Few of the 21st century class of teen actors enjoyed as meteoric a rise as Shia LaBeouf, who was elevated from kid TV star to bankable lead in such Hollywood blockbusters as "Transformers" (2007) and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (2008). Though an Emmy winner for his performance as an excitable grade schooler on the Disney sitcom "Even Stevens" (The Disney Channel, 2000-03), he initially remained a celebrity solely in the eyes of the 'tween' set. However, the quick wit and easy-going charm he displayed in the youth-oriented features "Holes" (2003) and "The Greatest Game Ever Played" (2004) set him apart from the Tiger Beat crowd, earning him notice from major players like Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay who would both keep an eye on the promising youth. With his first adult role in the bonafide hit thriller "Disturbia" (2006) LaBeouf proved he could open a movie. Not long after, he solidified his new A-list status with a starring role in Michael Bay's special effects extravaganza, "Transformers." Only his turn as the Brando-like greaser son of Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in the highly anticipated "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" could top that double shot of screen success. The express rocket to fame afforded by these films also increased scrutiny of the baby-faced actor's personal life, which was put into sharp focus when LaBeouf was arrested on several misdemeanor counts for trespassing and drunk driving, just as he was enjoying his status as the latest heartthrob du jour.
Born Shia Saide LaBeouf on June 11, 1986, in Los Angeles, CA, LaBeouf was raised in the working class neighborhood of Echo Park by his mother, Shayna Saide, whose own father worked as a comedian in the Borscht Belt. His father, Jeffrey, was a Vietnam veteran and jack-of-all-trades who divorced Saide while struggling with drug addiction, leaving her to support their son by selling fabrics and jewelry. In later years, LaBeouf would reconcile with his eccentric father and even provide shelter for him in a teepee on land purchased in Montana and, on occasion, in the garage of his Los Angeles home. A precocious child with a talent for spinning outlandish stories at a young age, LaBeouf began performing stand-up at local clubs while still in grade school - all in a means of assisting his cash-strapped family. The acting bug bit harder when LaBeouf saw a friend on an episode of the family series, "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" (CBS, 1993-98) - a pivotal moment which strengthened his resolve to pursue acting as a means of satisfying both his need to financially help his family and his desire to perform.
According to LaBeouf, he landed an agent by simply picking one from the Yellow Pages, pretending to be an adult while raving about an up-and-coming young talent named "Shia LaBeouf." The ruse clearly worked, as he was signed by the agency at the age of 12, and began making the rounds on network programs like "The X-Files" (Fox, 1993-2002) and "Freaks and Geeks" (NBC, 1999-2000). In 2003, he landed the role of Louis Stevens, the manic, nerdy counterpoint to perfect older sister Ren (Christy Carlson Romano) on "Even Stevens." The series was a success with younger viewers and earned LaBeouf excellent notices, as well as a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series for the show's final season in 2003.
LaBeouf reunited with the "Even Stevens" cast for a Disney Channel original movie, "The Even Stevens Movie" (2003), before making the jump to theatrical features, starting with Disney's adaptation of the popular young adult book "Holes" (2003). As Stanley Yelnats, the son of a family of New York eccentrics who finds himself incarcerated at a hard labor camp for young criminal offenders, LaBeouf brought both his comic chops and an effortless knack for drama, which allowed him to shine in a cast populated by heavyweights like Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight and Tim Blake Nelson. "Holes" earned LaBeouf critical praise as well as the inevitable "performer-to-watch" buzz. For his performance in "Holes," LaBeouf netted an MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Male Performer. LaBeouf's other big screen adventures in 2003 were somewhat less noteworthy - he had a cameo in the noisy "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and took the lead in "The Battle of Shaker Heights," the second film to come from the dire "Project Greenlight" (HBO/Bravo, 2000-05) reality series. LaBeouf's raw frustration with the ill-prepared directors of "Shaker Heights" and its hot-wired producers was the sole highlight of the show's second season.
2005 saw LaBeouf back in the Disney fold for the historical drama "The Greatest Game Ever Played," in which he played a real-life golf prodigy who squares off against the game's top player in the 1913 U.S. Open. Few theatergoers saw his subdued performance, but it did help solidify the notion that LaBeouf could carry a film. That same year, LaBeouf made another canny career move that helped entrench him in Hollywood's mind, following a small role in the Will Smith big-budget sci-fi film, "I, Robot." Following these movies, LaBeouf divided his time between major studio productions and smaller, independent projects. He played the wisecracking chauffeur to Keanu Reeves' supernatural detective in "Constantine, then lent his voice to the English-language dub of "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" (2005), an anime feature popular with devotees of the genre. He also made his directorial debut alongside Lorenzo Eduardo that year with the experimental short, "Let's Love Hate," which addressed racial intolerance. The film netted several awards at regional festivals.
In 2006, LaBeouf risked much and bared all as a waiter who strips nude during an LSD experience in Emilio Estevez's pet project, "Bobby," which chronicled the lives of various Robert Kennedy supports at the Ambassador Hotel on the night of his 1968 assassination. As part of the A-list cast, LaBeouf shared a Screen Actors' Guild nomination with the sizable all-star lineup. Although they did not win that award, LaBeouf would go on to win the Special Jury Prize with his castmates for "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" (2006), a gritty true-life drama about growing up in 1980s New York. Though neither film was a box-office success, they further bolstered LaBeouf's profile as a young actor with mature skills and interests.
LaBeouf remained strictly on the Hollywood side of the movie fence for much of 2007. He took the lead in "Disturbia," a youth-oriented thriller inspired by "Rear Window" (1954), then voiced a hot-dogging penguin who surfed in the animated feature "Surf's Up." LaBeouf also signed on as one of the few human performers in Michael Bay's summer offering, "Transformers." The young actor received a major career boost when he was cast to play Mutt Williams, son of Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and Marion (Karen Allen), in the much-anticipated, but ultimately disappointing "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (2008). Despite making over $300 million at the box office, the fourth installment to the series was criticized for a weak plot and over-excessive CGI-graphics.
Just months after "Crystal Skull" was released, LaBeouf was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving after his pick-up truck collided with another vehicle at 3 a.m. in West Hollywood, CA. The actor was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries to his knee and hand, as well as a minor head injury. Though the arresting officers detected alcohol on his breath and obvious signs of intoxication, LaBeouf was not formally charged. Police later revealed that the other driver caused the accident by ignoring a red light and was subject to arrest. In the car with LeBeouf was actress Isabel Lucas, who was set to co-star with him in the action sequel, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (2009). |
