Lisa Jakub () (born December 27, 1978) is a Canadian writer, yoga teacher, and former actress. She is best known for her roles as Lydia Hillard in the comedy-drama film '' Mrs. Doubtfire'' (1993) and as Alicia Casse in '' Independence Day'' (1996).

Childhood and education

Jakub was born on December 27, 1978, in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. She is of Slovak (father) and Welsh and Scottish (mother) descent. She attended multiple schools in her early life, including Hillfield Strathallan College. Jakub graduated from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with College admission ...

with a degree in Sociology in 2010.

Acting

Jakub's first role was as Katis' Granddaughter in the 1985 film '' Eleni''. She appeared in comedy-drama film '' Mrs. Doubtfire'' (1993) alongside Mara Wilson, Sally Field,

Matthew Lawrence Matthew William Lawrence (born February 11, 1980) is an American actor and singer, known for his roles in ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' and ''Boy Meets World''. Lawrence also starred in the series '' Brotherly Love'' with his real-life brothers Joey and An ...

, and

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comed ...

. When Jakub received the part of Lydia in '' Mrs. Doubtfire'', her high school expelled her for accruing too many absences.

wrote a letter to Jakub's high school, pleading with them to re-admit Jakub but this was unsuccessful. She played Sandra in '' Matinee'' (1993), appeared in ''A Pig's Tale'' (1994) and '' Independence Day'' (1996), '' The Beautician and the Beast'' (1997), and played the "inspiration" for Princess Leia in the

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

'' George Lucas in Love'' (1999). She starred in '' Picture Perfect'' (1995), and portrayed a bordello worker in the

American Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

in '' Painted Angels'' (1997).

Personal life

After retiring from acting in 2001 at the age of 22, Jakub moved to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

and married her longtime best friend, former Hollywood theater manager Jeremy Jones, in 2005. She has publicly stated that she has no plans to return to acting. Jakub later became a writer, authoring two books called ''You Look Like That Girl'' (2015) and ''Not Just Me'' (2017) and regularly contributes to online blogs''.'' Jakub is also a qualified Kripalu yoga teacher. She has openly discussed her battles with anxiety, depression and panic attacks, which she has suffered from since her teenage years and credits her yoga practice in helping her overcome her battles. In 2021, Lisa launched a new website, BlueMala, which she described as the resource that she wished she had when she was in her darkest moments. The website contains her articles on mental wellness along with her yoga and meditation videos.

Writings

* ''You Look Like That Girl: A Child Actor Stops Pretending and Finally Grows Up'' (2015) * ''Not Just Me: Anxiety, Depression, and Learning to Embrace Your Weird'' (2017) * ''(Don't) Call Me Crazy'' (contributing writer) ( Algonquin, 2018)

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Lisa Jakub

You Look Like That Girl
* *Lisa Jakub'
Blue Mala
Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Jakub, Lisa 1978 births 20th-century Canadian actresses 21st-century American writers Actresses from Toronto Canadian child actresses Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian film actresses Canadian people of Scottish descent Canadian people of Slovak descent Canadian people of Welsh descent Canadian television actresses Canadian women non-fiction writers Living people Writers from Toronto 21st-century American women writers