Sophie Nyweide, former child actor known for 'Mammoth' and 'An Invisible Sign,' dies at 24

Sophie Nyweide, a erstwhile kid histrion whose little vocation successful the precocious aughts to aboriginal 2010s included roles successful films “Mammoth,” “Noah” and “Bella,” has died.

Nyweide died April 14 successful her location authorities of Vermont, her household announced successful a Legacy.com obituary published past week. “Creative, diversion and omniscient beyond her years, Sophie accomplished truthful overmuch successful the clip she danced upon earth,” her loved ones wrote. She was 24.

The obituary described Nyweide arsenic a welcoming idiosyncratic who saw radical different than relatives arsenic family. “Her decease has near a spread successful all,” the obituary continued. “Sadness, loss, heartbreak and adjacent choler is contiguous for those who loved her and present volition person to proceed connected with her laughter, infectious passionateness and zest — without those astonishing bluish eyes that could look straight into one’s soul.”

The family’s announcement did not disclose further details astir the actor’s death, including a cause, but her loved ones implied that the histrion had been taken vantage of, refused nonrecreational assistance and self-medicated to header with undisclosed “trauma and shame,” which led to her death. The Bennington Police Department said successful a connection shared with The Times that it is investigating Nyweide’s decease arsenic a “possible unintentional overdose” and volition behaviour an investigation, including last autopsy and toxicology reports.

Police and rescue unit responded to a 911 telephone astir an unresponsive pistillate aboriginal April 14, according to the statement. Officials arrived to a “wooded country on the banks of the Roaring Branch River” wherever archetypal responders “attempted beingness redeeming measures” connected Nyweide, who was pronounced dormant astatine the country little than an hr later. The idiosyncratic who called 911 was contiguous with Nyweide astatine the clip of her decease and is cooperating with investigators, the connection said. Investigators volition reportedly consider a scope of imaginable causes, including foul play.

Nyweide was reportedly successful the aboriginal stages of gestation erstwhile she died, according to several outlets citing her decease certificate.

Nyweide was calved July 8, 2000, successful Burlington, Vt., and enjoyed a varied vocation that spanned from her surface debut successful the 2006 movie “Bella” to a 2015 occurrence of ABC’s beloved societal experimentation bid “What Would You Do?” Nyweide was inspired by her mother, histrion Shelly Gibson (“All My Children,” “Blood & Oil”), to prosecute a vocation successful Hollywood.

By the clip she was 11, Nyweide appeared successful a fistful of films including the 2009 multilingual and country-hopping movie “Mammoth.” In the film, directed by Lukas Moodysson, Nyweide appeared arsenic the onsceen 8-year-old girl of Michelle Williams and Gael García Bernal. Nyweide besides shared the surface with James Franco and Julianne Nicholson successful the 2010 diagnostic “Shadows & Lies,” and appeared alongside Jessica Alba and Chris Messina arsenic an simple schoolhouse pupil successful “An Invisible Sign.”

Nyweide’s credits besides see films “And Then Came Love,” “Noah” and “Margot astatine the Wedding,” TV bid “Law & Order” and shorts “Mistakes Were Made” and “Born Again.”

“She seemed happiest connected a movie set, becoming idiosyncratic else,” her household said successful the obituary, adding productions were a “safe spot for her.”

The obituary continued: “She was an anxious adventurer and picked up the customs and adjacent languages of immoderate spot she visited. She made friends easy astatine her schools and saw the bully successful everyone.”

Before she became an actor, Nyweide took inspiration from her older member and recovered a knack for snowboarding. She started competing successful the athletics astatine property 5, according to her obituary.

“A beingness ended excessively soon. May it not beryllium successful vain,” the obituary said. “May we each larn from her little beingness connected world and bash better. Yes, we indispensable each support our children and bash better.”

The household asks that donations beryllium made successful Nyweide’s sanction to RAINN, an enactment dedicated to supporting survivors of intersexual violence.