Ione Skye

Ione Skye

Active - 1949 - 2023  |   Born - Sep 4, 1971 in Hertfordshire, England  |   Genres - Drama, Comedy, Romance

Share on

Biography by AllMovie

With long brown hair, bright eyes, and full lips, Ione Skye first worked as a fashion model before getting into acting. The daughter of '60s folk rocker Donovan, she was born in England but raised by her mother in the U.S. Her modeling photographs caught the attention of director Tim Hunter, who cast her in his bleak teen drama River's Edge along with Keanu Reeves and Crispin Glover. She continued to get good roles throughout the '80s as the spoiled rich girl Denise in A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon and the valedictorian Diane Court in Cameron Crowe's bittersweet romantic comedy Say Anything..., arguably her best leading performance. She also had significant roles in the comedy The Rachel Papers, the drama Mindwalk, and the short period piece Carmilla. In 1992, she played the rebellious older sister Trudi in Gas Food Lodging, which also starred her brother, Donovan Leitch, as Fairuza Balk's glam friend, Darius. Director Allison Anders would later cast Skye in a segment of Four Rooms. The same year, she played Rob Lowe's girlfriend in Wayne's World and Eleanor Grey in the medieval TV series Covington Cross. A number of supporting performances followed, including the '50s-inspired crime flicks Guncrazy with Drew Barrymore and Girls in Prison with Anne Heche. Starring roles included the romantic comedy Dream for an Insomniac and the independent comedy drama Went to Coney Island on a Misson From God... Be Back by Five. In the 21st century she worked less frequently, but appeared in The Clinic, Fever Pitch, and had a memorable scene playing a terrified possible victim of the Zodiac killer in David Fincher's 2007 film about the infamous unsolved case. Following the breakup of her nine-year marriage to Beastie Boy Adam Horowitz, Skye got remarried and had her first baby.

Movie Highlights

See Full Filmography

Factsheet

  • Was named after the Greek goddess Ione and the Scottish island of Skye.
  • Began modeling at the age of 2.
  • Made her film debut in River's Edge (1986).
  • Best known for her role in Cameron Crowe's directorial debut, Say Anything (1989).
  • Married musician Ben Lee in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony.
  • Appeared in Guster's 2000 music video for "Fa Fa (Never Be the Same Again").