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Sophie Nyweide, best known for playing Michelle Williams’ daughter in Mammoth (2009), has died at 24.
Her family confirmed Sophie Nyweide’s death in an online obituary, stating she died on April 14.
“Sophie was kind and trusting,” they wrote.
“That often made her vulnerable to others.”
She loved to write and draw.
Her art showed her depth and pain.
Before turning ten, she starred in seven films.
Despite her talent, she faced private battles that took her life.
“Her writings and art mapped her pain,” her obituary said.
Even with help from loved ones, therapists, and police, they couldn’t save her.
Her family confirmed Sophie Nyweide’s death in an online obituary, saying she passed on April 14.
“Sophie was kind and trusting,” they wrote.
“That kindness often left her vulnerable.”
She filled pages with her writing and drawings.
Her art showed her depth and her pain.
Before turning ten, she starred in seven films.
But behind that talent was a girl battling silent struggles.
Her obituary called her art and writing “roadmaps of her trauma.”
Even with help from family, therapists, and law enforcement, no one could save her.
A 2008 photo shows her with co-star Jessica Alba.
Credit: Arnaldo Magnani/Getty Images.
Her family said she self-medicated to cope with deep trauma and shame.
That coping led to her death.
Despite their support, she insisted on handling things alone.
She refused treatment that may have saved her.
Her family asked mourners to donate to RAINN in her honor.
They urged the world to do better.
“Sophie. A life ended too soon,” they wrote.
“Let her life teach us. Let us protect our children. Let us do better.”
Sophie’s love for acting began early.
It wasn’t a phase.
She was born July 8, 2000.
She grew up in a movie theater where her mother, Shelly Gibson, worked.
“She slept in the projection booth,” Gibson told The Times Argus in 2010.
“She watched countless movies from her little bed.”
Sophie once said, “I kept wondering what it’d be like to see myself on screen.
Would it be hard? Easy? I wanted to try it.”
She made her acting debut in 2006, starring in Bella, directed by Alejandro Gómez Monteverde.
The film also featured Eduardo Verastegui and Tammy Blanchard.
Bella won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Sophie’s résumé grew fast.
She appeared in Law & Order, And Then Came Love, Margot at the Wedding, New York City Serenade, and An Invisible Sign with Jessica Alba.
In An Invisible Sign (2010), she played the daughter of a terminally ill woman.
Critics praised her performance.
“The best performance comes from a 10-year-old,” wrote New York Times critic Jeannette Catsoulis in 2011.
“She looks like a tiny Emily Watson and already had five films to her name.”
Her final on-screen appearance was in 2015 on ABC’s What Would You Do?
Outside of acting, her family described her as “creative, athletic, and wise beyond her years.”
She began competitive snowboarding at age five.
“She accomplished so much in her time on earth,” they wrote.
“She danced as she moved — literally.”
Her family called her an “eager adventurer” who embraced new cultures and languages.
She made friends easily and always saw the good in others.
They said her “family” extended beyond blood relatives.
It included the families of her closest friends.
She found the most peace on movie sets.
“She seemed happiest becoming someone else,” her loved ones said.
“Film sets felt safe.
The cast and crew nurtured her talent and cared for her deeply.”
Her mother, Shelly Gibson — known for Dust to Malibu, St. Elsewhere, and All My Children — shared a tribute with a photo.
“RIP, my Sophie,” she wrote.
“She graced us for too short a time.”
“She was a light to all who met her.
Those closest to her are devastated.”
“I know I’ll never get over this.
God, I love my daughter.
I want her back.”
“Fly high, sweetheart — you always could.”
Our thoughts are with Nyweide’s family, loved ones, and fans during this time.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit rainn.org in the US.
In the UK, contact rapecrisis.org.uk or call 0808 500 2222.
