CNN
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Sophie Nyweide, who as a child appeared in films alongside Michelle Williams and Russell Crowe, has died, according to an online obituary shared by her family.
She was 24.
The Burlington Vermont native, who “spent most of her brief life in Vermont and New York City,” died on April 14, according to her obituary. No cause of death was shared.
“Sophie was a beloved daughter, granddaughter, sister, friend and new aunt,” the family wrote. “Creative, athletic and wise beyond her years, Sophie accomplished so much in the time she danced upon earth (literally – she danced as she moved!).”
The family noted that Nyweide “seemed happiest on a movie set, becoming someone else.”
“It was a safe place for her and she relish from the casts and crews who nourished her talent and her well being,” the family wrote. “She was an eager adventurer and picked up the customs and even languages of any place she visited.”
Born in July 2000 to former actor Shelly Gibso, Nyweide was just six when she starred in the title role of her first major film, “Bella.”
“She dreamed (more like demanded!) to be an actor, without ever knowing her mother was an actor, so she did that too with an ease we all marveled about,” her obit reads.
TV roles in shows like “Law & Order” and films such as “And Then Came Love” and “Margot at the Wedding” followed.
Nyweide starred as the daughter of characters played by Michelle Williams and Gael García Bernal in the 2009 film “Mammoth” and opposite Russell Crowe in 2014’s “Noah.”
Her obit states that she “was a kind and trusting girl.”
“She wrote and drew voraciously and much of this art depicts the depth she had and it also represents the pain she suffered. Many of her writings and artwork are roadmaps of her struggles and traumas,” according to the obit. “Even with those roadmaps, diagnoses, and her own revelations, those closest to her, plus therapists, law enforcement officers and others who tried to help her are heartbroken their efforts couldn’t save her from her fate.”
In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family requested that donations be made to RAINN, which bills itself as “the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, in Nyweide’s name. A memorial service is planned for a date to be determined.
