Shia LaBeouf
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Shia LaBeouf | |
 LaBeouf in 2003 |
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| Born | June 11, 1986 (age 20) Los Angeles, California |
| Notable roles | Even Stevens (2000-2003) Holes (2003) Disturbia (2007) |
Shia Saide LaBeouf (born June 11, 1986) is an American actor and former comedian. He became known after a starring role in the Disney Channel series Even Stevens, and has since appeared in a string of Hollywood films, including Holes, I, Robot, The Greatest Game Ever Played, Constantine, Disturbia and Transformers.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
LaBeouf was born in Los Angeles, California, the only child of Jeffrey LaBeouf, a circus clown, and Shayna Saide, a ballerina. His father is a Cajun and his mother is Jewish,[1][2][3] and LaBeouf was raised in the Jewish religion. LaBeouf has described his parents as "hippies" and his upbringing as similar to a "hippy lifestyle".[4] He had what he has said was a "good childhood", growing up poor in Echo Park, Los Angeles, California and attending a predominantly Latino and African-American school.[1] LaBeouf's father used to grow cannabis and the two had smoked marijuana together;[5] he has also described his father as being "on drugs - heroin and all kinds of wild stuff" during his childhood, and has said that his father was placed in rehab while his mother was "trying to hold down the fort".[6]
LaBeouf would "create things, story lines and fictitious tales" during his childhood, and subsequently performed stand-up comedy around his neighborhood, as an "escape" from a hostile environment.[1] He began performing stand-up and "talking dirty" at comedy clubs at the age of ten, and found himself an agent through the Yellow Pages, being taken on after performing his stand-up act for her.[1]
[edit] Career
LaBeouf became well known among young audiences after playing Louis Stevens in the Disney Channel weekly program Even Stevens, a role in which he was cast three months after being signed by his agent.[1] He was awarded a Daytime Emmy Award for the role. In 2003, he appeared in another Disney production, Holes as Stanley "Caveman" Yelnats IV, opposite actors Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, and Tim Blake Nelson. That same year, he was heavily featured on the HBO documentary show "Project Greenlight", which chronicled the making of the independent film "The Battle of Shaker Heights". In 2005, he appeared in the horror film Constantine, opposite Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz. He also had a small role in I, Robot (2004). In 2006, he had a role in Bobby, which called for him to do his first nude scene when he strips naked while on an LSD trip. LaBeouf's next role is in Disturbia, a thriller scheduled for release on April 13, 2007; the same year, he will also provide a voice role in the animated film Surf's Up and play a teenager who uncovers a robot invasion of Earth, in director Michael Bay's upcoming Transformers film, scheduled to be released on July 4, 2007. LaBeouf has said that Disturbia was the most important film to him of the three, because it is a "character-driven" role.[1]
He characterized the shift from working on Bobby with director Emilio Estevez to working on the Transformers film in an interview given to About.com: "To go from Emilio Estevez to Michael Bay is like walking out of, you know, like in a hammock in the sky, hanging out drinking Pina Coladas with Jesus and then getting smacked in the face and thrown in the devil’s s**pile and having to make a movie. I swear to God.”[7] LaBeouf has said that he is a fan of The Transformers television series and the 1986 The Transformers: The Movie.[8]
LaBeouf presented an award at the 2007 Kid's Choice Awards on March 31, 2007, appeared on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on April 2, 2007, and is scheduled to host Saturday Night Live on April 14, 2007.
[edit] Personal life
LaBeouf attended the Hamilton Academy of Music in Los Angeles, California, and graduated in 2003. He lives in Burbank, California.[1]
[edit] Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-2003 | Even Stevens | Louis Stevens | TV Show |
| 2001 | The Nightmare Room: Scareful What You Wish For | Dylan Pierce | one episode |
| 2001 | Hounded | Ronny Van Dusen | Disney Channel Original Movie |
| 2002 | Tru Confessions | Eddie Walker | Disney Channel Original Movie |
| 2003 | The Even Stevens Movie | Louis Stevens | Disney Channel Original Movie |
| 2003 | The Battle of Shaker Heights | Kelly Ernswiler | limited release |
| Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle | Max Petroni | ||
| Dumb & Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd | Lewis | ||
| Holes | Stanley Yelnats/Caveman | ||
| 2004 | I, Robot | Farber | |
| 2005 | The Greatest Game Ever Played | Francis Ouimet | |
| Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind | Asbel | voice role | |
| Constantine | Chas Kramer | ||
| 2006 | Bobby | Cooper | |
| A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints | Young Dito | ||
| 2007 | Disturbia | Kale Brecht | |
| Transformers | Sam Witwicky | ||
| Surf's Up | Cody Maverick | voice role |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g Strauss, Bob. "Shia LaBeouf has come a long way in Hollywood", Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, 2007-04-07. Retrieved on April 8, 2007.
- ^ USA Today. Holes may mean a real opening for Shia LaBeouf. Retrieved on August 31, 2006.
- ^ http://www.tlchicken.com/view_story.php?ARTid=91
- ^ http://www.darkhorizons.com/news05/constan3.php
- ^ Mentioned on a 2004 episode of Last Call with Carson Daly
- ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/14/entertainment/e111713D34.DTL
- ^ movies.about.com. Exclusive Interview with Shia LaBeouf and Brian Geraghty. Retrieved on April 3, 2007.
- ^ MTV.com. Transformers Set Has Flashy Cars, Robot Models, Exploding Furbys. Retrieved on August 31, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Official web site
- Shia LaBeouf at the Internet Movie Database
- Shia LaBeouf Fan - the largest Shia fansite on the web
