Shia LaBeouf

Early Years

Shia Saide LaBeouf was born June 11, 1986 to Jeffrey LaBeouf and Shayna Saide. Shia came from a family of performers – his grandfather was a comedian who worked in the Catskill Mountains, his dad was a circus and rodeo clown and his mother was a ballerina. His parents divorced when he was young and LaBeouf was raised by his mother in a poor upbringing. He attended Hamilton Academy of Music in Los Angeles, California, as well as the Magnet School of Performing Arts.

He got his start in show business at age 10, entertaining as a stand-up comedian at local comedy clubs. He described his comedy as “disgustingly dirty,” but his act was popular.

Early Roles

LaBeouf at the opening of I, Robot in 2004.

Shia LaBeouf realized his interest in acting after seeing a friend act on a television series. It wasn’t long after that when he started in the business – contacting an agent through the phone book, auditioning and getting signed. LaBeouf then landed small television roles on ER, The X-Files, Freaks and Geeks, Touched by an Angel, Jesse and Caroline in the City. His early film work included Breakfast with Einstein and The Christmas Path.

In 2000, he won the role of Louis Stevens on Disney Channel’s Even Stevens. His role on the series won him a Daytime Emmy award for Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series in 2003. During that time, he also acted in sketches on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

He began to gain more attention through his movie roles in Tru Confessions in 2002 and Holes in 2003. Holes, a film in which LaBeouf acted opposite Hollywood heavyweights Sigourney Weaver and Jon Voight, was a box office hit.

Life After Disney

Following the Disney Channel original movies Hounded (2001), Tru Confessions (2002) and The Even Stevens Movie (2003), Shia LaBeouf began to stretch his acting chops in other films, including:

• Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003)
• Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
• The Battle of Shaker Heights (2003) – produced for the HBO documentary, Project Greenlight
• I, Robot (2004)
• Constantine (2005)
• The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)
• Bobby (2006)

LaBeouf is seeing 2007 as successful, with Disturbia taking the top box office spot for three weeks, and the animated film Surf’s Up and Transformers expected to be summer hits.

Joining a Film Legacy

At Disturbia's opening in 2007.

In 2007, Shia LaBeouf was cast in the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones film franchise. The film, starring Harrison Ford and Cate Blanchett, will be released in 2008. The addition of LaBeouf to the film is expected to boost box office receipts by attracting a younger demographic of moviegoers that have been following him since his Disney days. With the success of his recent releases, casting him in Indiana Jones was a match made in box office heaven.

Shia LaBeouf Facts

• He was named after his grandfather; Shia means “thank God for beef.”
• He describes his parents as hippies.
• In the 2006 film Bobby, LaBeouf did his first nude scene.
• LaBeouf was accepted to Yale University in 2003, but decided to further pursue his acting career rather than majoring in psychology.
• He was awarded the “star of tomorrow” at the 2007 ShoWest convention of the National Association of Theater Owners.

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