Ione Skye’s film debut came when she appeared in the 1986 teen thriller River’s Edge, with a cast that also included an early-career Keanu Reeves. But more fans associate the British-born actor with her role as sweet and high-achieving teen Diane Court in Cameron Crowe’s 1989 rom-com, Say Anything... She starred opposite John Cusack, whose boom box-wielding Lloyd Dobler successfully wins Diane's heart. Skye told Paste in 2018 that she loves being remembered for the movie, saying, “I just feel so lucky. Just to have been in a film that a lot of people really love. As time goes on I get more and more sort of grateful for that. It’s just great. There’s nothing bad about it at all."
The role brought the young actor fame, but she's also dealt with some personal struggles. Read on to find out about Skye's life and career today at age 52.
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She's an artist.
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesSkye continued acting after Say Anything... made her a teen idol. Her film roles include Wayne's World, Four Rooms, Fever Pitch, and Zodiac. In recent years, she can be more commonly found on TV, however. After guest roles on shows including Arrested Development and Private Practice, she played main and recurring characters on HBO's Camping, the crime drama Good Girls, and NBC's unlikely sci-fi hit, La Brea.
But Skye has also dedicated her time to other creative pursuits, including painting. “Painting is good for me," she told The Fix in 2016. "I do feel happy when I am working. It's not always easy to have discipline, but I do find that I go into different inner spaces when I paint." Her works are available to buy on her website, and she often posts about her art on Instagram.
She battled addiction.
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesSkye has been open about her struggles with substance abuse. "I wasn’t offered drugs on film sets, but there were always people around who drank and smoked pot my whole life," she told The Fix. "Eventually, my drinking and use of other drugs affected my career in many ways. I don’t think drinking ever worked well with any type of work I did."
In the 1980s, the actor dated Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Keidis, who had addiction issues of his own. (He's reportedly been sober since 2000, as IHeartRadio reports.) "I was intrigued by his lifestyle and let myself get distracted by taking care of him. I first went to an AA meeting with him and learned about Al-Anon, which still helps me today—the idea of everyone having their own God and being able to see the being or essence of everyone, and not engaging in the ego of people," Skye said. She added, "Although that time with Anthony was hard, I did learn how I was drawn to illness. It was such a strong lesson and I could see it clearly, which was helpful."
In the same interview, she described having a "moment of clarity" the night of a movie wrap party, after which she told a friend that she needed to go to a meeting and start the process of becoming sober.
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She wrote a children's book and has a podcast.
Lilly Lawrence/WireImageSkye authored a 2014 children's book called My Yiddish Vacation, about two siblings who love to visit their Jewish grandparents and learn about their heritage. She also co-hosts a podcast called Weirder Together with her husband, Australian musician, Ben Lee. According to the official synopsis, it's "about being eccentric, married, artists."
She's a mom.
Paul Archuleta/Getty ImagesSkye married Lee in 2008, and the couple welcomed their daughter Gloria in 2009. Prior to that, she was married to Adam Horowitz of the Beastie Boys from 1992 to 1999. She was engaged to furniture designer David Netto, and though they never married, they share Skye's first daughter, 21-year-old Kate. She split from Netto in 2003.
Skye told The Sydney Morning Herald this year that her family "moved to Australia in 2020 and try to split [their] time between Sydney and the U.S."
