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 An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

'' (1996).

Childhood and education

Jakub was born on December 27, 1978, in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. 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 university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

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 Sally Margaret Field (born November 6, 1946) is an American actress. She has performed in movies, Broadway theater, television, and made records of popular music. Known for her extensive work on screen and stage, she has received many accola ...

, Matthew Lawrence, 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 comedie ...

. 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 ''

'' (1996), '' The Beautician and the Beast'' (1997), and played the "inspiration" for

Princess Leia Princess Leia Organa ( or ) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Introduced in the Star Wars (film), original ''Star Wars'' film in 1977, Leia is a princess of the planet Alderaan, a member of the Galactic Empire (Star Wars ...

in the

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

'' 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, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

in '' Painted Angels'' (1997).

Personal life

Jakub retired from acting in 2001 at the age of 22, and soon moved to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. In 2005, she married Jeremy Jones, a longtime friend and former theatre manager. Jakub stated she has no plans to return to acting. Jakub later became a writer, authoring two non-fiction books: the autobiography ''You Look Like That Girl'' (2015) and ''Not Just Me'' (2017). She also contributes to online blogs''.'' Jakub is a qualified Kripalu yoga teacher. She has openly discussed her battles with anxiety, depression and panic attacks, from which she has suffered since her teenage years, and credits her yoga practice for helping her to overcome them. 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 women writers 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