaMain role
2021 The Little Things Tina SalvatoreSupporting role
All Rise Olga Kirilenko Petrovic1 episode
13 Minutes MaddyMain role
2022 Chicago Fire Adriana1 episode
2023 Blue Bloods Officer Carlie Gillson
2023Lissa's TripLissaMain role
TBA Duster JessicaRecurring

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
2016 Mafia III Anna McGeeDLC "Sign of the Times"
2017 Call of Duty: WWII Hazel Daniels

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References

  1. "Sofia Vassilieva on Instagram: "27. Because of these two Heroes. More Love than the Heart can handle."". Instagram.com. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  2. "My Sister's Keeper". movieset.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  3. "Sofia Vassilieva: The Next Big Thing". Newsweek . June 25, 2009.
  4. "Barbizon Modeling and Acting - Alumni". Barbizon Modeling.
  5. 1 2 "Sofia Vassilieva debut of series Medium". IMTA official blog. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2006.
  6. Deutsch, Robert (April 24, 2003). "Life imitates art at The Plaza hotel". USA Today.com. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  7. Hughes, Mike. "'Eloise' a role quite befitting a young, adventurous actress". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on November 22, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  8. "Sofia Vassilieva Chats About Medium". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  9. "Role of cancer patient emotional for teen actress Sofia Vassilieva". azcentral.com. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  10. "All Grown Up", TV Guide , July 11, 2011, page 6