Hollywood Child Stars

Shia LaBeouf: Biography

From digging holes in a juvenile delinquent camp for Disney’s “Holes” to driving transforming cars for director Michael Bay in “Transformers”, Shia LaBeouf is taking the silver screen by storm. Several media outlets consider Shia the next big star and with his impeccable comedic timing and uncanny ability to delve into a character, it is not hard to believe.

Childhood
Shia LaBeouf was born on June 11th, 1986 to Shayna Saide and Jeffery Craig LaBeouf. The name “Shia” is Hebrew for “gift from God”, and his last name “LaBeouf” is a misspelling of “Le Boeuf”, which is French for “the beef.” Shia attended the 32nd Street Visual and Performing Arts Magnet Centre in L.A; however, he received most of his education from tutors. He describes his childhood as happy, but explains how it was challenging to deal with his father who had become addicted to heroin when Shia was only about nine years old. His parents eventually divorced and Shia moved in with his mother in Echo Park, L.A. She sold fabrics and brooches to make ends meet.

Career
Shia LaBeouf began his career in showbiz at a very early age, but not in any conventional manner. He claims to remember his parents and himself at a very young age dressing up in clown costumes, and selling hot dogs in the park across from his home. He started performing risqué stand-up comedy routines at ten years old in comedy and coffee clubs around his neighbourhood. Shia then saw a friend get a spot on “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”, and decided that he too wanted to act. He found his first agent in the Yellow Pages; her name was Teresa Dahlquist of Beverly Hecht Agency. She took him on after witnessing his out-of-the-ordinary stand-up routine.

After landing many small television and film roles, Shia’s big break came in 2000 when he was cast in the smash hit Disney program “Even Stevens”. In 2003, Shia was awarded a Daytime Emmy Award (Outstanding Performance in a Children’s Series) for his portrayal of Louis Stevens. Since the year 2000, his talent has grown by leaps and bounds and his list of film credits continues to escalate. Shia was accepted into the prestigious Yale University, but declined saying “he [was] getting the kind of education that you don’t get at school.” Despite his seeming dislike for organized education, Shia maintains that he would like to attend college at some point in his life.

A comment from the new-born star: “I live a pretty modest life. I drive a Nissan. I live in a two bedroom. I go to Dodgers games. I’m sure that’s going to change and I’ll deal with that when it comes.”
– Shia LaBeouf

More on Shia LaBeouf
Biography
Filmography